Ortiz Thinks Seeing The Best In People Might Have Bitten Him 'In The Butt'

After continuously aligning with factions and friends for years, Ortiz now stands alone for the first time in AEW, though not necessarily because he wants to. First he was betrayed by Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle, which led to the formation of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Then, after a series of mind games from the House of Black, it was Eddie Kingston. In an interview with WhatCulture Wrestling, Ortiz shared his theory on why people keep turning on him.

"I think I'm too nice," he said. "That's what it is. I'm a little bit of a people pleaser, so I try to be nice. I like to see the cup half full [and] see the best in people, but I feel like that's come back to bite me in my butt."

While this certainly applies to the character we see on television, it seemingly applies behind the scenes, as well. Last summer, Konnan confirmed that Ortiz and long-time partner Santana, who has been injured since last June, "are not on good terms." Though they fought together in Anarchy in the Arena and Blood and Guts last year, Proud and Powerful haven't competed in a regular tag match since February 2022. Now that he's on his own, the former tag specialist is ready to unleash his more aggressive self by potentially stepping through the Forbidden Door solo to NJPW, NOAH, DDT, and AAA.

"There'll be moments where I have a fire lit underneath my ass and I want to do something more," Ortiz said. "People have to navigate. Not just in wrestling, it's just life. [Find] the right balance for everything."