Former WWE creative team member Andrew Goldstein spoke with Temple News & here are some of the highlights:
The problem with Randy Orton's promos: "I hate Randy Orton's 'better than you' promo because it's a crutch. WWE does it all the time and it comes from Vince saying the easiest way to get a message across is with a straight line. I get that, but it's such an uncreative way to do it. Look at early Ric Flair promos, which I do often. Even before all the Nature Boy stuff, he would say something like, 'If you can beat me, I'll kiss your boots.' He still means that's he better than you, but he draws me in with specifics."
John Cena - Umaga feud: "I basically ripped off Rocky IV. Umaga destroys Ric Flair. Next week Flair comes out, but not yelling and screaming. He says, 'I've had X amount of matches in my life, but I never felt in my career I couldn't defend myself like I did last week. It's time to ground the Learjet, park the limousine and walk away.' Next week Umaga destroys Arn Anderson. The fact that Arn took this beating drew Flair back to honor his friend. Finally, John Cena defends Flair against the monster."
Stephanie stepping in before Vince yelled at him: "I wrote and produced the entire Mike Knox and Kelly Kelly storyline. Kelly told him she never loved him and then slapped him in the face with a bouquet. In rehearsal, Stephanie McMahon told him to be somber and put his head down. Visit Wrestling Inc. But Vince is all about facial expressions so he flipped out and said 'Who told Knox that?' while looking at me. Steph actually stood up and took the blame. It was the only time Vince was about to yell at me and Steph stepped in."
What led to his dismissal: "I didn’t have the confidence to tell these behemoths what I needed from them in a backstage vignette," he said. "I didn’t have the confidence to suggest an idea to them. Whereas now with the professional background that I do have, I could go up to anybody and say, ‘Here’s what I need from you on camera right now. You have 40 seconds and this is the emotion I need from you.’ I didn’t have that confidence at 25 years old."
The problem with Randy Orton's promos: "I hate Randy Orton's 'better than you' promo because it's a crutch. WWE does it all the time and it comes from Vince saying the easiest way to get a message across is with a straight line. I get that, but it's such an uncreative way to do it. Look at early Ric Flair promos, which I do often. Even before all the Nature Boy stuff, he would say something like, 'If you can beat me, I'll kiss your boots.' He still means that's he better than you, but he draws me in with specifics."
John Cena - Umaga feud: "I basically ripped off Rocky IV. Umaga destroys Ric Flair. Next week Flair comes out, but not yelling and screaming. He says, 'I've had X amount of matches in my life, but I never felt in my career I couldn't defend myself like I did last week. It's time to ground the Learjet, park the limousine and walk away.' Next week Umaga destroys Arn Anderson. The fact that Arn took this beating drew Flair back to honor his friend. Finally, John Cena defends Flair against the monster."
Stephanie stepping in before Vince yelled at him: "I wrote and produced the entire Mike Knox and Kelly Kelly storyline. Kelly told him she never loved him and then slapped him in the face with a bouquet. In rehearsal, Stephanie McMahon told him to be somber and put his head down. Visit Wrestling Inc. But Vince is all about facial expressions so he flipped out and said 'Who told Knox that?' while looking at me. Steph actually stood up and took the blame. It was the only time Vince was about to yell at me and Steph stepped in."
What led to his dismissal: "I didn’t have the confidence to tell these behemoths what I needed from them in a backstage vignette," he said. "I didn’t have the confidence to suggest an idea to them. Whereas now with the professional background that I do have, I could go up to anybody and say, ‘Here’s what I need from you on camera right now. You have 40 seconds and this is the emotion I need from you.’ I didn’t have that confidence at 25 years old."
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