Matt Sydal Reveals How Last Minute His AEW Debut Was
Former multi-tag team champion Matt Sydal was on a recent episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast where he, Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone discussed his AEW debut at All Out in the Casino Battle Royal. Sydal revealed that his appearances was a last minutes deal that eventually led to more appearances on AEW.
"That was absolutely a last minute thing. I think I got the call on Friday, and the pay-per-view was Saturday," Sydal recalled. "It was relatively short notice, and it sounded like a great opportunity and a good way to get the ball rolling. We got our foot in the door right there. That led to some more work. I wrestled Eddie Kingston on Dynamite, Shawn Spears on that late night Dark. So I've had my hands full since the All Out Battle Royal."
Sydal said it took a while after All Out before he officially signed with AEW. However, he noted that he's been in wrestling long enough to start out on a handshake type deal.
"It was a little while, but I'm old school enough to be on a handshake and a 'hey, see you next week' kind of thing," Sydal admitted. "But it was really nice. I think it was literally 11/11 of 2019 when I got the paperwork, and we were able to work out a deal."
Sydal faced Cody Rhodes on an episode of Dynamite, and he has called Rhodes a rival in the past. On the podcast, he talked about his connection with Rhodes as well as his ambitions for the TNT Championship.
"I think my story with Cody is definitely not at the end. It's an ongoing thing," Sydal described. "I really feel, I always end up getting to some kind of weird Zen take on things, he and I are really a yin and yang, but the point is the yin and the yang are the same thing.
"They're part of the whole, and so when we collide in the ring, it's somebody who was raised in the business to somebody who was a backyard wrestler. And then we sort of crossed paths at OVW, but not for long enough where we were able to work together or work against each other. So right now, we're both coming into our own having our best matches. I think this TNT Championship is bringing out the best in a lot of guys.
"I think it brought out the best in Darby Allin, and I think this is where I need to narrow my focus. That championship has a lot of meaning and prestige to it, and it is absolutely one of the main reasons I'm in AEW right now."
Sydal confirmed that his goal in AEW is the TNT Championship. He talked about the hard work he has to do in order to become TNT Champion.
"Absolutely, that's not a New Year's resolution. That's part of what I've been meditating on and thinking on," Sydal stated. "Thinking what it would feel like to be the champion, what it would feel like to have that responsibility, what it would feel like to be champion in AEW so I focus on what it would feel like, and then I'm just going to do the work and get myself there. And the only problem is guys like Cody are already doing the work extremely hard, and so it's a new environment for me. I'm really acclimating myself, but I have no doubt in my ability to become that TNT Champion."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit AEW Unrestricted with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.