10 Times WWE Employees Hated The Current Product
3. Batista
With his movie career going from strength to strength, Batista has become a genuine crossover star. As appreciative as he is for the start that wrestling gave him, Batista has never shied away from criticism about the current state of the company that gave him his big break.
His criticism of the company’s creative process stems from his 2014 return, which he described as a “nightmare” that seems to have become even worst since. He stated: “I feel like they don’t have a clear vision, a long-term vision, everything is very week-to-week”.
However, Batista was sympathetic with wrestlers working in the current product:
“Their hands are tied. They can’t go to war like we used to. We used to go to war and beat the crap out of each other and it earned a level of respect from people. And it was just like a different level of respect, it was a different level of getting over. We had more freedom. We could be more full of p**s an vinegar and we could be more on the edge. And the guys are just not given that freedom anymore”.
Batista’s critique of the creative scripting process is shared by pretty much everyone outside of WWE production meetings. There is a roster packed with charisma and it is an odd choice not to trust them to showcase this. On top of having to stick to tight scripts, the writers, and the judgement of Vince McMahon, are given flexibility that the talents are not. It is often reported that McMahon changes scripts hours before a show goes live. Sasha Banks recently describing the time as “in 30 seconds - in a heartbeat”.