Former All Elite Wrestling star Marko Stunt, an original member of the roster from its 2019 debut, has opened up about his tenure with the company and his eventual departure in 2022. Stunt, who has since retired from the ring, spoke about his own shortcomings during his run, admitting that he adopted a "poor mindset" and believes he "got too comfortable" in his position.
During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, the 29-year-old reflected on his time in the spotlight as a member of the popular Jurassic Express faction alongside "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry and Luchasaurus.
“I think there’s a few things that went into it. l’ve grown up a lot since then. I’m almost 30 now. I was in my early twenties when all that first started. I was young, dumb, and excited to be living my dream. I made some decisions that didn’t go over too well a couple times. I kind of treated it like, ‘Okay, I’m here. I’m good.’ And that was a terrible mindset to have. I absolutely loved being there. I’ve got friends for life from there now… But I was… I think plans just started to change. More people started to come in and new toys are more fun than the toys that you got a few years ago… I’m not bitter at all. I’m very fortunate to have lived my dream."
While Stunt acknowledged the changing creative direction, he ultimately placed the responsibility for his exit on his own shoulders.
“I do think there were some things I could have done differently to maybe preserve my spot a little better… I don’t think I handled it as maturely as I should have. I feel like I have to blame it on myself. I want to say I got too comfortable, to be real honest with you. I got too comfortable and, I didn’t feel untouchable or anything… But I did get very, very comfortable there.”
Now retired from wrestling, Stunt (real name Noah Nelms) has embarked on a new career path as a car salesman at Homer Skelton Ford, a job he landed after a brief stint waiting tables.
“They liked that they knew about me in AEW at one point. They saw all that and how I deal with people and just how I interact with them, and they ended up taking a chance on me. And I’m still pretty new. This is my second month on the car floor selling cars. But I was number three for the whole month last month in my first month out of, like, 16.”
Marko Stunt's final in-ring appearance was a one-off return to AEW in July 2024, where he answered an open challenge from his former partner Jack Perry, losing a three-minute match for the TNT Championship.
