WWE News: Chris Jericho says WWE interviewers 'lack energy'
What's the story?
Chris Jericho was recently a guest on The Steve Austin Show (H/T Wrestling Inc) at 317 Gimmick Street. On the show, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Chris Jericho talked about the current condition of WWE and shared their thoughts about backstage interviews in the company.
They commented on the fact that the backstage interviews took heat away from the segments, and talked about what they could do to improve it.
In case you don't know...
Stone Cold and Chris Jericho have been part of WWE since the Attitude Era and were two of the main stars at the forefront of WWE during that time.
In WWE, a trend has developed in backstage interviews where, after the superstar answers the question of the interviewer and leaves, the camera focuses on the interviewer's face for an awkward moment, where they just stand staring until it goes back to the commentary desk.
This is the common theme of most interviews in WWE and it takes away heat from whatever point was made during the interview.
The heart of the matter
Austin pointed out the awkward moment after each interview and talked about the awkward reaction from the interviewer. He said that this took away any heat that had been developed by the segment, as the fans were distracted by the look on the face of the interviewer.
Jericho agreed with Austin and added that the backstage interviewers need more personality. He said that they came off as robotic and lacked energy, as they were not allowed to do what they wanted and their lines were heavily scripted by WWE officials.
"I think the backstage interviewers now, could they be, and I say this respectfully because they're just doing what they're told, could they be more robotic?"
Jericho went on to add:
"...there's a lack of energy sometimes to the show when you don't let people be themselves."
Austin added that there was a prevalent fear among WWE talent that they may lose their jobs. He said that WWE talent was micromanaged, and this took away from their performance.
You can catch the whole show here.
What's next?
WWE talent may never have as much freedom as they did during the Attitude Era, but with Vince likely to focus on the XFL in the future, this may change some things about the way WWE is run.
Author's take
The moment an interviewer cannot add their personality to their performance, it comes off as robotic. Looking back at 'Mean' Gene Okerlund, he was one of the best interviewers in wrestling history because he had such a distinctive personality.
Similarly, Renee Young has a personality, which she displays with her facial reactions, but due to her lines being scripted, she is restricted from doing more.