The Undertaker is a WWE icon and, since ending his in-ring career, he's finally broken character to share his insights into the world of professional wrestling.
It's been strange in some ways to meet the man behind the Deadman, but his take on the business is fascinating and he's now weighed in on the current state of AEW.
There was a time when AEW was on the verge of beating WWE in terms of ratings (well, the 18-49 key demo, anyway) and the consensus was that the product was vastly better. However, since Triple H took over from Vince McMahon, AEW has struggled to keep up with the larger company.
Ratings and critical acclaim are on the decline, but what does The Undertaker make of this supposed rivalry?
"Hopefully, a lot of people don't think the way I do, but hopefully, one day, AEW gets their crap together and genuinely creates some competition," he said. "That's probably not a popular take from most WWE insiders, but the way I look at it, competition's only gonna make, it's only gonna make you better."
"I don't think there is a real true leader in the locker room," the Phenom added. "I am not sure...I have nothing against the man, you know, but I don't know that Tony is the guy to run the company. I mean, his heart's in a good place, and he wants to do something, but I just don't know that he has the acumen to run a wrestling company against the juggernaut that is the WWE, but hey, I could be wrong."
"There was that one other time I was wrong. I hope they get it together and we do have some [competition]. It's better for the wrestlers. It's better for the audience, the fans. It's better for everything."
The main issue with AEW does appear to be Tony's lack of leadership. That's evident from his inability to manage talent, with his approach often resulting in issues like CM Punk's backstage clash with The Elite and Jack Perry and Khan ghosting talent he plans to fire.
Competition is good but, as things stand, WWE is unlikely to be giving AEW much - if any - thought.
The best part about AEW's continued existence is that it gives wrestlers somewhere else to go where they can make serious money. Recently, it's been rumoured that Ricochet plans to sign with the company after reportedly parting ways with WWE.