Pat Buck discussed his decision to come back to the ring for AEW and his approach to the player-coach position during a recent appearance on the “NotSam Wrestling” podcast.
Buck has worked a few wrestling matches since joining AEW even though he currently holds the position of Vice President of Talent Development for the company. He said,
“I never really had [a run]. Of course, you want that, but I also would be so embarrassed to be the guy trying to get that. I know that’s wrestling. People say, ‘Don’t be in this unless you want to be world champion.’ I beg to differ. Myers [Brian Myers] always says, ‘There are only so many spots for this.’ Know where you are, it doesn’t mean you can’t rise to something. I came on board, it was a conversation with me and Tony [Tony Khan], in terms of wrestling, relating back to Create A Pro alumni, ‘Hey, we really don’t have a developmental place.’ I wasn’t pitching Create A Pro or anything, but I went, ‘You have these people that are basically champions. They didn’t come to be from me just coaching them, I did every drill with them, I wrestled them on shows. I wrestled them at birthday parties. I think I’m a proven asset in that.’ You have all these guys on the roster. I remember looking at Powerhouse Hobbs, Satnam Singh, and I went, ‘give them to me on dark matches or live events. I can get ten minutes out of Satnam Singh.’ You only get better from wrestling someone better than you. Let me be the person to do that. I want to be your Brad Armstrong, your Irish Barry Horowitz. On live events, I can go longer with people. That’s how it came to be, an actual player-coach. [Tony] thought I didn’t want to wrestle. I want to do it, but I want to do it from an actual benefit of the talent. Part of me, I wanted to show my kids, ‘Daddy does this.’ I don’t care about championships. I’m a coach, let me be a player-coach. I’m the only person who wasn’t pitching to wrestle. ‘I do want to wrestle, I love wrestling, but I can’t have it interfere with what I do full-time. Here is what I want to do because I want to wrestle from a coaching perspective, not winning titles, that ain’t me.“
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Pat Buck, Vice President of Talent Development for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), recently discussed his decision to return to the ring and his approach to the player-coach position in a recent interview on the “NotSam Wrestling” podcast.
Despite holding a high-ranking position within AEW, Buck has still competed in a few wrestling matches since joining the company. He explained that while he never had a significant run as a wrestler, he didn’t want to be the guy desperately trying to achieve that. Buck believes that there are only so many spots for top champions in wrestling and that it’s important to know where you stand. However, he also believes that rising to a certain level is still possible.
Buck’s involvement in wrestling goes beyond coaching. He mentioned his conversation with Tony Khan, the president of AEW, about the lack of a developmental place within the company. Buck highlighted his experience as a coach and wrestler at Create A Pro, a wrestling school he co-founded. He emphasized that the wrestlers who have come through Create A Pro have become champions not just because of his coaching but also because he wrestled with them in drills, shows, and even birthday parties.
Buck proposed the idea of being a player-coach for AEW, where he could wrestle against the talent on dark matches or live events. He believed that by wrestling someone better than you, you can only get better yourself. Buck expressed his desire to be the person who helps others improve and grow in their wrestling skills. He mentioned names like Powerhouse Hobbs and Satnam Singh, expressing his confidence in getting quality matches out of them.
For Buck, wrestling is not about winning championships but about being a coach and showing his children what he does. He wanted to wrestle from a coaching perspective and not let it interfere with his full-time role in talent development. Buck sees himself as the Brad Armstrong or Irish Barry Horowitz of AEW, someone who can go longer with people on live events and contribute to the overall growth of the talent.
In conclusion, Pat Buck’s decision to return to the ring for AEW as a player-coach showcases his passion for wrestling and his commitment to helping others improve. By combining his coaching expertise with his in-ring experience, Buck aims to contribute to the development of AEW’s talent roster. His approach highlights the importance of mentorship and the value of learning from those who are more experienced.