Real World Drama Wins Over Wrestling Fans - Travis Roberts Interview

The talk of the wrestling world for the past several months has been dominated not by the in-ring happenings or any kind of promotional material, but by the backstage drama that was not seen by wrestling fans or a part of the plan for any of the organizations being affected. Everything that is being talked about has been leaked and reported on by wrestling journalists. Podcasters and wrestling news sites have been buzzing about the controversy surrounding the retirement of Vince McMahon due to a payoff controversy brought to light by the Wall Street Journal and the fight between CM Punk and The Young Bucks that was reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer. One thing that is apparent in this situation is that viewership is increasing in the midst of all of the controversy. 13year pro wrestling veteran Travis Roberts has wrestled around the world and seen his fair share of backstage drama unfold. Working as one half of the tag team The Foundation, mostly in the Southeastern United States, he and his partner Dillon Dollar have spent a lot of time on the road discussing the wrestling business. In his expert opinion, Travis believes this is a great time for both WWE and AEW to capitalize on the attention being gained by the rumors and news being leaked to the media. Roberts quoted World Championship Wrestlings' old Senior Vice President when he says, " Controversy equals cash". Roberts expressed his thoughts on all of the drama is great for the wrestling business as long as those in charge have the foresight to guide the excitement in a profitable way. Roberts noted that AEW saw viewership grow by over 100k viewers after news of a backstage altercation leaked to the press. Roberts also noted that this situation is very reminiscent of the industry's environment during what is known by wrestling fans as the "Attitude Era". Roberts believes that the drama that has unfolded at AEW may very well be a work, stating that their product was losing viewers before the backstage incident and now the views have gone up dramatically. Roberts holds the belief that given the correct management of the current situation it could be worked into a program where so many fans are paying such close attention to the inner workings of the business. It is an opportunity for both companies to do something big, for better or for worse, and the world will be watching.