In 2020, the world was thrown into disarray as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold. In the wake of that outbreak, one American institution decided to press on and present the masses with entertainment: Pro wrestling. Both WWE and AEW continued on despite the rampant health risks, and during that bizarre two-year period, some wrestlers were able to break through and grab fans’ attention. One of those talents was Suge D, who was not only wrestling for AEW but also serving as an audience member, cheering on other AEW performers instead of the fans who could not attend.
During one promo, Chris Jericho took aim at Suge, who was seated ringside, wearing a pineapple-adorned button-down shirt and shorts. Jericho dubbed Suge “Pineapple Pete,” and the name took hold with fans. After weeks of playing into a makeshift feud, the two men faced off in a match on AEW Dynamite, which was won by Jericho. Suge’s time with AEW did not last much beyond his program with Jericho, but he has since found his own success beyond the All Elite confines, recently winning the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Championship.
In a Haus of Wrestling exclusive interview, Suge commented on the possibility of returning to AEW to defend his newly won title.
“My biggest thing that I ever did was that six months as Pineapple Pete,” he stated. “So, I had to decide for myself in terms of scope. Is this what I’m going to rest my hat on? Or do I need to hit the pavement and find something else to be able to go ahead and do? I’ve always been working. I was working before that. I was working after that. This (the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Championship) has given me an opportunity to be able to try to create and to foster something where, okay, you might remember me for that, but you’re damn sure gonna remember me for the work that I’m going to do here.
“And I’m open to any kind of opportunity that comes my way again; I’m a very different wrestler; I’m a very different person. I have a very different thought process from where I was at that time. If the conversation comes up where we can do some business, I’d absolutely love to; it’s not like I haven’t shot anything out there. But of course, things are things, schedules are schedules, etc, etc. I remember trying to possibly talk about doing something a little bit, but then they had the shift of Dark, and all the other stuff had changed and everything to that effect.
“So I think if something’s gonna come up, it’ll come up when it’s supposed to. But right now, I’m just worried about trying to put the most quality catalog together of what I’m doing as me, under my name.”
My full conversation with Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Champion Suge D is now available on the Haus of Wrestling YouTube, podcast feed, and X account.
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