10 Things We Learned From Seth Rollins On Edge & Christian’s Podcast

9. How Joey Mercury Helped Change WWE Culture

The Shield Joey Mercury
WWE.com

Joey Mercury transitioned away from the ring into a production role in late-2010. That same year, he shared a conversation with Seth Rollins about changing the way WWE operated. He believed the kind of guys and girls the company were hiring didn't have passion for the wrestling biz, and it was hurting the product.

Instead of failed athletes from others sports or bikini models, Mercury wanted folks with a hunger to wrestle.

Seth said on the podcast that Joey's mindset helped shape what NXT would become. That's not something we as fans hear every day. It's typically Triple H who gets the credit for moulding a new WWE developmental wing, nobody else. According to Rollins, Mercury should get some plaudits for his own vision.

He was the one who spotted Dean Ambrose, for example, and he wanted more of that kind of worker on WWE's books.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.