Speaking of scripts, theres an infamous image floating around the internet right now of a leaked RAW script. One of the more telling features of that script is just how controlling it is; for example, Chris Jerichos promo is basically 100% pre-written, giving him little room for creativity. As we have seen before, when a Superstar has their promo written for them, it doesnt come across as natural, and for obvious reason. Scripted promos are usually far worse, and theres nothing more effective than giving a wrestler some freedom to say something thats appropriate for the circumstances of the promo. Sadly, this is the biggest symptom of Vince McMahons terminal case of micromanage-itis: he dictates everything thats said by many Superstars, which prevents them from becoming stars on their own. Heavily or totally-scripted promos are formulaic and uninspiring, often void of creativity, and dont really reveal much of the character behind them. For example, Chris Jerichos scripted promo and a promo put together by Chris Jericho himself would be like comparing pebbles to diamonds; theyre worlds apart, and one is many times better than the other. This is a mentality that WWE needs to abandon sooner rather than later; rising stars cant rely on someone writing their promos for them. Just ask CM Punk: he ripped up pre-approved scripts because, as he said, No one else can understand whats going on in my head.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
