Brian Myers: There is Far Too Much Entitlement in Wrestling Today

Impact Wrestling‘s Brian Myers has spoken out against the sense of entitlement he’s seen in the professional wrestling industry today.

Myers, perhaps best known for his time as Curt Hawkins in WWE, was with WWE from 2006 to 2014, and later from 2016 to 2020.

The former Raw Tag Team Champion has since joined Impact Wrestling, where he recently held Impact’s Digital Media Championship.

In addition to wrestling, Myers also runs a wrestling school with Pat Bucks, the Create A Pro Wrestling Academy.

Speaking during the latest episode of ‘The Sessions’ Myers spoke about the sense of entitlement he has perceived in wrestling.

“There’s too much entitlement. What I had [showing respect] was maybe a little too deep. But what it is now, is too deep the other way. We need something in the middle because the entitlement that people have in the business nowadays is wild to me.

“The story is that when we first got called up, you were not even allowed in the locker room. So Matt and I, changed with extras in every building for at least the first three months. Then we had to go up to Chris Benoit as the locker room leader and say ‘Sir. We’ve been wrestling on TV for a couple of months. We’d like to know if it’s okay if we could change with the boys.’ I don’t know if it needs to be that extreme, but there’s got to be some kind of respect.”

When host Renee Paquette said that asking for permission to enter the locker room must have been a rite of passage, Myers said it served as a reminder of your place.

“It makes you realize just how low on the totem pole you are. That you can’t change with the boys.”

Myers is far from impressed by what he’s seen from young wrestlers today and believes that for things to change, those in charge need to lead by example.

“It [Change] has got to come from up top. It’s got to come from management or top-top locker room guys.”

When Paquette suggested that social media and the ability to control what responses you get could be a factor in this entitlement, Myers agreed with the notion.

“I think that’s another big problem in the business. People start blocking everyone who says something bad to them, and before they know it, their timeline is all praise and it messes up your self-impression.”