Bear Bronson Says He Was Trying To Turn Chicken Shit Into Chicken Salad In AEW, Recalls Negativity From Co-Workers Over Iron Savages Presentation

Bear Bronson details his frustrations in AEW.

Earlier this year, Bear Bronson became a free agent, as his contract with AEW/ROH expired. Bronson was very open about his departure with the company from the jump, saying that the Iron Savages were viewed as an enhancement act for the company.

Speaking with Muscle Man Malcolm for a new interview, Bronson said that he didn’t connect with his character at all.

“All of my peers, when I worked there, I felt like everybody got to be — happy or unhappy, everyone’s unhappy all the time — everyone got to be the wrestler they wanted to be, have the matches they want to have or I should say the style that they wanted to wrestle. I was in a pretty unique position that I don’t think anybody else was in where I’m so emotionally disconnected from the character that I’m being asked to portray. From the jump, from Bear Country to Iron Savages — from then on, I felt like it was really out of my hands because it was ideas from other people either within my stable or outside of the stable. I’m really not the type to be combative with these things, as a professional I like to say, ‘Okay, if this is what you’re pitching, if this is what you’re asking me to do, I’ll do it the best of my ability.’ Looking back, there are things I absolutely should’ve said no to that I did not say no to. I was just trying my best to be a good hand and be a good professional and just not be problematic and I lost my job anyways, so. I felt like from then on, the character I was portraying, I could not relate to personally at all. Especially at first when we were like gym guys — maybe my stablemates were, but I just go to the gym because I have to. I actually hate it, but I go to the gym every day because I have to but I really do hate gym culture. Right off the bat, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m so not – I can’t relate to what I’m doing.’”

When it comes to the motorboating aspect of the Iron Savages’ gimmick, Bear Bronson was frustrated that the bit eventually became the team’s entire gimmick.

“I had motorboated on TV because it fit for that match where we were wrestling the Ass Boys, the Gunns, Austin and Colten on Collision. I said you could call me Ass Boy because I’m going to — and then I motorboated because it was good for the spot I feel because it was just an on the fly thing I said that was aggressively inappropriate but funny I guess for the time. I thought it was a blessing at the time, but it was really in hindsight a curse because yes, it popped my boss. Yeah, you want to make your boss happy but over time, it just turned into that being our entire gimmick. At that point I was like, I don’t even know what we are anymore. Over time, if you watch as the weeks go, the matches get shorter and shorter. It gets a point where we’re just getting squashed in like 30 seconds to a minute and all we’re asked if just do the motorboating stuff and then lose. I’m like, ‘Okay.’ I’m just again, trying to be a professional.”

Bronson went on recall all of the criticism that was thrown his way during that time.

“I really envied my co-workers and I envied my best friends and I envied people that got to creatively put their mind into whatever they were doing that night as their own persona. The body of work you’re putting out, are proud of it, can you relate to it? It’s just the really weird position when I feel like I was trying to turn chicken shit into chicken salad, trying my best. Fans shitting all over it every week, podcast people calling us fat idiots and [saying] why do they have jobs, the ridicule left and right. You had Dave Meltzer saying we had the worst AEW pay-per-view match of all time, which I’m like, ‘Okay, whatever.’ It was left and right negativity and I’m just trying to do my job, I’m just trying to do what’s asked of me.”

Unfortunately, plenty of Bronson’s co-workers weren’t kind about the situation either.

“I felt it from my co-workers. Plenty of co-workers that are like, these fucking shitbags shouldn’t have jobs. It’s funny because this would happen every week, I feel like stars would see that they have a match with the Iron Savages and they’d go like, ‘Fuck.’ Then they’d wrestle or work with me and after always be like, ‘Oh, you’re actually great.’ I’m like, ‘Thanks.’ Like, oh, you’re actually good. It was just every week and it would get a point where I would tell my wife, everytime I had to fly out I was like, ‘I don’t want to leave.’”

Even with the negative experience, Bronson still took a valuable lesson from the situation.

“That’s where I really learned — I was making a good check. You’ll see people online, god forbid I complain, people are like, ‘Well, you were getting paid handsomely.’ I’m like, ‘You don’t what I was getting paid, first of all.’ It was fine pay, let’s not get carried away here. It really isn’t all about the money. I learned that and I think that’s the biggest lesson I took out of being with AEW, this is not about the money at all to me. I’m doing great on the indies financially to be honest with you but this really isn’t about the money. I really feel like I got into this to be the wrestler I want to be and leave behind a legacy that I could be proud of.”

Fans can check out Fightful’s recent interview with Bear Bronson and Gabby Forza by clicking here.

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