The AEW Women’s Division has faced criticism since its inception, with fans voicing concerns about its initial neglect. Recently, WWE Hall of Famer Madusa aka Alundra Blayze shared her experience at All Elite Wrestling, revealing that many female wrestlers were not eager to train.
Speaking on her YouTube channel, Madusa recounted her time training at AEW. During her first visit, she participated in open training sessions led by Dustin Rhodes. Dustin invited her to help train the women, to which she agreed, though she initially intended just to observe.
“I don’t know if the girls train at AEW. I know when I was there that first time, I was there for a couple of days and they had open training because they had a ring there. Dustin was training the girls, and he’s like, ‘Oh my God, Deuce, I’m so glad you’re here! Do you want to come to practice?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah!’ And I’m like, ‘Okay,’ I said, ‘I’ll just, you know, I’ll just sit out here.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, do you want to help train the girls?’
And I said, ‘I’m honored, but you know, I’m just here. For me to come in and start throwing my weight around, I don’t think it’s cool.’ I said, ‘You’re leading this, so if you want me to talk to the girls and let them know that I’m open if they want to come over for any suggestions and stuff like that, absolutely.’ I said, ‘I think the best thing is, the kids are here and the ones that aren’t in the ring training, the best way to learn is actually to sit outside the ring and watch and listen.’ And he’s like, ‘Of course, he gets it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.’”
Madusa was surprised by the low attendance at these voluntary sessions, especially since Dustin Rhodes was offering his expertise for free. She questioned why more female wrestlers were not taking advantage of the opportunity, given that many were under contracts and getting paid.
“So we were getting ready to start, and I’m like, ‘Where’s everybody?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, it’s voluntary.’ And I’m like, ‘So it’s free? You got Dustin Rhodes training the girls, where are they? Why aren’t they here?’ And I was a little baffled. He’s like, ‘Di, it’s the kids. What am I going to say? It’s the new kids of today.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, okay, that was respectfully said, I get it, but isn’t it mandatory? I mean, half or more of them are under contracts, they’re getting paid, shouldn’t they just be here to show up too?’ I’m like, ‘Because back then, the girls’ work sucked. It was a sh*t show, man. They were all basically learning, and no bad things to them, there was just no direction. Who wouldn’t take advantage of that?’”
The next day, she encountered some wrestlers and invited them to practice. One wrestler, who was on the injured list, declined, despite appearing fine. Madusa suggested she could still learn by observing, but the wrestler reiterated that participation was voluntary.
“So anyway, I went and I was talking, and then the next day I saw some girls and they walked out and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, hi! How are you?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, hi, nice to meet you, Medusa.’ And I said, ‘Great. We had practice yesterday, we have it now. Are you coming?’ And she turned to me and said, ‘Practice? I don’t have to go.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean you don’t have to go?’ She said, ‘I’m on the injured list.’
I looked at her and she had her makeup all done, she’s walking just fine, everything’s fine. But sometimes, internally, you just don’t know. She goes, ‘Yeah, I have a doctor’s note. I don’t need to go, I don’t have to practice.’ And I said, ‘Well, you look great to me. Why can’t you sit outside the ring and learn something?’ She goes, ‘It’s voluntary, and I don’t need to show.’
I’m not saying this person’s name for a reason because I’ll mention it probably later in another episode, but it really opened my eyes to how the women, not all of them, may look at this business as a meal ticket, as money only, or do they really respect it? Are they that much of a c***? You know what I’m saying?”
CHECK OUT: Revealing Photos Of Alundra Blayze aka Madusa:
