Few broadcasters in professional wrestling today can measure up to Alicia Atout. The AMBY founder and current MLW broadcaster is one of the most well-known backstage personalities in the industry today, with both her backstage and shoot interviews widely praised throughout the pro wrestling scene.
Recently, Atout joined me to discuss her recent time in Mexico as part of Major League Wrestling’s latest set of tapings. She also discussed her dream match featuring MLW-only stars.
MLW’s recent tapings in Tijuana:
“Yeah, it was my first time ever working a show down there! It was crazy. It was amazing because that’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to go somewhere else for wrestling. I’ve been in the States a ton, and the reason I was in both the Netherlands and Finland was because of music, so I’ve never really traveled internationally because of wrestling. So, when this opportunity came about and we brought like a really small crew as far as film and even talent in the locker room, and they wanted me to be down there, I was like ‘oh my gosh! Yes! Of course!’”
“It was surreal. Just like crossing over the border, you finally get to the Arena, and it’s massive because it was an MLW and (AAA) collab, so that in itself – like, you see the iconic tunnel you hear about in that place that’s been around for years, and you just see all these things in person. There’s 5,000 people, sold-out, and it’s crazy. You could just, like, feel the energy.”
“I didn’t do in-ring promos, but I did tons of stuff backstage. I think we filmed like – we did tons in San Diego the day before, I think I had like eighteen promos in a day, but the next time I think we shot four or five. It was cool because those ones involved Konnan, who owns AAA and is also with MLW. It’s just crazy, seeing how you’re working with these legends and people who have been in wrestling for so long and you’re in a foreign country.”
“The best part, though, was that they had tacos upstairs, like authentic tacos and they were so good like I went up there twice throughout the day, and man, they were awesome.”
What surprised her about Mexico:
“Just the magnitude of the show we were filming. It was huge. I wasn’t expecting it to be that big, I wasn’t expecting the fans to be so different. I mean, in North America, fans are loud and they cheer, but it’s completely different in Mexico. It felt like the place was erupting 24/7. It was such a cool thing to experience, and it was loud! I stood right by the side of the stage and it was deafening how loud they were. That was super cool. Just seeing the production and how many people were on board to make everything happen, it was a really well-run, tight ship. It was right in the back of my mind, thinking like ‘oh, you’re in Mexico for wrestling finally?’ It was very surreal.”
“Being in the back with all the dudes, they were all excited, it was a crazy crowd, and in the back of your mind all of this virus is going on! It was a lot to take in and a lot to think about, but a lot also to really be happy and grateful for.”
Her MLW dream match:
“I think it would be cool to mix things up and have someone like Lawlor, like Tom Lawlor team up with Jacob Fatu, because I think Lawlor’s such a technician in the ring, and Fatu is shockingly amazing at the high-flying moves. I think them teaming together would be so bizarre, but they both have a great sense of humour, so I could imagine those promos being out-of-this-world. Those two, as hard as they are in the ring, they’re goofballs. I think seeing those two team up against maybe…like, (Alex) Hammerstone and Davey Boy (Smith Jr), because they’re both really huge, I think that’d be really cool. That’d be really neat to see, and I know that hasn’t happened, so that’d be really cool.”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.
