Why Goldenboy Did Commentary For AEW Fyter Fest

There was a lot of talk about how Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez did on commentary for Saturday's AEW Fyter Fest event. Goldenboy called the show with Jim Ross and Excalibur, and PWInsider reports that his role on the show was the same reason the Hardcore Match between Alex JeBailey and Michael Nakazawa aired – because it was a part of the partnership between AEW and CEO Gaming.

AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega was the point person for the AEW – CEO relationship, as he was in 2018 when the event was promoted in conjunction with NJPW.

Goldenboy made his name doing eSports commentary and also did commentary work for The Rock's Titan Games on NBC.

ESPN spoke to Goldenboy before Fyter Fest this past weekend and he revealed that he's a lifelong pro wrestling fan, first introduced to the business in the 1980s.

"I would watch Jim Ross and Michael Cole and learn from them," Goldenboy said. "I also learned how to do interviews by watching the mic placement and posture of people like Jonathan Coachman and Cole. They are the best of the best. They put on a quality product week in and week out, and for any aspiring broadcaster in esports, there's a lot to learn there."

Goldenboy also spoke to ESPN about the connection between eSports and pro wrestling.

"In esports, we're constantly trying to chase this sports-like ideology, but the reality is that we're more connected to pro wrestling," Goldenboy said. "We go through all this effort to make every broadcast feel like a show, and that's what pro wrestling companies do every week. I think Kenny Omega, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, etc., get that more than most, and it's about bridging that gap between esports and entertainment. I also feel both businesses operate with a chip on their shoulder that allows them to push the boundaries and make even crazier shows."

It was also noted that while CEO Gaming wants to be more like pro wrestling, AEW wants to use what eSports has done to capture millions of fans worldwide.