JBL Discusses the Integration of AAA Talent Into WWE, Mr. Iguana Getting Over

On the latest episode of Something To Wrestle With, JBL talked about integrating AAA talent into WWE, Mr. Iguana, and more. You can check out some highlights below:

JBL on the integration of AAA talent into WWE:“Yeah. I think it’s awesome. I think the integration was great. I saw a lot of the show by the clips. Apparently on the internet, I was supposed to be there, that was reported. I don’t know where that came from, I would have loved to have been there. Aut as far as I know, it was never planned. So I’m not sure where that came from.

“But look at what is going on in that AAA show first. It’s hard to get over. I don’t care where you are. People are going to look at lucha — and I saw some comments saying, ‘Oh, I don’t like the Lucha style.’ Okay, I get it… A lot of people didn’t like a lot of things. It’s hard to get over. They have a whole country and a cultural and a heritage down in Mexico. And these guys like Mr. Iguana, these guys, Penta… have gotten over down there. It’s hard to get over anywhere, and they are massive stars in Mexico. If they can figure it out there, they can figure it out somewhere else. The problem you have with guys that come into territories that have never been over. You don’t know if they can get over. Guys that have gotten over somewhere, you know at least they can get over, because that’s hard to do. And these guys have all gotten over in Mexico. I think they’re going to be fine. You know, it’s a different style, but they’re going to sell so much merch, it’s going to blow cash registers out, even though people don’t use cash registers anymore. But the stuff that they’re going to be able to do with these guys, I think it’s fantastic. And to have Dominic beat one of these guys, that’s brilliant.”

On AAA star Mr. Iguana: “I love Mr. Iguana. That kid is awesome. He is so funny. He speaks great English… He’s an iguana fan. He’s not just — I mean, this isn’t just some bulls**t gimmick that he’s carrying around. He knows all about iguanas — this comes out of a passion that he has for iguanas. And I was talking to him last time about you know, ‘You need to do some stuff like Ricky steamboat did with the dragon and all this stuff. The vignettes not in the ring, because you don’t have a problem with PETA, if you start bringing live animals in the ring and so some something gets stepped on or something,. But doing the stuff like Ricky Steamboat did with the dragons.

“But he is just a good person. He knows the business. He’s gotten over like a million dollars. And I agree with you, this is a merch bonanza, this kid. They’re going to sell so many freaking iguanas. And it’s not just because he’s got a colorful look and a colorful little iguana that goes with him. It’s because of him. Again, it’s hard to get over. That kid has gotten over in Mexico… He can work, he can do all this crazy stuff. The people love him, and he has a way of integrating all this crazy, silly stuffed iguana into his match. It’s really unique… what worked in Mexico is going to have to morph a little bit to what works in the United States. And he’s smart enough to do it.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Something To Wrestle With an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.