Colt Cabana Explains How ‘Bad Apples’ Are Dealt With In Wrestling Locker Rooms

Colt Cabana has been in many locker rooms throughout his years as a well-traveled veteran in the sport. 

Colt is currently part of AEW, where locker room turmoil has been much discussed following AEW All Out and CM Punk’s comments towards Cabana, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), and Hangman Page. Punk’s comments at the post-event press conference led to an altercation between him and Ace Steel, and The Elite. 

Appearing on The Work of Wrestling podcast, Cabana was asked how “bad apples” are dealt with in the locker room. 

“As you say that, I’m not even thinking about present day, I’m thinking about when the Ring of Honor locker room was so tight or even my developmental days when they were tight. It’s almost like, the group of people who form this unit, will kind of band together and almost get stronger when they are against one specific thing. It almost makes the locker room even stronger to then, ‘ship up or shape out,’ whatever the term is. Shape up or ship out. When a bad apple or someone rotten comes into your locker room, the locker room gets together, gets strong, and they kind of give ultimatums almost. Maybe not actual ultimatums, but that person, or those people will kind of be alienated and, eventually, information of why that alienation is there will come, and then they have a choice to do nothing about it, do something about it or anything in-between. It’s up to them. Usually, it tends to work itself out,” he said.

When asked if someone has modified their behavior to become a better member of the locker room, Cabana replied, “Yeah, I can’t think of an example specifically, but 100% over the years. Then, these people become friends and years later you joke about what idiots they were and you tell them, they admit it, and that’s the long term relationship of a wrestling locker room.”

The interviewer nor Cabana never mentioned Punk, his comments at AEW All Out, or the altercation. The question and response were in reference to the general “bad apple” in a wrestling locker room. 

Colt Cabana made his return to AEW when he challenged Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship.on the November 2 episode of AEW Dynamite. You can find his comments about the match by clicking here. 

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.