Former WWE writer Jimmy Jacobs revealed to AdFreeShows that he pitched becoming the 205 Live General Manager in 2017. Drake Maverick was eventually selected for the role.
“I shot a video in the pre-tape room to try and pitch me being the 205 Live general manager,” Jacobs revealed (h/t Fightful). “I was ready to play a little bit and move a little bit.”
After taking a photo with then-Bullet Club members The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Marty Scurll, who was leading an “invasion” of RAW outside the arena, Jacobs was released from the company.
Jacobs also stated that “navigating Vince McMahon” was the most difficult aspect of being a WWE writer:
“Navigating Vince (McMahon) was the hardest part, for sure. It’s difficult. There is a certain way you have to talk to Vince, or what you say doesn’t matter. That’s difficult. There is a certain way you have to look for Vince to take you seriously. It’s all those things that I didn’t line up with.”
An example of McMahon being difficult:
“You have to keep it brief, but you have to explain everything. You have to make sure he pictures it right, but you have to be brief because he’ll stop paying attention or you’ll lose him quickly. There is a certain art to it. ‘Sir, based on what you were saying last week about trying to get more heat on our heels, I was wondering if.’ Right off the bat, I’m attributing the idea to Vince. I’m saying, ‘I bring to you, and based off what you said, I was wondering.’ I’m not saying, ‘This is what we should do.’ Ed Koskey used to say, ‘I’m almost thinking,’ and I used to laugh, ‘You’re almost thinking?’ It would be too aggressive to actually think it, you have to almost think it. You have to paint the picture for it and do it concisely, if you start using pronouns he’ll get lost, that’s one of the big things with Vince. Fair enough, when you’re talking about two different Hes when you say He, it can get confusing. If you don’t do that well, it’s difficult to get Vince to take your ideas seriously. I remember pitching something to him one time talking about ‘Roman Reigns coming out here and what about this.’ He looks at me, I give him my pitch, he turns to Ed and whispers something in Ed’s ear and we move on. I have no idea what happened. I get a message from Dave (Kapoor) about an hour later, ‘Vince thinks you dress too gimmicky, you should probably change your tie.”
(H/T to Fightful for the transcription)
