Maven has the itch, but that doesn't mean he'll be stepping back in the ring.
The former Tough Enough winner has been a popular topic of conversation in recent months, as his YouTube channel has taken off and gained over 500,000 subscribers since launching in July 2023.
Even with his online popularity, Maven has yet to return to the ring for any meaningful action, primarily competing in multi-man matches and battle royales.
While appearing on the latest episode of The False Finish (via AdFreeShows), Conrad Thompson asked Maven is he still has the itch to get back in the ring.
“Nah. Well, yeah, okay, I have the itch, but I’m also reasonable. I’m almost 50 years old. Guys like Ricochet have proven to me that the athleticism of the business has long passed me by. To get in to be a competitor, I’m just a rational human being, I know that that’s never gonna happen.”
Thompson then asked Maven if he was opposed to one final match or mini-run.
“Definitely not. God, it’s wrestling, I’m not opposed to anything. I’ve even said it, if the conditions were right and by that I mean that I knew I had a paycheck coming in and I knew I had a way to heal an injury. I have indie promoters hit me up all the time and they say the same thing, ‘I want to do this, I’m gonna make an easy match for you.’ What they don’t realize is that I already know that the older you get, it’s so easier to blow an ACL, to tear an Achilles like Aaron Rodgers. What happens after that? They’re not gonna pay for me and my rehab, I’m not going to go into New York City with crutches. If I had an organization that made the commitment and said, here’s a year contract, you get injured, you’re still gonna be getting paid, you can rehab and not have to worry about it. Then I would, yeah.”
Thompson went on to suggest that the right people could be listening to the podcast.
“Nah. I think the right people that would need to hear it were never Maven fans in the first place. People always ask me, ‘You think you’re gonna get the call?’ No, I don’t.”
Maven was then asked if he thought Triple H was ever a fan of him.
“Nope. Absolutely not. Not at all.”
Thompson questioned if it was because he got into WWE by using the Tough Enough system.
“Bingo. Absolutely. I think he had more respect for, and rightfully so, he respected the way guys toiled and the way that guys would pack four into a car and drive for an entire weekend to get paid $25 if they’re lucky and you know, go to a $29 Motel 6 and sleep on the floor and do that week after week, year after tear. To him, that was paying dues. My belief has always been, I didn’t invent Tough Enough. I can’t name one person that if given that opportunity when they were trying to break in would not have taken it. Him included.”
Maven finished off the topic by saying that he's cordial with Triple H.
“Hunter and I are cordial. Every time we see each other, we go through the motions, hey brother, hug, how’s the family, it’s great seeing you. I’m not gonna say we’re enemies, we’re far from enemies. I wish him nothing but the best. Don’t get me wrong, Hunter has one of the best wrestling minds ever.”
Maven last wrestled in March 2024, competing in the Last Stand Rumble at a Reality Of Wrestling event.
Furthermore, Maven recently stated that he would like to wrestle MJF. Check out his full comments on the matter by clicking here.
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