Keven Undergaro, who is the manager of AEW Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone, was a recent guest on the “Regular Guy Friday” podcast on Heal Squad to discuss his client and why she signed with AEW, as well as the toxicity in the world of professional wrestling.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On entering the business of the wrestling world: “The business of wrestling is a whole new world to me – advocating for Mercedes Mone as I have been… End of day, I’m just a huge fan. Anyone who knows me knows I’m an even bigger fan and champion of talent. Talent in general. I love seeing talent of all kinds be rewarded. But Maria and I have also seen wrestlers as the greatest, most underrated and under appreciated of all the talents in show business. And yes, Hollywood, they are in show business and you know what else, they are more talented and even more valuable than Hollywood stars. I’d love to see any Hollywood A lister hold a microphone and be able to riff and improv before 15,000 arena fans and millions of viewers at home on live TV then go perform their own stunts, taking the worst bumps, two, three or four times a week while traveling city to city. And that’s before they have to deal with one of the most toxic fan bases.
“As far as value goes, wrestling is one of the last bankable assets on TV and on the digital front, popularity wise, few things top wrestling. And the wrestlers themselves are known, globally. And though a small but loud percentage of the fans are toxic, the rest of the global fan base is amongst the most loyal. As celebrity and Hollywood continue to fade away, the value of professional wrestlers only increases. That’s why I’m so in awe of guys like X-Pac for what he accomplished, endured and came back from and especially, Mercedes. Maria and I will always fight for them, for the wrestlers and for wrestling.”
On AEW and WWE both existing in the industry: “That’s why I love the fact there is a WWE AND an AEW. With WWE you have Triple H creatively doing the best work that company has ever put out. And God Bless AEW and Tony Khan, the rival promotion. I had to be reminded by a TV executive that AEW is only 5 years old. 5 freaking years old and people talk about it like it’s been around for a quarter of a century. That’s huge in and of itself. And without Tony and AEW, you know who suffers? The wrestlers AND the fans. The wrestlers have more opportunities and freedoms thanks to Tony and the competition makes WWE bring their A game. As far as AEW creative and talent, we may not see a better match this year than Swerve vs. [Will Ospreay]. Side note, AEW PPV’s have been off the charts.”
On Mone going to AEW: “Bringing it back home, Mercedes going to AEW was, up till now, THE best thing for women’s wrestling and wrestling in general. You know when her and I connected a few years ago, after she walked out on WWE, I asked her: what is it you really want, besides making sure your brother is financially secure. She said I just want to elevate women’s wrestling, Kev. So when she was deciding between signing with AEW and WWE, it really came down to that. Both companies have done tons for women. Look what Tony helped with in Jade Cargill and now what he is doing with Tony Storm. And over at WWE, Paul did so much to champion the revolution. But there’s still a lot more to be done for women in all work environments and that includes wrestling. Ultimately, the best way for Mercedes to elevate women was to sign with AEW. That’s what really tipped the scales.
“Honestly, Mercedes going to AEW was the best for the women. It helps the balance of power but I think will inspire other women. In the ring, Mercedes is the same. Not sure it’s known but Mercedes also purposely tries to elevate all her opponents in matches. Willow is an AEW wrestler who is a huge star now that’s about to have super super stardom as you’ll see. And Willow was like I owe it all to Mercedes for putting me over. Last week, Mercedes wrestles Stephane Vaquer and this week what a surprise Stephanie signs with WWE. Before that, Mercedes wrestles a girl named Kairi and what happens? WWE signs her. The list goes on. By the way, Stephanie IS a great girl. She came to our Karaoke victory party after her match with Mercedes in NYC. To be VERY clear, Stephanie is also an INCREDIBLE wrestler, like Willow, and every bit deserving of being a WWE superstar. Mercedes’ ongoing goal is to get more spotlight on women like them and it’s really cool to see. She called me so excited with the news Stephanie got signed.”
On toxicity in wrestling podcasts: “What’s messed up (and new to me) is all these podcast critics who hate on the talent and the product. While I’m new to the business of wrestling, I’m not new to podcasting. The negative and toxic chat and headlines gets clicks and downloads. I get it. That’s how you feather your nest. I also get for some it’s probably hard to see others to have the spotlight and succeed. Here’s the thing that may be hard for them to accept. There are people out there taking bumps and, believe it or not, actually fighting for bigger things than just themselves. You know why WWE is kicking ass now? Because HHH loves wrestling – way more than Vince did. You know why AEW is the Pepsi to WWE’s Coke after just 5 years. Because Tony loves wrestling. You know why Mercedes is doing what she’s doing for the women? Because Mercedes LOVES wrestling. And true fans, you know what Mercedes earning a record breaking contract and Tony signing her does? It sets a bar for the other women. If you don’t think that decision is going to help Becky Lynch hopefully eclipse Mercedes’ deal, you don’t know business. You get what’s yours, Becky.”
On women’s wrestling deserving their due: “Thing is, these days as fans we want to see the likes of Liv, Rhea, Charlotte, Tony Storm and Willow main event. They’re not main eventing for imaging or as a to pander, these women are delivering box office – that’s not to mention their values outside the ring. They deserve equal pay AND treatment to their male counterparts. Just like wrestlers in general deserve their due as performers in show business. Mercedes is leading that along with AEW. And it’s awesome. And as fans, don’t we want to see our wrestling heroes end up okay? Happy, healthy and successful? Or do we want them dying in hotel rooms, broke and alone, as our wrestling heroes in the past have? Mercedes doesn’t want that, neither do Maria and I, neither does Tony and neither should any of you. So lets do more to champion these talents and organizations to prevent that and to reward them.”
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