Fuego Del Sol shares his thoughts on the end of his AEW tenure.
Fuego Del Sol frequently competed on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation before he received an AEW contract on the first episode of AEW Rampage on September 13, 2021. He continued to wrestle on AEW programming, but in February 2023, Fuego went down with a foot injury, and he later revealed that he fractured his foot in five different places. He last wrestled for AEW on the February 20 episode of AEW Dark Elevation. On June 22, Fuego Del Sol announced that he will be a free agent on July 1, as his AEW contract is coming to an end.
In an interview with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Fuego Del Sol discussed leaving AEW. He described how, even before he got hurt, he wasn't being used as frequently as he was before. Fuego noted that AEW has a giant roster, and even the talent at the top struggles and fights for TV time. He stated that wrestling is a rollercoaster, and when you're down, you have to switch it up.
"Listen, me and Kenny have been butting heads for a long time. you know? We're both born on October 16th and I was like my graphic needs to be put up. No love. Even before I got injured I wasn't being used as often and we have an incredible roster. It's a giant roster. You know, when you have guys at the top struggling and fighting for moments and TV time, you know, it's knowing that you might get lost in the shuffle. Wrestling is a rollercoaster ride, there's ups and there's downs. But the more down you are, the more you start to realize you got to switch things up. You got to try some things," Fuego Del Sol said.
When sharing his thoughts about how he wasn't getting used, Fuego detailed how his mind went crazy in a number of ways, as one wants to improve and stay sharp by working more dates on the independent scene. He also pointed out that he knew his contract was coming up, so if that marked the end of his tenture, he had to prepare for that. Fuego also expressed that he was thankful for being paid through his injury.
"When you're not being used, your mind goes crazy in a lot of ways. You want to be better and so I was trying to take more indie dates to stay on top. So just in case my number got called. I would be ready but all also in the back of my mind, I was preparing that, hey, my contract is coming up. So if this is the way they want to go, I have to prepare myself and unfortunately, I got injured. Luckily, you know, I was under a deal where my contract, they paid me throughout my injury and I'm very thankful for that," he said.
Fuego emphasized that he has no ill will and nothing bitter to say about AEW. He noted that there's plenty of things he may have changed, but at the end of the way, wrestling is a business. He stated that he wished he could have done more, and he's always strived for new heights and bigger moments. Fuego stated that if AEW didn't see that for him, he understood, and he has a lot left to prove.
"Absolutely. Very respectful, very professional. All the credit to AEW. I have no ill will. Nothing bitter to say about them. I could would’ve, could’ve, should’ve all day long about character stuff or this, that and the other. But at the end of the day, it's a business, and if, at this time, they feel like they can do business without me, then I'll go and try to do business without them as well. It's all good. There's ebbs and flows, I understand the situation. I wish I could have done more. Of course, I feel like some people are fine in certain situations. But I've always aspired for more in wrestling, I've always aspired to move up the card, I've always aspired to create bigger moments, get bigger matches. If that's not the direction they wanted to move in, at the time, I understand completely. I feel like I have a lot left to prove, I have a lot left to show. I wish I could have done more. Like I said earlier, I am very confident I can do it all. I could have been a manager, I could have gotten a tag team, I could have gotten a group. I could have done babyface, I could do heel. Over time, I hope to flex those muscles a little bit more, especially on Indies and wherever I may end up down the line on TV," Fuego Del Sol said.
Though Fuego was confident in the way he won over the fans online, he expressed his belief that he wasn't sure whether he ever got Tony Khan to fully buy into him. Fuego expressed his gratitude that the company signed him, but he explained that he felt like Khan never fully believed in bringing him on bord. He also pointed to AEW's loaded roster and the challenge of juggling numerous great talents.
"At the end of the day, and I have no clue if this is true or not, I've always felt that I was able to win over the online crowd, I was able to win over a lot of higher ups in the back. I just don't know if I ever fully got Tony to buy into me fully. You know what I'm saying? He definitely signed me, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. I would love to ask you. But I just feel like I never fully believed in it. It's his company, it's his vision and he's got so many great talents that are he's got to figure out and puzzle piece to get on the show. So, I understand at the end of the day that you know right now is my time to leave and try to go do other things," Fuego Del Sol said.
As for his goals following his AEW exit, Fuego described how he intends to survey the landscape and look for the best opportunities. He stated that his televised matches in AEW were usually short, so he didn't get the chance to fully showcase his skills. Fuego Del Sol then emphasized that he's looking for the chance to show the world what he can do.
"I'm definitely going to survey the landscape. I definitely am constantly seeking the best opportunity. You mentioned some of the TV time I got, I think maybe overall I had just a little over 11 or 12 actual AEW TV matches, and none of them, maybe two of them, got over 10 minutes on the show. So it's like I still don't feel like I got enough time to really showcase or breakout the way I would wish I could have. So I felt like I have so much more to show and so much more to offer. I cannot wait for the right company to and right, higher ups to see that and to give me a chance and for me to really show them I'm going to try to bust my ass on the indie scene. I want to hit all the big indies," Fuego Del Sol said.
Fuego went on to describe how he never got to have a real "run", as he was always a grinder who traveled around the independent scene. He noted that he never got to work the major promotions that have plenty of exposure, so he plans to do so now. Fuego pointed to WWE, NXT, or IMPACT as potential destinations at some point, and he made it clear that he has a lot left in the tank.
"I never really got to have that real run. I was always a grinder. I was always traveling around the indie circuit—Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico, Canada—but never hit any of those major organizations with a ton of exposure to really cement my name on the indies. So that's the plan for now. Maybe when the hiring freeze with WWE and NXT comes to a close, maybe if Impact has interest. I'm willing to do it all go wherever they pay me to be. But I'm only 27, Sean, I got so much left in the tank. Again, I feel like I barely scratched the surface. People don't even know. If I can create all these moments on a vlog just wait to they give me some proper television time," he said.
On Sammy Guevara's latest vlog, Fuego Del Sol thanked the fans for their support. Click here to see what he had to say.
Fuego Del Sol recently commented on his return to the ring. More information is available here.
In a previous interview, Fuego Del Sol stated that he wants to do everything in wrestling and be involved in a variety of ways. Check out his comments here.
