10 WWE Creative Secrets The Writers DON’T Want You To Know
7. They Think The Product Is Bad, Too
Some of them, anyway.
In his incendiary Talk Is Jericho podcast appearance, Jon Moxley in May 2019 took a blowtorch to the WWE creative process. Not since Vince McMahon 10 minutes before each show has somebody hated the writing on Raw so much.
Mox loathed it, but was more confused by the creative than anything else. He couldn't decipher it, merely sensing that it was bad without being able to tell for certain. Mox also let slip that the writers themselves know what is up.
Mox, when his 2018 heel character was rapidly mutating into a literal sick joke, was asked to recite a promo by one of the writers he actually liked ("Ice Pick" was Mox's nickname for him). The writer nervously explained that Mox had to receive a series of inoculations to defend himself against "disgusting fans" in a backstage skit with his personal doctor.
When Mox by text replied "I f*cking hate that,", the writer replied with a defeated, self-aware and very damning "I know" - the insinuation being "Yes, it sucks, but look who I'm writing for".
In a viral Twitter thread, former WWE writer Dave Schilling apologised for writing "at least one terrible promo" for Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania 35. Former writer Tom Casiella told The Agenda Podcast in 2017 that he never pitched long, intricate storylines because there was no point.
"[Vince McMahon] kind of wants to know what 'Mania is for next year but otherwise, go three months. He gets lost. You got to do it in smaller doses."
While mostly diplomatic about his time in the writing room, Jimmy Jacobs told the Mirror as part of a media call that "Lot of times in WWE, you tread water to get to the next week," - which, without putting words in his mouth, suggests that he knew damn well that WWE serves up bland sh*te as part of a three hour contractual weekly obligation with the USA network.
And the reason the product is bad often is because...