"It's sports entertainment" - Former WWE Superstar defends Vince McMahon
Former WWE Superstar Tom Prichard says Vince McMahon hires young writers with limited wrestling knowledge due to his sports entertainment approach to storytelling.
While Vince McMahon is responsible for approving match outcomes and storyline developments, the WWE Chairman also has a team of writers who pitch creative ideas. Tom Prichard’s brother, Bruce Prichard, works alongside McMahon as the Executive Director of RAW and SmackDown.
Speaking on It’s My Wrestling Podcast, Tom Prichard said McMahon simply wants his company to earn as much money as possible.
“As much as people want to say Vince is out of touch – maybe, maybe not, I don't know as I'm not there – but he has people and that's why he brings in the young writers. He brings in people who may not have experience in wrestling. But it's not a wrestling company, it’s sports entertainment. He's looking for the most money for the stockholders, looking for the best interest of the company and his employees, and doing the best he can with what he's got. And if it's not working, he'll find somebody else,” Prichard said.
Earlier this year, comedian Kenice Mobley briefly worked for Vince McMahon's company as a writer despite having no wrestling knowledge. She admitted before starting the job that she did not know whether Bobby Lashley’s surname was "Ashley" or "Lashley."
Tom Prichard on Vince McMahon using Bad Bunny on WWE TV
Bad Bunny took WWE by storm in 2021. Look back at his greatest moments over the last four months in WWE! @sanbenito https://t.co/D6alpYGvrJ
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny teamed up with Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and John Morrison at WrestleMania 37 in April. Bad Bunny’s match was widely considered to be one of the best involving a non-wrestler in WWE.
Tom Prichard, who now works as a wrestling trainer, said Vince McMahon surrounds himself with writers who know about trends and relevant topics. In Bad Bunny’s case, many WWE fans were unaware of the rapper before his first appearance.
“I knew he wrote a song for Booker T,” Prichard added. “And I knew he was a wrestling fan, and I knew he was very respectful and he loved the business, which is great. Those are the kind of guys you want to bring in and get eyeballs on you. He's on Saturday Night Live with the belt [24/7 Championship]. He was on the Grammys or whatever. The effort was there, and you've got to have people around you to know what's relevant, who's relevant.”
Former WWE on-screen manager Dutch Mantell recently spoke about Vince McMahon’s criteria for hiring creative team members. He said on Tru Heel Heat Wrestling that McMahon hires writers with no wrestling knowledge because he prefers to train them.