WWE Hall Of Famer Explains What He'd Like To Help AEW With

The world of professional wrestling can be quite small at times. No matter where one ends up, however, there's going to be a familiar face or two floating around. Sometimes it's beneficial to take advantage of that aspect. Tony Khan's AEW isn't very old, and just recently celebrated its third anniversary. In that time, plenty of familiar faces have made their way to the company — from Chris Jericho and CM Punk to older icons such as Sting and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Yet while Jericho and Sting still mix it up in the ring, Roberts – who has dealt with plenty of health issues over the years — is signed strictly as a manager. Behind the scenes, though, there is at least one thing he would love to help with more than any other. Professional wrestling is about more than just what happens in the ring. Performers have to be able to deliver on the microphone as well. It's just that backstage perception has always been tricky to navigate for him, especially with the younger talent. 

"A few of them came up — Road Dogg — that was about it man," Roberts said on "The Snake Pit." "It was like they were afraid to talk to me. I get that a lot." Roberts explained that it could be his voice or the way he carries himself, but aside from a small handful of stars, the interaction with younger talent simply isn't there. He's hoping to change that. "I'd like so much more," he continued. "I wish AEW would use me in a position where I was helping people with interviews. Because I do know how to do that, and I could certainly help a few people that are struggling."

While Roberts didn't name any performers he believes are struggling, he noted that there's always room for improvement when it comes to interviews. "You're never great," he added, before comparing his thoughts on interviews to what one of the greats told him about the idea of a "perfect match" years ago. "Dory Funk once told me that if you ever think you had the perfect match, then you should go backstage, take off your trunks, take off your boots, your socks, put 'em in a pile, spray lighter fluid on 'em, and burn 'em." If aren't always trying to improve, then why bother with this line of work?

While there are certain levels to what makes a promo or interview good or great, Roberts believes that you're never going to improve if you already have the attitude that you're perfect. You should always be looking to take in information and turn it into something. "There's always a different way to do something," he added. One star he did single out as being an excellent example is former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, whose mic work has been compared to the WWE Hall of Famer's in the past.

"I saw that he had command of the mic, he knew what he was doing," Roberts said. "He's never asked me for help, and that's okay too. He's done a couple of interviews that I thought were just unbelievably over-the-top good."