WWE has come under fire numerous times for controversial decisions stemming from its writers room. In addition to questionable storylines, there has been growing attention on the backstage culture, which has drawn fresh scrutiny.
In a Rolling Stone article titled Inside the WWE Writers Room, A Kingdom Ruled by Fear, the publication explores the environment within WWEs creative team. The article shines a spotlight on several moments, including one segment that aired on Martin Luther King Jr. Day during an episode of Monday Night RAW in 2016.
Former WWE creative team member Michael Leonardi, who was involved in producing the segment, spoke out about the event in a video posted on LinkedIn earlier this year. He explained that the segment featured R-Truth, Titus ONeil, Mark Henry, and Neville, with the latter being scripted to deliver a line referencing Martin Luther King Jr.s famous I Have a Dream speech.
Leonardi described that the original script had Neville, a white wrestler, say, Ive got a dream too, and that dream is to win the Royal Rumble. The line was a direct reference to Dr. Kings historic speech. However, according to Leonardi, Neville expressed discomfort with delivering the line.
Due to time constraints and the fact that they were in the middle of the taping, Leonardi made a quick change to the script. Instead of Neville, R-Truth was given the line to say. This adjustment happened on the fly, and the segment aired as planned.
This is only a piece to a bigger conversation about the creative decisions WWE has made and how its backstage culture may have influenced some of the companys more controversial moments. That particular incident is one of many that have contributed to recent discussions about WWEs creative process and work environment.
We will keep our eyes peeled for more updates as we keep investigating everything there is to cover in the pro wrestling world here at Ringside News.
