Aubrey Edwards has become arguably the most prominent referee in AEW, earning herself the top position in high profile matches thanks to her willingness to get involved.
Chris Jericho has handpicked her for his matches, including the first-ever AEW Title bout between Jericho and Hangman Page.
Edwards has faced backlash online from fans who believe she is too involved and present during matches.
When asked about the criticism by Renee Paquette on The Sessions, Edwards replied, "When it first started happening, it was something where I was like, 'Oh, Twitter is eventually going to hate me because I'm a woman. That's going to just happen.' I'm really good about not listening to criticism that doesn't matter. I listen to constructive criticism. That's where I've been focused. If Jericho is putting me in a match, and he's shoving me and wants me to shove him back, I'm going to do it. It's ultimately not my decision, it's his decision because it's his story, and I'm there to help elevate the story that he's telling. It's not like I tried to be a character, it was just sort of like, they figured out I have a very go-getter personality and very no-nonsense, and as people picked me in matches they were like, 'Oh, if I shove her, I get a lot of heat for that, let's do that,' and it's happened naturally. It was never something I intended, it was something that happened because the wrestlers asked me to do things in matches and I do them."
When asked if she's received criticism from other referees, Aubrey said, "I get none at AEW because all of the guys are friggin great. They are all absolutely incredible. I will hear some criticism online from other referees that are on the Indies. Dude, why are you criticizing people on TV? Don't you want a job? I don't focus on the criticism, I focus on how silly people are, why are you criticizing something online and then shooting me a DM about getting a job at AEW? We're not going to do that if you just shit all over me."
Elsewhere during the interview, Edwards discussed her role in the games department at AEW. You can find her full comments by clicking here.
Edwards is expected to referee at AEW Revolution, though Bryce Remsburg will serve as the official for the main event between MJF and Bryan Danielson. Fans can check out the lineup for AEW Revolution by clicking here.
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