Rico Constantino, former WWE superstar, found his experiences with AEW as a stark contrast from his time with WWE. He recently shared his experiences during the WrestleDream Zero Hour pre-show, where he joined MxM Collection but was unfortunately defeated by The Acclaimed.
On his recent appearance on the “Stylin’” podcast, Rico shared his observations about his short-lived stint with AEW, comparing it to his tenure at WWE. He remarked, “I just went into AEW’s locker room, and it was night and day from WWE back in the 2000s to AEW now. Everyone was friendly, you didn’t feel that heaviness in the air, people were actually talking to each other, getting along. They got a lot of good. I got to see a lot of guys who were WWE, and everybody in the locker room came up to me at one point and thanked me for my career and what I did as characters.”
Constantino also brought up his encounter with AEW President Tony Khan. Khan, surprisingly, remembered Rico for his contributions outside the WWE. He recalled, “The locker room was fantastic, the executives like Sonjay [Dutt] and stuff like that, I met Mr. Khan. Mr. Khan shocked me. He goes, ‘I remember you from ‘American Gladiators. I was a big fan.’ That’s 34 years ago [laughs]. Everybody came up and thanked me for being there, they said they appreciated my work, what I did in the past. It felt really good to have somebody appreciate your work. It must have made a difference because after 19 years, they’re still remembering me.”
Constantino’s wrestling career peaked during his spell with WWE from 2002 to 2004. During his tenure, he snagged the Tag Team Championships partnering with Rikishi and Charlie Haas.
Check out his recent interview on the “Stylin'” podcast here, where among the special guests is Rob Van Dam, Billy Gunn, and Rico with MxMCollection for AEW WrestleDream.