American Top Team founder Dan Lambert has made waves in AEW in recent months, railing against the company as he leads MMA fighters and the Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page) into battle.
While Lambert might be against AEW on-screen, he is with AEW off-screen and supports what they are doing as they compete against WWE.
“I’d like to hope it’ll be back to the Monday Night Wars where everyone keeps stepping their product up to outdo the competition,” Lambert tells Cageside Seats’ Shakiel Mahjouri. “Call me biased because I’m with AEW right now, but I don’t see WWE stepping their game up. Bobby Lashley is a real dear friend of mine. I love the guy. I’ve known him for 15+ years and I’m not even at the point where I’m fast-forwarding through Monday Night Raw to get to his shtick. I don’t even hit play. I’m not a big fan of WWE’s product these days. I still think they have some really good talents over there but I just have a hard time watching it.
“The wrestling boom, in my mind, is what AEW is doing and watching their product and watching their show. Even though there are certain things in it that I don’t like. Some of the things I say in my character, I actually believe. But there are so many other things that they have. Talk about having a buffet of different genres of professional wrestling. You go to one show at AEW and see every style you like and a couple of other styles you don’t like. WWE is more of the same for me.”
AEW has often been referred to as the alternative to WWE, though Ricky Starks believes that AEW has since become the first option for fans.
Lambert said of WWE's approach to things, "I see WWE as being somewhat egotistical in their approach that they are who they are and what they are,” he says. “They don’t have to change anything or do anything differently and people are still going to watch. I think it’s had a little bit of an opposite effect because I think a lot of people support AEW just because they want to stick their finger in the eye of a WWE that’s run roughshod for all of these years.”
AEW Dynamite has scored a higher rating in the 18 to 49 demographic than WWE Raw in the past two weeks.
Lambert is set to lead The Men of the Year into battle at AEW Rampage Grand Slam when they face Chris Jericho & Jake Hager. You can view the current lineup for the show by clicking here.
