Although most WWE promos are scripted verbatim these days it wasn't always the case. Back in the Attitude Era, wrestlers were permitted to ad-lib and go off the script if the moment called for it. This atmosphere of spontaneity kept fans and wrestlers on top of their games. You never knew who might say what next. While these comments were usually made with the intention of furthering a storyline or getting someone or something over, sometimes these comments came from reality and real-life, sensitive situations. Wrestlers are, by nature, a rebellious bunch and the temptation to reference reality and make 'shoot' comments got the better of them. Shoot references might go over a lot of fans' heads (not everyone reads Dave Meltzer) but it is always exciting for those who understand them. Shoot comments are a sure-fire way to get people talking on line, as evidenced by the recent reaction to CM Punk and Vince McMahon's respective controversial podcast appearances. Hell, there is even a mini shoot interview industry, where current or former wrestling stars tell all for several hours and fans pay for the privilege. Shoot comments don't happen too much on WWE TV but when they do you can bet that controversy will soon follow.
