"It's a cultural thing" - Former WWE Superstar addresses The Undertaker's controversial comments about modern wrestling
Former WWE Superstar TJP believes “there is a lot of validity” to what The Undertaker said about modern-day wrestlers being “soft” compared to past generations.
Earlier this year, The Undertaker made the controversial comments during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The retired WWE legend also criticized current wrestlers for playing video games backstage.
Speaking on the Generation of Wrestling podcast, TJP said wrestlers are not as mentally tough as they once were:
“I’m absolutely not like the alpha type of person, especially not when I think about wrestling. And I’m not the type of wrestler, especially not the type of old school wrestler that says stuff like, ‘It’s not ballet, kid.’ I think that’s a little archaic and a little stupid. Nothing screams more ‘I’m a tough guy’ than saying some cr*p like that. But I will say I do think there’s a lot of validity to what The Undertaker is saying. I think it’s a cultural thing, it’s not just physical toughness. A lot of it’s mental toughness. It’s a little bit of both,” he said.
WWE legend and current AEW commentator Jim Ross has been critical of the modern-day style of wrestling, which includes more high-flying moves than previous eras.
TJP added that Ross “maybe doesn’t need to say that stuff publicly.” However, he also thinks wrestlers are too sensitive if they complain on Twitter about criticism from the likes of Ross.
TJP recalls backstage WWE meeting about video games
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A keen video gamer, TJP used a retro video game-inspired entrance during his time in WWE between 2016 and 2019.
The former Cruiserweight Champion recalled how superstars were accused of “screwing around” when they played video games in the locker room.
“In WWE I remember meetings being called before shows, one time at a house show and other times where [we were told], ‘You guys are all playing video games and screwing around before the show and during the show,’ and all that. But it’s like, dude, [Hulk] Hogan and Andre [the Giant] were playing cribbage in the locker room back in the day. So, today, guys’ phones, Instagram and Twitter, that’s their newspaper,” TJP said.
TJP won the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. The 37-year-old has worked for companies including IMPACT Wrestling and NJPW since leaving WWE in 2019.
Please credit the Generation of Wrestling Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.