Teddy Long Clears the Air on His Thoughts About AEW and Controversial Remarks About His Age

Teddy Long has never been heavily associated with AEW. Over the years, Long has only commented sporadically on AEW, sharing his thoughts on topics such as the backstage atmosphere or talents like Bobby Lashley and former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland.

However, during a recent Sportskeeda interview, the topic of AEW came up, leading to some interesting remarks from Long. Co-hosts Bill Apter and Mac Davis humorously suggested that a match between the Hurt Syndicate and Death Riders would be enough to draw Long into watching AEW. This light-hearted conversation prompted Long to set the record straight about his feelings toward the promotion.

“I’ve got nothing against them,” Long said. “Sometimes, when I get a chance, I peep at them and see what they’re doing, especially since MVP and those guys, and Shelton and those guys are there, I kind of like to see what they’re doing. But I’m just not totally out on them. I just didn’t like some comments they made about me.”

The last part of Long’s statement appears to reference a 2021 interview with Wrestling Inc., where the WWE Hall of Famer claimed that sources close to AEW had indicated the promotion wasn’t interested in bringing him in, with the rationale being that Long was “too old to be over there.”

While Long’s comments suggest that he doesn’t hold any grudge against AEW, it’s clear that past remarks and perceived ageism left a lasting impression. Still, Long’s acknowledgment of occasionally tuning in to see what AEW talent like MVP and Shelton Benjamin are up to highlights that he remains interested in the evolving wrestling landscape.