How Detroit made AEW’s Excalibur a true Sicko

“It is still, to this day, having done this for seven years now, a crazy, unexpected joy every single day,” he says. “You know, the fact that I get to work in professional wrestling, get to work with so many great people, so many people that I’ve known for decades coming up now. The fact that we all get to work for somebody like Tony Khan, who is so, so passionate and loves wrestling, perhaps more than anybody, that’s saying a lot, with the amount of love for professional wrestling that our company has. So yeah, it is the wildest thing to me.”

Passion has been the driving force for AEW, and Letzmann’s love for wrestling is evident. While living in Detroit, Letzmann says he would rent wrestling tapes from a Japanese bookstore in Dearborn and rip them not only to watch and study but also to trade with other fans. “[I would] rent whatever the latest episode of New Japan Pro Wrestling TV they had, take it home to my two VCRs. I would sell the copy and then bring the tape back, sometimes even on the same day.” He adds, “If I had access to this new Japan stuff, I could then trade it for somebody that had access to pay-per-views from Mexico, or for all Japan, or older stuff, and you know, it became its own form of currency, and allowing me to expand, not just my library, [my] tastes with my knowledge of international professional wrestling.” 

NJPW wasn’t only an educational resource for learning how to wrestle but also a blueprint for Letzmann’s commentary style, which focuses on a more traditional, sports-forward approach. 

“I think the Japanese style, the Japanese presentation, is a little more sports-centric than the U.S.,” he says. “At least, you know, when I was kind of growing up as a fan, it was definitely much more sport-centric than the more theatrical kind of bombastic style that was prevalent in the U.S. in the ’90s, and ’80s and so I was kind of drawn to that, just because it was treated more kind of straight-faced, and that’s what I attempt to do as a broadcaster.”

Although Letzmann says he plays it as straight as he can, he admits he’s prone to excited outbursts from time to time, and with the ringside announcer’s desk, the team is often part of the match. “It’s the best seat in the house,” he says. “It’s a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason, because it’s absolutely true. You’re right there, right next to the rink, and you know, sometimes we’re even part of the action.” 

All roads lead through Detroit, and wrestling is no exception. The Motor City has been home to multiple promotions, including Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling, Pure Pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling All-Stars Of Detroit. Still, the most notable is Big Time Wrestling, which held weekly house shows at Cobo Hall and televised matches featuring its star, Ed “The Sheik” Farhat. “I think Detroit has a rich history of professional wrestling that you know it’s something that left its mark on the sport, whether people realize it or not, just by being a cross-border town,” Letzmann says, explaining that Detroit’s location gave fans exposure to Canadian wrestlers. 

Detroit is a tough city, and as such, popularized the Hardcore match, where standard rules don’t apply, such as count-outs and disqualifications, and submissions count anywhere in the ring. Hardcore matches also introduce objects used as weapons into the arena, like barbed wire, tables, glass, and the iconic steel chair.

“It was terrifying, you know, for fans to see this wild man [Sheik] running around and throwing fireballs at people,” Letzmann says. “So it was kind of the predecessor to that ECW style, the hardcore style, that has become a mainstay in professional wrestling. It’s just as common to see a hardcore match or see a barbed wire-wrapped object of some sort as it is to see, you know, flying head scissors, and so it’s really, I think, Detroit, in so many ways, has left its mark on the sport.” 

Recently, AEW has been gaining popularity outside of the wrestling world due to wrestlers speaking on social issues, with wrestler Brody King sparking chants of “Fuck ICE” whenever he is in the squared circle. The chants have not been censored during airings, giving fans and wrestlers a space to make a political statement. In 2025, Hangman Adam Page took to social media to call on fans to demand that HBO Max and TBS cease airing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ads, leading to the termination of the ICE ads. 

Letzmann says that he doesn’t speak for the entire company, but believes that AEW “is very good at allowing people to not hide their stance on things, especially as far as, insofar as you know, injustice, inequalities are concerned.” He adds, “I think our fans know that even though they may be watching characters on TV, there’s still characters played by real people, and people that [are] saddened, disgusted, outraged by things that are going on in this world.” 

Letzmann was recently praised for his June 3, Dynamite sign-off: “Fix your hearts or die. This is All Elite Wrestling.” A reference to a now-iconic line uttered by a character played by the late David Lynch in defense of a transgender woman in the cult TV series “Twin Peaks: The Return,” Letzmann explained the sign-off was not cleared with his bosses, but with 10 seconds to sign off he wanted to make a statement. “I think a lot of companies do a good job of acknowledging Pride Month, for example, or, you know, any of the other kind of celebratory months online via social media graphics or something like that,” he says. “But it’s not often that you see a statement, or you hear a statement on air in support of that.” 

Ultimately, AEW “Is for the Sickos,” the prevailing motto of the company, but what does it really mean? According to Letzmann, being a sicko is all about passion and love of the sport, and being a sicko isn’t about gatekeeping. “If you are just dipping your toe in this water, please come in,” he says. “The water is fine, and you are more than welcome.”

Detroit’s rich history with wrestling means there is always potential for a Detroit Street Match, a hardcore match with no disqualifications, count-outs, and no weapon rules, and Letzmann says if he could plan a match, it would look like “something that pays homage to the toughness, the grit of the city, and the citizens.” He adds, “I think it would be a rivalry with somebody from Chicago versus somebody from Detroit, and it would most definitely involve a fireball.” 

AEW will be in Detroit July 29 and 30 at the Masonic Temple with tickets available on the AEW website. Dynamite and Collision airs every week on HBO Max, TBS, and TNT. 

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Romanian import and Greek school dropout Konstantina Buhalis was born in Bucharest, Romania, and came to Detroit in December 1995, where her first few years of life were enjoyed on the east side and Greektown.... More by Konstantina Buhalis