Former WWE producer Road Dogg was asked about Sasha Banks and Naomi leaving the WWE on this week’s “Oh…You Didn’t Know” podcast.
As PWMania.com previously reported, Banks and Naomi walked out of a RAW episode last month. It’s also been reported that Banks had been released by WWE although that news has yet been made official. The latest word going around was Banks’ lawyer was working on the terms of her release.
Road Dogg said, “I thought it was a work and the reason I thought it was a work was because they were talking about it so much on TV. Well, then I find out it’s not a work and they’re suspending them and they’re talking horrible about them on TV and I just thought that’s why it was a work because they were talking about them on TV like that. I think they did the same thing when Stone Cold left,” Road Dogg said.
“I don’t think it’s beneficial for anybody. (They could have said), ‘There were business differences and we are sorry to announce we have to take the titles from them and we’ll be holding a tournament.’ To me, that’s how you leave it and you don’t air dirty laundry because some of that dirty got on there because of you.”
“Naomi is the greatest thing in the world to work with and she would do anything you ask her. She always had ideas and suggestions. When she was on SmackDown, she was the SmackDown Women’s Champion when I was writing the show, that’s for dang sure. A joy to work with and an entertaining young lady. Sasha, same thing. Entertaining young lady, great wrestler, great professional wrestler, but had some stuff in the past where she bucked up against the system a little bit.”
“Now look, I know people, especially young people, go, ‘The system is rigged against them.’ Well, no, not really. The system sets it all up for success and they will never put you in a situation to bury you. You may feel buried, and that’s because you have an ego and your feelings get hurt. But that’s not what’s happening. It’s creative, professional wrestling decisions. It’s not to be taken seriously and live by,” he continued.
“I know people get on me about that, because I say that a lot. Like, it’s just pro wrestling, like it is in real life, I know. I love it. It’s been my life since I was born, and will probably be my life until I die. I have a passion for it that is unmatched. But if you have your priorities straight, it’s just pro wrestling, man. I’m making money. I’m on top of the world. We’re the tag champs. Look, the tag champs have kind of been doomed since they brought them in on every show because there’s just not enough strong talent to have a great tag division without doing a bunch of bastard tags.”
“Could they have been on TV winning every week? Yeah. But then you got seven weeks of TV and nothing at the end because you beat everybody that was worthy of having a match with you. It’s not easy writing an episodic television show, and for everybody out there sitting there who thinks it is, you’re wrong, and I’m okay by telling you that. It’s just not that easy.”
“My point is, if you’re making good money, and of course this comes from a 53 year old sober man of 11 years who lived it and learned it. I walked off and I threw my title in the production meeting and went home, my tag title. I’ve actually done what she did under different circumstances.”
“My wife was in the hospital with one lung and I had a newborn baby and a five year old son that was at home. I needed to get home. They said, ‘Well, can you do this match and we will fly you home in the morning?’ Well, they were just trying to keep everything copacetic, but I was in panic mode so I wouldn’t have it. I freaked out, cussed everybody out, threw my title, and acted like a big baby. But then they took care of everything. We did it the next week. Everything worked out fine. I was the one that acted like a big baby. But in retrospect now, I see that. At the time I thought, ‘You selfish, no good, sons of bee stings. You’re going to ask me to stay here?’ They were just trying to keep the show intact.”
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
