Freddie Prinze Jr. On Why The Younger Generation in AEW Has Clashed With CM Punk

On the latest edition of Wrestling With Freddie, Freddie Prinze Jr. discussed why he thinks the younger generation in AEW hasn’t bought into CM Punk and his philosophy and how even if Punk went into AEW with the best of intentions, connecting with younger generations can be tough. Highlights from his comments are below.

On the challenge of connecting with younger generations: “My wife and I both have external businesses that we run beyond like acting and things like that, and I know her partners and her had a very difficult time working with the younger generation, with millennials, right, they just didn’t understand the way their brains worked, and I remember everything was, they want everything too easy, they want less hours and more money, and I still for whatever reason had a very clear image in my head of the older generation bitching about my generation when I was younger, and so my philosophy is, this is just how it’s always been.”

On why the younger generation might not buy into CM Punk’s philosophy: “And if you listen to what CM Punk said in the beginning, he said, I can’t wait to work with this next generation, this young talent out here, and give them the spotlight they need. Now he went in there with that intention in mind, but when you see how different that other generation thinks, and what kind of stories they want to tell, and how different it is than what you want to do, and when your body won’t allow you to tell the stories that they told when you were in your prime, and you start getting hurt all the time trying to prove a philosophy, it’s hard for that younger generation to buy into your philosophy even more. They’re like, he’s talking about us working and gonna get hurt and he’s hurt every match he’s in.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Wrestling With Freddie with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.