David Arquette Credits AEW Stars For Influencing His Work In Independent Wrestling

David Arquette considers himself "lucky" in the journey that brought him to independent wrestling. In combination with his fame as an actor and previous television exposure on WCW in 2000 — where he briefly became WCW World Champion — Arquette plunged back into professional wrestling in full force nearly two decades later. This time, however, Arquette explored the independent wrestling circuit.

In 2018, the former "Ready To Rumble" star resurfaced in the professional wrestling landscape at Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, losing to RJ City. Arquette recently opened up about some of the professional wrestlers who really inspired him prior to his return. "Colt Cabana was a huge influence of mine," he told Busted Open Radio. "Ethan Page [and] "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry really helped [too]."

A 23-year veteran of the sport, Colt Cabana resigned with Tony Khan earlier this year and appears set for a role with Ring of Honor, while Page and Jungle Boy are full-fledged members of the AEW roster. 

Arquette's main trainer, though, was "Pretty" Peter Avalon. "Peter's incredible," he continued. "His comedic [gimmick] and character, I just love the work that they do and being able to get to know these guys and then go out on the road and do all these kind of [things], have all these memories, and entertain the fans, because it's ultimately always about entertaining the fans."

In a 2018 interview with 411Mania, Arquette previously felt he "never really got the opportunity to wrestle" during his stint in WCW. "So just 18 years later, after a lot of people gave me grief, I was like, 'I want to do it right,'" he said. Accordingly, Arquette began training with Avalon, whom he described as a great wrestler and coach.

Arquette would eventually retire from wrestling in mid-2021.