Kevin Kelly Explains Why Being On AEW Collision Is Nerve-Wracking

Since the launch of "AEW Collision" over the summer, one of the show's voices has been Kevin Kelly, a former broadcaster from NJPW as well as WWE. Though Kelly is no stranger to wrestling commentary, returning to the live aspect has been an adjustment, as admitted by the commentator during an appearance on "AEW Unrestricted."

"It's been fun, and exciting, and thrilling, and very stressful all at once," Kelly said. "I can't assume that anybody knows anybody, so I have to tell everybody's story like they're seeing and hearing them for the first time."

While Kelly said that he is familiar with wrestlers like "Switchblade" Jay White after calling hundreds of his matches, Kelly can't assume the same for the AEW audience. Part of his job is informing the audience of wrestlers' history from before AEW was around, on top of his other responsibilities. Everything is made even more difficult by the fact that it's being done live.

"I have not done [live] television in 20 years," Kelly continued. The commentator shared that doing commentary for NJPW was different, as it wasn't live and they have much more time to go over everything. "I don't have that time in AEW. That's been the biggest adjustment for me — everything is happening so fast and the moment's gone. And then it's like I think of it later, but it's too late."

Fans of WWE's "Attitude Era" may remember that Kelly got his first big break as a backstage interviewer and, briefly, as a commentator for "WWE Raw." After being released from the company in the early 2000s, he would go on to work for Major League Wrestling and Ring of Honor in addition to NJPW.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.