You might be surprised to learn where Stokely Hathaway draws influence from for his managerial character in professional wrestling.
All Elite Wrestling‘s Stokely Hathaway was the latest guest on The Sessions with Renee Paquette to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about the psychology that goes into being a great manager, Hathaway said he takes a lot of inspiration from watching comedy.
“I’ll be honest with you; I watch a lot of comedy. So one of my biggest influences is, I would say, Robin Harris, Bernie Mac because I look at being a manager as a character,” Stokey Hathaway said. “So you’re kind of just like the dressing on the salad, right? And the salad is like whoever you are managing, so that’s how I look at it. And obviously, I have some wrestling influences. But to me, it’s like comedy. It’s like a lot of improv. Wayne Brady is probably another influence, and he dropped the great r&b album, which no one talks about.”
While Stokley’s personality on All Elite Wrestling can be very in-your-face, he’s much more isolated in real life in order to keep his own peace.
“Yeah, I think a lot of people take it personally. The one thing that I have realized, like the past, I would say, four months, a year, whatever. Like I’ve gotten increasingly more isolated. And I think a lot of people have taken that the wrong way,” Stokely Hathaway said. “And it’s not a personal thing. It’s just like, I need to keep my own peace.
“Same thing with like, text messaging or DMs, I’m sure some people go, oh well, I’ve messaged this guy, and he hasn’t responded. And I think at this point, the most important thing is my peace, and I know it may sound cliche, but screw it. I would say one of the biggest things that has helped me is Islam, and that is about peace, you know, eternal peace and making sure that you give that same energy out to other people.”
When Renee mentioned that even something like text message conversations can be draining on a person’s day, Hathaway admitted that he keeps his phone on Do Not Disturb mode, and it drives his friends crazy.
“I keep my phone on Do Not Disturb, and it drives obviously everyone crazy because they think I’m not available. And my thing is, I will see it, but I will see it when I see it,” Stokely Hathaway said. “I have that, and then just in general, like just to be completely honest, I feel like unless you personally chip into my phone bill, I don’t owe you an immediate response.”
READ MORE: Stokely Hathaway Was Hand-Picked By CM Punk For Role In Post-All Out Feud
What do you make of Stokely Hathaway’s comments? Have you enjoyed his work so far in All Elite Wrestling? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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