Former AEW star Fuego Del Sol was interviewed on Busted Open Radio. He talked about his run in AEW and his future in pro wrestling.
Fuego Del Sol was asked what his next move is after leaving AEW:
“If you thought the rise and the grind to get one contract was special, just wait until you see me do it again. So whoever, whatever the option is, you know, whether it’s going down to Orlando in NXT, getting a try out and going there, I’m open to that. Whether the door opens up again in AEW, I’m open to that, and I would be remiss if I hadn’t talked to some guys at Impact, maybe doing something there soon, as well as the big Indies.”
“You know, I got some stuff planned at a couple big things coming up that I don’t want to spoil for them. I’ll let them announce the date soon enough. But I’m thinking months ahead now in a way that I didn’t before. I have some unique, very different stories that I am looking to tell over the next few months and I cannot wait for people to see what I got cooking to show my versatility, to show the different things I can do not only in the ring, but with a microphone. I am itching to get back to where everyone can see me on a grander scale.”
If he had the opportunity to pitch stories while he was in AEW:
“In a way, yes. You know, AEW has a lot of guys right now. I know management is already on their toes constantly trying to balance the three different shows that they have and I try to respect that and also understand that because a lot of wrestlers are all about me, me, me, me, me, you know, and what’s next for I. In some ways, you have to be that way to get ahead, but also understanding how you can pick your spots and fit in in certain places is huge. I felt like that’s one thing I did understand.”
“You’ve heard the saying that some guys just want to, ‘Hey, I want to win the belt and this is how I do it’, and they have no deeper story to tell. I feel like with my versatility, I could have done a lot of different things. I did pitch to management a little bit, ‘Hey, maybe do something in a tag team over here. Maybe we will go in this direction. I’m very confident in my speaking ability. Maybe I can become a mouthpiece for this guy.’ There’s definitely things that I pitched, almost maybe too much. I try to be a sniper with my words and pick my spots, but I’m extremely ambitious.”
“I would wait outside of offices trying to be patient and wait my turn. I would send text messages at the appropriate times trying to hear something back, and almost, maybe even to my own detriment, maybe I was a little annoying with how bad I wanted it and how ambitious I was, but if anything, I feel like that is the hardest avenue to manage right now in AEW is how do you pitch your stories? Where do you fit in? What is the best system to get your ideas where you want them to be?”
On when he realized he was just another body in AEW:
“Right at the beginning of the year. I remember we were filming Dark in Orlando. I patiently waited my turn out out of the head guy’s office. I went in and kind of just say, ‘Hey, what am I doing that I could do better? Where do you feel like I fit in? I feel like I’m doing this right or this right?’ The answer I got back was, it was almost very kind, but in a way the writing was on the wall. It was like, ‘Well, you’ve done this in the past, and it was good. This was good and this was good. We had spots for you and we kind of just fit you in. But you know, Sammy is doing something different right now and I liked you with him, but right now he’s doing something different. You know, and we had this Fuego One, Fuego Two things, but, you know, that suddenly ended when someone else left. We like you a lot, but right now, we have nothing for you.’ That’s the answer I kind of got and it was very kind, but it was not what you wanted to hear. You know, I’d rather someone tell me, ‘Hey, we want you to do this differently with yourself. Hey, we feel like you don’t have it in this spot, or we would like you to put on some weight. Give me critique because I bust my ass. I’m a hard worker. Okay, tell me straight up. Be real with me and I’ll go put in the work and do it right. I have no problem fixing myself. I got thick skin. I’m fine with a little bit of tough love.”
“You know, I’m an athlete, I want to get better. Every day I wake up striving to be a better wrestler, but if the company I’m working for and the boss I have doesn’t give me the right avenue or tell me where I need to fix things, how can I then present you something new or fresh? You have to realize where you are on the totem pole in a lot of ways, like you just said, and I feel like a lot of times I was just a good hand to be in a puzzle piece where they would fit me in and that’s fine, however, you strive for more and I will never stop striving for more.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. Busted Open Radio can be heard on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation (Channel 156), Monday through Saturday from 9 am to Noon eastern.
