Former WWE Writers Recall Crazy Storylines That Didn’t Fly
On the August 26 edition of the Writers Room podcast on MLW Radio, former WWE writers Andrew Goldstein, Alex Greenfield, and Court Bauer discussed their time with the company, reminiscing about some bizarre character and story ideas from 2006. Consulting notes from their meetings and discussions, the men had a hard time keeping their composure as they remembered the weirdness behind the scenes at WWE.
Discussing Tatanka’s infamous heel turn, the men agreed that they were hard pressed for options for decent heels on the roster at the time. They noted that The Undertaker was particularly enthusiastic on helping Tatanka to turn heel and accomplish big things during his run. Tatanka was released from WWE in 2007. In retrospect, his character change is generally regarded as a lackluster point in Tatanka’s career.
Court Bauer recalled a particularly funny situation in which Stephanie McMahon suggested an odd gimmick for former tag champ Paul London. The writer said McMahon told creative staff that she had a dream in which London did some kind of “jazz hands” routine and that she wanted to work the idea into London’s in-ring character. Alex Greenfield, who served as the head writer for SmackDown, corroborated the story, saying — in the midst of laughter — that he remembered the conversation with McMahon. The trio of writers agreed that Stephanie even demonstrated the “jazz hands” gestures during their meeting.
“I just remember looking across the table at her and wondering, ‘Are you f***ing with me right now — is this just a joke?'” Andrew Goldstein said. “Because she had that lilt in her eyes like she was f***ing with us. And I’m not sure to this day.”
Bauer said that the room “no sold” Steph’s suggestion, saying they would look into it but never followed up on it.
The writers also remembered that London himself pitched an idea in which he had an animated cat as a sidekick. London and his tag team partner Brian Kendrick would supposedly interact with the cat, which would have been added into taped segments in post-production. Paul London was released from WWE in 2008. Although Brian Kendrick has worked for the company since then — most recently in NXT — London has indicated that he does not see himself returning to WWE.
Bauer, Goldstein, and Greenfield also chatted about a number of different angles involving Brock Lesnar, including a proposal to use Lesnar in WWE’s floundering incarnation of ECW. They also recalled discussing a scenario in which Lesnar would decimate Batista and go on to rule the roster as a monster heel. The plot was ultimately panned by Stephanie McMahon, who was focused on building Batista as a fan favorite at the time. The writers noted that a similar angle was eventually used to gain momentum for Brock Lesnar when he decimated John Cena at SummerSlam 2014.
[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
