Finlay Recalls "Getting His Wrist Slapped" For Taking WWE's Women Seriously
WWE didn't like Finlay's rah-rah speech or plans to properly teach "Divas" how to wrestle.
Finlay received a "slap on the wrist" for telling WWE's women that he'd rather teach them to wrestle properly than train for "lingerie matches and pillow fights".
During an appearance on ex-WCW ring announcer David Penzer's 'Sitting Ringside' podcast, and revealed that he gathered the female roster around him before telling them that he felt embarrassed about instructing "how to strip each other off while doing a sunset flip".
Everyone was on the same page - the women themselves believed they were capable of working serious matches, and Finlay wanted them to improve as workers.
That's when WWE top brass stepped in and told Finlay they didn't like his plans.
They didn't want the "girls wrestling like guys". WWE wanted spots like "pulling hair", "having cat fights", "screaming", "yelling" and "wardrobe malfunctions". After being admonished, Finlay would routinely go about their wishes for a week or two before stubbornly returning to his master plan.
Eventually, the culture within the company changed and things progressed beyond titillating gimmick bouts towards serious pro wrestling. That's something Finlay remains proud of to this day, and rightly so.
He helped change WWE for good.