Alicia Atout Talks Stint In AEW, Why MLW Was A Better Fit

Alicia Atout was the latest guest interviewed by Shakiel Mahjouri from Cageside Seats. Atout discusses her decision to join MLW, how grateful she was for her opportunities in AEW, and what she learned from doing OnlyFans with Salina de la Renta. Highlights are below.

On her decision to split from AEW and join MLW:

“I had done All In and then Double or Nothing, the first two events, and I thought there was interest and then at some point, things went a little cold. Then I had interest coming in from other companies and brands and it just got to the point where — yes, anyone who signs there it’s a great opportunity — other things started coming my way. I was at a crossroads where do you wait for who knows how long or do you grab life by the horns and go for it. I ended up doing a couple of other things, a couple of other collaborations. Shortly after, MLW reached out. As soon as I got into that locker room, it just felt right. I’ve been in many locker rooms in the past and this is the only one I’ve ever felt completely comfortable in. Just 100 percent. I’ll always be thankful to The Bucks and Cody for those opportunities and I’ll still Cody to this day when something cool happens to him or Brandi, but I’m happy with how everything did work out.”

On trusting her own intuition:

“It’s a big gut intuition thing. Especially after a couple of things that have happened in my life over the past couple of years, I’ve realized to just go with your gut if something at all feels a little off,” she says. “It got to the point with certain other companies where if someone is waiting for that long, it always feels good to feel wanted and know your worth in any aspect of life, really. As cheesy as that sounds. When MLW came around and they were so hungry and shocked that I wasn’t signed anywhere else, it just felt right. I remember walking into that first New York show and seeing so many friends in there thinking, ‘Wow, this could be happening every single month? This is awesome.’ It was a complete gut thing and I’m happy I went with it.”

The lessons she learned from OnlyFans with Salina De La Renta:

“It’s interesting because when we started everything and we realized people really love how much we don’t like each other, we had to put our differences aside. Some days she likes me and other days she can’t stand me and vice-versa,” Atout shares. “We thought, ‘How do we bring this onto a bigger stage?’ We were going to go with Patreon because OnlyFans does have a very interesting stigma; however, we went out there and we were very honest that there won’t be any nude or lewd content. It’s going to be us just being dummies and posting what we want. It’s worked perfectly. We’ve really found a way to use that platform to our advantage. It’s been everything from photoshoots to wrestling matches. It’s just been eye-opening. It also showed us how much of want there was for something like this. There are companies doing feuds between interviewer and wrestler, but not to this extent, every single day putting out content like this. We realized there was a business here and we just have to put everything aside and run with it,” she continues. “She’s really showed me how to be unapologetically myself, which is something before I would think I’m too goofy or ridiculous. It’s helped me in interviews and promos and stuff like this, where I’m me. Let’s just own it and you can take it or leave it.”