During the latest episode of his “Something to Wrestle” podcast, Bruce Prichard commented on NBC’s role in Donald Trump appearing for WWE, Kevin Federline vs. John Cena, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On whether WWE or NBC Universal came up with idea for Donald Trump angle in 2007: “It was a little bit of both. You go back to the relationship with Trump all the way back to 1988. So, there has been a relationship since 1988 with Atlantic City and the Convention Center and Trump Plaza, and then again in 1989 and WrestleMania VII with Marla Maples and different things like that. There’s always been an association. And the fact that we were working with NBC Universal and wanting to work closer with them, it was a natural fit.”
On bringing in Kevin Federline to face John Cena: “He was a big name, let me put it that way. He was a huge, everyday name. People knew who he was because they knew who Britney Spears was. So, people had a reaction and an opinion already formed whether they had seen him or not. That’s good because people cared one way or the other. We were able to get a lot of celebrities and a lot of people who could comment on the Federline deal with Cena because it was absurd and it was ridiculous and people were talking about it, not just in our business, but everywhere.”
On WWE using celebrities: “First of all, I don’t think it’s ever bad to have outside talent involved in your product regardless of what some people think. Kevin Federline was a borderline celebrity – you can have an A-list, B-list, C-list, and D-list celebrity. Sometimes, a D-list celebrity will get you more publicity than an A-list celebrity will. I think anytime you can get outside in is good. In this situation, yes, it definitely helps the product. The only way you’re gonna grow and sometimes get people from the outside to recognize you is if you bring people from the outside in that they may recognize and then start to watch the product. You have to grow.”
On celebrities wrestling: “I think it depends on the talent. It depends on the celebrity and what they’re capable of doing and the absurdity of Kevin Federline and John Cena having a match is what made that work. It was absurd. It was like, ‘How in the fuck are you gonna do that?’ But then to be able to take that and use that to promote to Umaga and John Cena was exactly what we were looking to do. That’s exactly what it did.”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
