Freddie Prinze Jr. On Word Vince McMahon Says Kane Would Never Say
On this week's Wrestling with Freddie podcast from iHeart Media's My Cultra Network, former WWE creative team member Freddie Prinze Jr. was riding solo to discuss his time with the company.
Freddie talked over his admiration for Glenn Jacobs who is WWE Hall of Famer, Kane. He also discussed how Vince McMahon was very protective of the character. At one point, Prinze Jr. had written a promo for the Big Red Machine, but it wasn't to the Chairman's liking because of one word.
"I remember, I came in there [Gorilla], and I don't remember the promo," Freddie began. "This was, you know, over ten years ago but there was the word 'destroyed'. He [Vince McMahon] reads the word destroyed and he stops and he looks at me. He's like like pissed off at me like I've done something, not wrong, but offensive. I go 'What?' and he shouts, he goes 'Kane would never say destroyed. He would say obliterate!' There's this long pause, right? You gotta remember the way my brain works, I'm not a reactionary dude and I'm comfortable with silence, so I don't mind it.
"So there's this long pause and in my head, I'm like, 'this isn't a fight I'm gonna fight, it's a word, but I kinda wanna know why it's so important to the boss.' So, I take a beat. And I say, 'You got it, obliterate. Are there any other words in here that are going to get that kind of reaction, and if so, can you tell me why?' He just gives this grunt that he would give when he's unamused by your amusement, basically. He wanted me to take it more seriously, I guess. Then he starts reading it through, reading it through and he goes, 'Ah, the rest of it is fine, just try and make the end a little better!"
Freddie Prinze Jr. revealed that there was a lot of insecurity and ego backstage with the writing team. He explained how someone who wrote Kane's promo the following week sought Freddie for praise.
"I brought it to Glenn [the promo] and he does his thing, and he does what he does, right," Freddie stated. "Here's the difference you'll see in like some of the writers. So, he kills it, and everyone goes, 'Oh, great promo, Freddie, great promo!' I'm like, man, I didn't do anything. It's the same speech he's made a hundred times, it's just different verbiage, that's all. That's on him.
"The next week, they give the same storyline promo to someone else, because I was just trying to help out. They were busy and worn down on that week's episode. Kane does his thing and kills it, and the writer in charge is like, 'Hey, Freddie, did you see my promo, what did you think, man?' I was like, 'Why are you looking for a compliment, you didn't say anything, this dude said it.' So, there was a lot of insecurity and ego in that room, and it wasn't just because I was there, that's just a personality trait that either exists or it doesn't."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Wrestling with Freddie with an h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.