Kurt Angle On How Promo Writers Could Benefit AEW

Veterans of the pro wrestling industry, such as "Our Olympic Hero" Kurt Angle, more often than not have their finger on the pulse of the wrestling world and have a pretty good idea of what works for a wrestling promotion and what doesn't.

All Elite Wrestling, for example, has often been lauded for letting their wrestlers take more creative liberties in terms of structuring their own storylines and written promos. As viewers have seen in rather acerbic promos from the likes of MJF, Chris Jericho and Christian Cage, it allows the wrestlers to better resonate with the live audiences.

That said, giving wrestlers a greater deal of creative control, like Hulk Hogan in WCW, has never really worked out well from a long-term perspective; absolute power corrupts absolutely, after all, a notion Angle leaned towards when talking about AEW and its creative freedoms in his September 20 interview on "The Wrassingh Show" podcast: "I just think the company might be a little too loose ... it's more like the Wild West ... not as organized as it should be. The wrestlers are making up their own promos, saying their own thing, doing their own thing, and I think there needs to be organization within the company where you have the writers telling the wrestlers what to say and enhancing their characters."

While Angle praised AEW for bringing back the rebellious, counterculture feel of WWE's "Attitude Era" with middle-finger flips and blunt language, he felt the promotion could also stand to tighten their belt more when it comes to the on-screen presence of the wrestlers, particularly during matches: "I don't know ... putting the wrestlers in charge of their own promos and pre-tapes ... and even their matches, I don't know if they have agents for the matches, producers for their matches. So, I think they need to be overlooked, the talent. That's what makes WWE so good, why they're so organized, and why the show is always so tight."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Wrassingh Show" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.