Former WWE Superstar Maven recently posted a video explaining why he no longer watches the current WWE product, citing excessive sponsorships, a change in the in-ring style, and arguing that wrestling isn’t better without Vince McMahon at the helm. On his Something to Wrestle With podcast, JBL responded to Maven’s points.
On Sponsorships
Maven criticized the amount of corporate advertising, feeling it detracted from the matches. JBL countered by noting the financial benefits for the company and talent.
“Like, I understand that what I prefer is just to be clean, like it always was. Maybe, yeah, probably,” JBL conceded. “But these guys are making a fortune… if you’re in the ring and you’re out there and you can have the choice of you can have the ring covered in ads and make a freaking ton of money, or have it not covered in ads and not make a ton of money. Cover me in ADS. It’s very simple.”
He added that product placement is crucial as traditional advertising methods decline. “…if I’m one of the wrestlers, and I think if Maven was one of the wrestlers too, I think he’d have a different perspective making as much money these guys are making good for them”.
On In-Ring Style
Maven described the current style as looking like a “pre-rehearsed dance” and lacking the feel of a fight. JBL acknowledged the difference but again deferred to fan reception and business success.
“Look, here’s what I think. Do I like the style better from the 90s? 100% Yeah, of course I do. But I wrestle the ’90s, and it doesn’t matter what I like,” JBL stated. “It really doesn’t. It matters what the fans like… Do they love the product, and they’re showing up in record numbers… they’re on every speaker platform there is, yeah, and something’s working. And so do I like it as much? No, I don’t. But what I like is not important at all. It’s, it’s what the fans like”.
JBL attributed the change partly to a lack of live events for developing characters between spots: “The guys are out there. They’re nervous about having a lapse in the match at all. So they go from spot to spot to spot. They don’t go from spot to transition to work to spot, which is how we did it… because I think there’s a confidence level of being able to have lapses between spots, because that’s when you work, that’s when you establish your character. When you don’t have a ton of live events, it’s hard to develop that”.
On Vince McMahon’s Absence
Regarding Maven’s controversial statement that wrestling isn’t better without Vince McMahon, JBL disagreed with the notion that Vince’s later booking was superior but strongly defended McMahon’s overall legacy.
“Yeah, and I would just agree completely with that,” JBL said, seemingly agreeing with criticism of McMahon’s later booking decisions being inconsistent. “You know, Vince took a company for, you know, just over $1,000,000.81. And sold it for 9.3 billion. You know, he did something that no one else in the history of wrestling could have done except for him… I think Vince is head and shoulders better than all of them [promoters]. I think his track record has shown that he’s built a business better than anybody else”.
Ultimately, JBL added that while the style is different, the current product is successful and enjoyed by fans. “I can agree with you, I can agree with Maven, but it doesn’t matter what I agree with. It matters what the fans agree with. And do they like what the product is, and they love it. Absolutely love it”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Something to Wrestle With with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the podcast on podcast platforms or watch on YouTube.
