Tag: Maven

Maven praises AEW, Tony Khan after recent visit

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former WWE wrestler Maven had a lot of good things to say about AEW following a backstage visit to the promotion.

A few months ago, Maven went backstage at AEW for a video on his YouTube channel. He reflected on that experience during an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show this week, saying that AEW seemed like a good place to work and Tony Khan seemed like a great boss.

“When I was backstage at AEW, that environment seemed like a good place to work. Great vibes. And Tony Khan seemed like the best boss to work for,” Maven said. “I know he gets a lot of, you know, a lot of critics talking about him online.

“I sat and watched. They were about 30 minutes away from ending the show. And my contact told me, ‘Tony wants to meet with you, he just has to wait until — obviously — the show’s over.’ So, yeah, no problem, we’re here, we don’t have any place to be. I sat and I watched Tony for 30 minutes. And every wrestler that came out of that ring, he got up from his producing chair, took his headphones off, made sure every one of them was healthy, happy with the match that they had just had.

“And you can tell when someone cares as opposed to when someone’s going through the motions. He cares. I left and I told him to his face, ‘You have changed my perception on what I thought you were.’ And everybody that I talked to there seemed happy to be there. And seemed happy with the product that they were putting out in front of the fans.”

Khan thanked Maven for his comments, as well as crediting Helwani for sharing them despite the heat Helwani and Khan have had.

Maven — a winner of the first-ever season of WWE Tough Enough — has largely been out of the industry for the past two decades but has found a second life in wrestling through the success of his YouTube channel. He said the AEW visit came about because someone he used to work with in WWE reached out to him through Colt Cabana. That person worked behind the scenes in WWE setting up media appearances and now has a similar role in AEW. After AEW reached out to him, Maven presented them with 10 ideas for the YouTube video and the promotion chose which one they wanted him to do.

Though he does not watch the current product, Maven said he would entertain any offers from the major wrestling companies if they wanted him to join them on a regular basis, but there haven’t been any approaches at this point. He would not give up his YouTube channel for any role with a promotion, though.

Former Tough Enough winner Maven explains why he can’t watch wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Despite running one of the most popular wrestling channels on YouTube, former Tough Enough winner Maven does not watch the current product.

Maven’s WWE run ended two decades ago, but he’s found new life as a YouTube content creator. He discussed that during a Monday appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, noting that this provides a better living for him financially than wrestling ever did. Maven said he focuses his videos on evergreen topics instead of current-day happenings because it has a longer shelf life of earning potential. And watching wrestling is something that is just too hard for Maven because it makes him jealous.

“It’s too hard,” he said. “It’s just too difficult. It’d be like watching the love of my life, my ex, going on her next date. And telling me, ‘Hey, this is my new boyfriend. He’s great.’ It’s still too difficult.

“I love wrestling. I love it. I love everything about it. I think it’s truly one of the best forms of entertainment going, and I root for its success. I hope all the superstars — I hope the Cody Rhodes’, I hope the Seth’s, I hope The Usos’, I hope the MJF’s, I hope the Adam Page’s — I hope all those guys have careers I never dreamed of. I just can’t watch it. It’s just, I’m a human being, I get jealous. I watch them and a little bit of me is upset that I still can’t do it. That age, Father Time, has indeed done what Father Time does. And it’s just too tough. Yeah, it’s too hard.”

Maven said it’s been this way since 2005, though he did get up to speed for a few weeks when he had a WWE commentator tryout in 2020. He said he does not feel resentment toward wrestling and doesn’t blame anyone else for anything bad that’s ever happened to him, but there was a period of time where he had to distance himself from the business completely and wouldn’t take any bookings related to the industry.

Recently, Maven noted that he’s open to having another match but does not consider himself a pro wrestler anymore. He’s competed in occasional indie matches since 2015, with the most recent of those happening in 2024. Maven has said he might need to undergo surgery at some point for herniated discs that he’s dealing with.

Maven currently has 740,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. He still works a regular job in finance as well.

Former WWE wrestler Maven addresses whether he’s retired

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former Tough Enough winner Maven is open to having another match but does not consider himself a pro wrestler anymore.

Twenty years after his WWE career ended, Maven now runs one of the most popular wrestling channels on YouTube in addition to still working a regular job in finance. He stepped away from the ring in 2007 but returned in 2015 for occasional indie matches, most recently competing in 2024.

On a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Maven was asked if he remains open to having another match.

“I mean, if the situation was right, of course,” he said. “And last night, taking 70 bumps [for a YouTube video] proved that physically, I could at least get through it. I don’t think if somebody said, ‘Hey, we got a three-year storyline, we want you…’ I don’t know if I could do that, but I definitely would keep it open. As far as, man, in this business, you know, never say never.”

But Maven says he’s now at the point where he sees himself more as a YouTuber rather than a wrestler.

“No,” Maven responded when asked if he still views himself as a wrestler. “In a grocery store a few months back, and normally somebody comes up to me, ‘You’re that old wrestler, you won Tough Enough.’ Yeah, yeah. I had somebody come up to me and say, ‘You’re that guy that talks about wrestling and answers questions on YouTube, aren’t you?’ And I was like, I suppose I am.

“But I’m fine with that. Like, I’m okay with aging. I’m okay with — I just can’t do what I used to do, and I’m okay with advancing in just the next parts of my life. I’ve watched these guys now. They’re so much more athletic than I was, and obviously am now. Yeah, I’m perfectly fine with not being a wrestler anymore.” 

Maven said his body still hurts daily from his time in the ring. Eventually, he might have to undergo surgery for herniated discs that he’s dealing with. Maven said he thinks every wrestler feels like this when they’re 48 years old, with some faring a little better and some faring a little worse.

In the early 2000s, Maven began his WWE career as a winner of the first-ever season of Tough Enough. The most memorable moment of his run was eliminating The Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble.

Maven told Van Vliet that he is hoping his YouTube channel will reach one million subscribers in 2026. It’s currently at 736,000 subscribers.

Maven to officiate The Cardonas’ vow renewal at GCW Homecoming

Posted on by Ian Carey

Maven has been announced for GCW Homecoming. 

The promotion revealed on Thursday that the 45-year-old will officiate Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green’s wedding vow renewal ceremony on night two of the two-night event. 

In June, Cardona announced that he and Chelsea Green would still be part of the show despite a torn biceps he suffered at GCW Downard Spiral on May 28. 

Cardona tweeted: “I was injured at a @GCWrestling_ show. @Lauderdale11 didn’t offer to pay for my surgery/rehab. He then wanted to unbook me from Homecoming…the show that I MADE FAMOUS! In lieu of suing GCW, we agreed that @ImChelseaGreen & I WILL be booked & inviting you all to our vow renewal!”

GCW Homecoming will take place August 13 & 14 from the Carousel Room At the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Both nights will be available on pay-per-view via FITE TV. The updated lineup for the shows is as follows:

GCW Homecoming Part One, Saturday, August 13, 7 p.m. Eastern time —

  • GCW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Effy
  • Nick Wayne vs. Starboy Charlie
  • The Briscoes vs. Los Macizos
  • Matt Tremont vs. John Wayne Murdoch
  • GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Alex Colon (c) vs. Rina Yamashita

GCW Homecoming Part Two, Sunday, August 14, 4 p.m. Eastern time —

  • Maki Itoh vs. Dark Shiek
  • Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green renew their wedding vows
  • Charli Evans vs. Cole Radrick
  • Rina Yamashita vs. Sawyer Wreck
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Joe Lando

Maven announced for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Part 2 will include a blast from the past. 

Former WWE star Maven has been announced for the event set for Saturday, April 2 at 12:01 a.m. Central time at The Collective at Fair Park in Dallas. 

Janela tweeted the announcement today, but never explicitly stated that Maven would be wrestling at the event. 

https://twitter.com/JANELABABY/status/1502029256708218885

The co-winner of the first Tough Enough reality series, Maven worked for WWF/WWE from 2001 until his release in July 2005. 

After a stint with TNA and a run on the indies in 2006 and 2007, Maven did not wrestle for nearly a decade. He wrestled a handful of matches on the independent circuit in 2015 and 2016, but has been inactive since. 

Spring Break will be a two-night event. Both shows will air live on FITE TV. Below are the lineups for each night: 

GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break Part 1, Thursday, March 31, 8 p.m. Central time on FITE TV —

  • GCW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. AJ Gray
  • X-Pac vs. Joey Janela
  • GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Alex Colon (c) vs. John Wayne Murdoch

GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break Part 2, Saturday, April 2, 12:01 a.m. Central time on FITE TV —

  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Effy
  • Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson
  • Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen
  • Maven appears