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Interesting interview from a former WWE Production Assistant


sek69

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Basically that the company doesn't want wrestling fans to work in the production department, but all the PAs were required to watch 6 hours of wrestling a week (on top of working 45-50 hour weeks). They purposely don't list credits so no one can take credit for anything which lets WWE hold it over everyone's head that their jobs are expendable.

 

He also mentioned stuff like WWE having their library on a giant server like machine where if you wanted to find every time Terry Funk did a certain move you can punch it up and get all the matches. Also, the Attitude Era stuff is unblurred in the archives and needs to be reblurred every time it's used. He hints that they do it that way because they're holding out hope they'll be able to use the scratch logo again (the lawsuit is still pending, they just started blurring to avoid any further claims by the Panda People). It's a huge pain in the ass, that's why you don't see it too much in DVD releases and almost never in promos and packages.

 

Said that everyone in the company knows SmackDown is the B show, despite upper management trying to drill it into everyone's head that both shows were equal.

 

There was also funny stuff like guys on the production staff not knowing HBK and Razor had a ladder match, and that Todd Grisham is a funny guy despite having almost zero knowledge of wrestling.

 

He also mentioned that HHH is probably one of the nicest guys in the company (mentioned he came to the production studio while the guys were having lunch and just sat around BS'ing with them for like 2 hours) but he gets a rep for being a dick because he's such a perfectionist when it's time to put in work. 

 

One bombshell he mentioned was that according to folks on the writing staff, Randy Orton's suspension was a work. They wanted to move him to RAW and try to give him more of a bad boy edge, while working the "dirtsheets" at the same time.  All the stuff like him talking about smoking a joint in WWE Magazine was just part of the work to make him seem more like a bad dude.

 

The official company line is that TNA is considered just another TV show they compete against like 24 or whatnot, but every episode of Impact is recorded and logged (to see if any former employee uses a WWE trademark perhaps?) while UFC was not.

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He also mentioned stuff like WWE having their library on a giant server like machine where if you wanted to find every time Terry Funk did a certain move you can punch it up and get all the matches. Also, the Attitude Era stuff is unblurred in the archives and needs to be reblurred every time it's used. He hints that they do it that way because they're holding out hope they'll be able to use the scratch logo again (the lawsuit is still pending, they just started blurring to avoid any further claims by the Panda People). It's a huge pain in the ass, that's why you don't see it too much in DVD releases and almost never in promos and packages.

I see the company's point (although I don't think it'll happen (the use of the scratch logo, that is)), but it makes me wonder why they just don't keep two copies -- the original copies, and the copies with the censoring/editing.

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