On Twitter this week, former WWE creative producer, director (2009-2011), and actor Freddie Prinze Jr. praised the work of WWE, NXT, and AEW for their strong network and cable TV deals. He shares how most television executives do not want professional wrestling on their networks. Prinze initially tweeted yesterday,
“If you knew how bad most TV execs did not want professional wrestling on their channels, you’d respect the hell out of WWE, NXT, & AEW for pulling off what they do each week. They literally have every card in the deck stacked against them and they’re still growing the business.”
He added, “This is why cats like HHH doing interviews and Cody being on other TNT programming is so important. They help normalize the business because they just get it. They come off chill and solid. Hope they both continue to stay out in the public eye. It’s more important now than ever.”
When a user questioned Prinze’s comments, asking about where the growth is despite WWE ratings and viewership trending downward, Prinze noted that execs are looking for advertisers; who are usually lined up for live TV. Freddie Prinze Jr. replied, “You look at Neilson ratings for growth. Execs stopped that in the 90’s when they saw Arsenio Hall’s real numbers. It’s just marketing. Execs look for advertisers and they’re lined up for live TV. It’s a question of simple taste and most execs don’t enjoy it.”
This is why cats like HHH doing interviews and Cody being on other TNT programming is so important. They help normalize the business because they just get it. They come off chill and solid. Hope they both continue to stay out in the public eye. It’s more important now than ever
— Freddie Prinze Jr. (@RealFPJr) March 13, 2021
You look at Neilson ratings for growth. Execs stopped that in the 90’s when they saw Arsenio Hall’s real numbers. It’s just marketing. Execs look for advertisers and they’re lined up for live tv. It’s a question of simple taste and most execs don’t enjoy it.
— Freddie Prinze Jr. (@RealFPJr) March 13, 2021
Freddie Prinze Jr. left WWE in 2011 following a comment made by Steve Austin while hosting an episode of Tough Enough. Austin’s response to a Mother, who said she got in to wrestling for her children, was ‘That’s bullshit.’
Freddie said, “You know how many times I won Father of the Year? He put a goose egg up. I was watching that show in the writer’s room, so I stood up and I walked to Gorilla, I gave Vince [McMahon] my two weeks and I said, ‘I’m trying to win Father of the Year, man, I can’t work here any more’, and he said, ‘What? Talk to me after the show.”
Freddie went on to say that he ended up talking to Vince’s daughter Stephanie McMahon afterwards who told him he was about to be made Head Writer of WWE SmackDown. “I was like, ‘Look, you know I love you guys, but I’m a dad and I’m out,'” Freddie added. “That was that. I quit and I never looked back.”
