Dante Martin has a bright future in AEW, but that potential can only heighten with a little help from some veterans of the business.
All Elite Wrestling star Dante Martin recently appeared on AdFreeShows’ One on One with Jon Alba and named Dean Malenko and Jerry Lynn as two of his biggest influences backstage.
“I’ve talked to JR a couple times. I talk to Schiavone just about every week now, of course, as you see with the pre-tapes we do. Two of the biggest names to me that are super influential backstage to me are Dean Malenko and Jerry Lynn. They’re just two of the greatest minds and nicest people you’ll ever meet. Super helpful. I watch a lot of Jerry, but Dean is the one I watch almost religiously…I almost draw, I hope it comes across like this, but the intensity, almost like the ‘I don’t care attitude.’ Just going to the ring, ‘I gotta do me, the other guy can bring it, but I gotta bring it more attitude. I get a lot of that from Malenko.”
Martin also spoke about finding confidence on national TV and said he’s building confidence each week, and it’s because of the coaches and infrastructure the company has set up.
“It was extremely difficult at first, coming out the first couple of times. When it started, we were in the pandemic era. So it was just like, more so our peers out there in the crowd. But it started building and things started loosening up, it started to build more pressure. The confidence is just so important when you’re in this line of work to be about to go out in front of thousands of people and do your art, and being able to go out there and have that confidence is 100% because of AEW and the amazing people we have in the back. The amazing coaches. The amazing talent. The amazing bosses. It’s awesome.”