Conrad Thompson interviewed by Uproxx how about the upcoming Starrcast convention he’s promoting alongside All Elite Wrestling and their Double Or Nothing pay-per-view. Conrad provided interesting insight on his own Journey from fan to famed podcast host and promoter, as well as his relationship with All Elite Wrestling. Below are some highlights:
Conrad Thompson on Starrcast:
“You know, it was my first time promoting anything like that. I had never done not just a wrestling convention, but any time of live promoting ever, you know, so I certainly never had to organize that many people. And realistically, you know, when I first had the vision for Starrcast I thought, “Hey, if we could get six or eight hundred people, man, that would be incredible,” and we ended up having thousands upon thousands that were there, and it was a totally overwhelming experience, one that I was not prepared for.
I did not expect the massive response, and my infrastructure wasn’t what it could have been or should have been. That will be different this year. You know, I’ve hired a bunch more staff. We’ve got a bigger venue. As a result, we’ve got something to learn on now and a reference whereas before we didn’t know what we didn’t know. And so now I think, you know, last year was proof of concept. This year is going to be what I really imagined how Starrcast could be.”
Conrad Thompson on whether or not he will have an on-screen role with AEW:
“No, I haven’t had any discussions with anybody about doing anything at Double or Nothing. I mean, I’m going to be at Starrcast, but, you know, if Tony wants me to come do something there I’d be happy to, but – I know there’s been a lot of people on social media who say, “Oh, Conrad should be color commentator or play-by-play.” I have zero experience with that. In fact, I would be terrible at it. I don’t think that’s what anybody needs in their life is me trying to call the match or sell the storyline. I don’t have any experience in that. There are so many other talented performers who deserve that shot, not me. I’m going to stick to mortgaging and podcasts.”
Conrad Thompson on his journey from fan to promoter:
“I guess it all started with the Something To Wrestle With podcast, which is a podcast I do Fridays at noon with Bruce Prichard. And then I added a show for Tony Schiavone called What Happened When? with Tony Schiavone, and then most recently we started 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff, so I have podcasts Monday mornings, Wednesday mornings, and Fridays at noon now. And then sometime last year I was silly enough to think that I should do a wrestling podcast convention and Starrcast was born in Chicago over Labor Day weekend, and we’re bringing it back for round two, this time in Las Vegas. And at some point, last year after WrestleMania, Bruce and I did Something Else To Wrestle With over on the WWE Network, where we would examine one topic in long form, and the WWE Network would splice in clips, so it’s been a whirlwind couple of years. I’m not supposed to be here, but I am. I kind of call myself the Forrest Gump of wrestling.”
To read the full interview, click the Uproxx link above.
