Former WCW Star Konnan Explains Why He Thinks Contract Signings Have Gotten Old

Recurring tropes have always played an important role in professional wrestling, and the contract signing is now a commonly used storytelling device in modern promotions like WWE and AEW. According to AAA's Konnan on his "K100" podcast, however, the contract signing segment has become overplayed.

"Let me explain to you what I think has happened with the contract signing," Konnan said. "Some of my favorite ones were in NWA and the early ones in WWE. ... When they started brawling and putting people through tables and s*** like that, it was really exciting. But then everybody copied that, because it was a successful formula, and it became formulaic."

Konnan compared the situation to the modern state of horror movies, saying that audiences have already seen everything. That makes it harder to scare them, or in the case of pro wrestling, to surprise and entertain them.

"It's hard to make it special," Konnan continued. "You got two [or] three hours to fill, and you gotta fill it up with something. Yeah, but they should come up with other things [than] the contract signing to make it a little more interesting."

The former WCW star pointed out that not everyone has been watching pro wrestling as long as he and his co-hosts had, meaning they might not understand the context behind wrestling's tropes and intricacies. Because he's been in the wrestling industry for a number of years, Konnan said that he takes a more critical look at everything happening today.

"Most fans don't even know what the f***'s going on," Konnan concluded.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "K100" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.