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Big Swole announced on November 30 that she had left AEW. In an explosive interview with Call In show, she revealed why she decided to leave the company.
Big Swole was one of the most popular women in Tony Khan's company. She made her first appearance in 2019 in the annual Casino Battle Royale at All Out. She was signed permanently in December that year.
She had a memorable feud with current women's champion Britt Baker that culminated in a win for Big Swole in a Tooth and Nails match.
However, Swole believes that AEW and Tony Khan are lacking when it comes to diversity in the company. She went on to give a scathing review of representation in AEW. Here are her thoughts:
"Outside of [lack of structure] their BIGGEST issue, which is diversity. I do not beat around the bush when it comes to diversity and my people. There is no representation, truly, and when there is, it does not come across in the black community as genuine. At all. I don't know why everybody is so afraid to accept it or say it, but it's not a good look. What happens is, you have this wonderful company that treats people like family, but there is nobody that looks like me that is represented at the top and in the room with them. They are not helping to necessarily influence decisions, but to explain why certain slang and certain word shouldn't be said. There is no one else who can explain our culture and experience except for us," she said. (h/t: Fightful)
"I knew something was up when my daughter, who loves watching wrestling, she would watch AEW all the time and seldomly watch WWE. She's not a big fan unless dad [Cedric Alexander] was on TV, which stopped happening after they botched the Hurt Business. She would say, 'Mommy, there is nobody that looks like me on AEW. There's nobody that looks like daddy.' Then she started watching WWE because she saw Bianca and Big E. She saw herself represented. If that wasn't a 'click.' 'You are absolutely right. I don't have an explanation.' It's 2021. Why are people saying, 'it'll take three years for AEW to have a black champ'? This is a scripted sport. It should not take that long if you have been watching WWE for 50+ years and you know what not to do," she said.
Big Swole had further criticism of the structure in AEW
Big Swole continued, as she stated that women have to work extra hard to get television time in AEW while men don't. She said that working short matches on AEW Dark wasn't keeping her happy.
"Shoveling more money doesn't keep a person happy. We've seen time and time again, especially in a place where there's not enough space. There's no writers in a sense. Not everyone is comfortable writing their own things. Closed mouths don't get fed. That's exactly what that environment is. If you are shy and don't know how to write or are not creative, it's not going to work unless they want it to work for you. That's one of their biggest issues," she said.
This is the first time a reputed former star has had so many negative things to say about AEW. This will spark a discussion for sure, and it will be interesting to see how Tony Khan responds.
What do you think of Big Swole's opinions regarding her departure from AEW? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
