AEW's QT Marshall believes that he must be doing something right if wrestling fans are jeering him week in week out.
Ahead of the company's huge Grand Slam night at New York's prestigious Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday, September 22, the All Elite Wrestling roster member spoke to Sports Illustrated's Dan Gatland about how he became All Elite, and why he disagrees with the notion that he has "go-away heat" (sometimes known as X-Pac heat among wrestling fans).
In case you're not familiar with the term, "go-away heat" is used to describe the phenomenon that occurs when wrestling fans take such a disliking to a particular wrestler that they want them to actually disappear from the product. Heels want to generate heat, but they don't want to actively repel viewers. It's a difficult line to toe, but Marshall thinks he's managing it.
"They’re as loud as they possibly can be," Marshall said of AEW fans while speaking about the importance of performing in front of capacity crowds, once again. "Even with myself out there. The Twitter universe is going to say that I have what we call “go-away heat,” where they don’t want me out there at all, but the live crowd says different. When 16,000 people at the United Center are chanting, “Q.T. sucks!” I think I’m doing something right," he added.
Marshall has been a heel since March when he turned on Cody Rhodes and The Nightmare Family to form a breakaway faction called The Factory. Aaron Solow, Nick Comoroto, and Olympian Anthony Ogogo sided with Marshall, while the other Nightmare Family members stayed loyal to Cody.
Since then, Marshall has and his Factory cronies have committed numerous dastardly acts (like bullying Tony Schiavone) which have earned them the ire of the AEW crowds. Marshall's appearances always generate boos and jeers, which is exactly what he wants.