QT Marshall Planning What’s Next For The Factory, Shares His Biggest Takeaway From Cody Rhodes Feud

QT Marshall is planning The Factory’s next move in AEW and reflected on how his recent feuds with Cody and Paul Wight helped him grow as a performer.

QT Marshall recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor about his recent work in All Elite Wrestling, including his feuds with Cody Rhodes and Paul Wight, as well as his match against 10 (Preston Vance). The match with Vance took place on the October 25 episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, which was also notable because of the huge shiner Marshall walked away with after the match. Marshall joked that the black eye adds character, then said that it’s almost healed and attributed the quick turnaround to leading a relatively healthy lifestyle.

“Yeah, it’s almost gone. I always tell everyone I’m like Wolverine. I had neck surgery in 2016 and I think the timetable they gave me was nine months to a year, and I was wrestling in five months and I was fully fused and everything. I am very lucky I think, not drinking or smoking, being as healthy as I can be, with the exception of eating a lot of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but other than that I think I’m pretty healthy, so that goes a long way.” [laughs]

Asked if there’s any health restrictions in place, Marshall said “not at all.” He then talked about how he’s still an active presence on AEW programming and fans should expect to see him on upcoming Dark shows (he’s returned to the ring since this interview was recorded), adding that The Factory will go back to the drawing board and be whole again when the timing’s right.

“We did some stuff on Dark, I was ringside with Aaron Solo for his match with Bryan Danielson and you know, it’s just hard right now with all of the talent that we have, there’s so few spots on TV of course, but yeah, we’re not in a rush. We’re just trying to figure out what’s next for us and what we can do, what’s fun as well. I’ve always said this — me personally, I knew the Factory was more about the other guys as well. I think there’s some stuff on the upcoming Dark [tapings] as well that they’re going to be part of, stuff like that. I’m not really in a rush, of course when something does come up, I’m always ready.”

After noting that the original question was out of concern for health, Marshall did note that giving himself some time off of television did allow some time for his character to breathe for when he eventually returns.

“I’m a huge believer in not forcing anything. Like you said, that’s the good part, we’re not overexposing anyone really on Dynamite that’s not needing to be [featured], right? The guys that are on TV are most of the ones that need to be on our TV for ratings purposes and business purposes and like I said, it’s just a matter of finding the right thing and I’m a huge believer in also not wrestling without a story. I know of course, at the end of the day wins and losses do matter, so there’s always a story in your wrestling matches, it’s just a lot harder to get a fan emotionally invested. But we do get great reactions when we do go out there, and that’s the positive, the fans do — whether they genuinely hate us or they like to boo, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as they make noise.”

Asked how working in two high-profile feuds with Cody Rhodes and Paul Wight helped him grow as a wrestler, QT Marshall said it was all about confidence and coming through in the clutch. He said he’s always known he could work and call things in the ring, but the feud with Cody showed him that he could deliver on a different level.

“One, I think the confidence level of, like again, I’ve been training for a very long time so I know I can go in the ring and wrestle. I’m not worried about that. I can remember stuff, I can call it out there, I’m good at that aspect of it, but also just having the confidence now to know that the number does well, because it is a business, the boss is happy, you know? Everyone thinks Cody made this feud because he’s my friend, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Tony’s the boss, Tony told us what he wanted to do and we did, we tried to do it the best that we could and tell our story, and it was a lot of little things that were our idea, the way we did, Arn, but at the end of the day, Cody didn’t lobby for me to feud with him. How does that affect our school business, there’s a lot of stuff that goes into it, but at the same time, elevating the other guys, Anthony Ogogo, it did make sense.

“But I was scared because I didn’t know how this was going to work out and the exhibition match we did, the first part of it didn’t do too well at first on the number, but as soon as the turn happened, everyone shot back and started watching it. Of course, no one cares about the exhibition match between two friends, it is what it is, but then as soon as the turn happened and the number spiked, we’re like ‘OK, we’re off to the races’ so that’s my one concern, I don’t want to let Tony down more than anything because this is his business, this is his life, the same way I don’t want any of my assistant coaches to let me down at the school. That was the biggest thing for me, was to know that I could go out there and do the job I’m asked to do and not screw up.”

QT Marshall will be on hand for the AEW Charity Bowling Bonanza on Thursday in Minneapolis; more details about the event can be found at this link.

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