MVP has named the one type of tribalism he can understand.
The AEW star recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview. He talked about things such as being convicted for armed robbery early in his life, how he found wrestling during his time in the prison, his career in WWE, and more.
Talking about the rivalry between fans of different companies, MVP explained that people within the business do not feel the same way. He mentioned how he's made many friends in the industry over his career spanning more than 20 years and he doesn't understand people wanting someone to lose their job because of their hatred:
I have friends and colleagues that work for all the wrestling companies. Why would you want somebody to lose their livelihood? I want all the wrestling companies to be successful, the more successful they are, the better it is for us, the wrestlers, and you, the fans. So I just don’t understand that mentality, that kind of almost pure hatred, the tribalism, between brands.
Though later on, the former US champion also revealed the one explanation for tribalism that he can relate to. MVP recalled the time before he entered the business and took pride in following companies outside of the mainstream options:
But one thing I do get, I do get the kids that want to be extra cool, [who say] ‘I don’t watch that mainstream stuff, dude, I watch the cool niche companies.’
Which I think that’s dope, because I was one of those guys before people knew what New Japan was. I was a tape trader.
The Hurt Syndicate star mentioned that WCW and WWE had some Japanese wrestlers on the roster but not many people were aware of how those talents had a whole career in their native countries before coming to America.