In 2008, actor Freddie Prinze Jr. was hired by WWE to be part of the writing team. With his experience in Hollywood, Prinze Jr. quickly earned the trust of Vince McMahon and eventually led promo class.
Speaking on the New Day: Feel The Power podcast, Prinze Jr discussed how he convinced McMahon to let him run promo class in WWE after sitting in on one sessions.
"When I got there, Vince had promo class. He brings up Sheamus and Wade Barrett. Vince goes, 'Alright, I need to see some razzle dazzle.' This wrestler next to me leans into my ear and goes, 'what's razzle-dazzle?' Right away, I'm like, 'These kids are screwed.' He's using Vaudeville terms. Vince says, 'You're a dog, you're a dog. Now make me wanna watch you fight.' Both guys turn into ghosts. Sheamus is the most transparent dude, it was like a baby fish, you could see everything inside his body. And Wade is like a statue. They're both locked in fear. It's in front of all your peers and every decision-maker in the business. It's 45 seconds of silence. Neither guy speaks, and Vince just sits there and lets them boil in this man-stew of despair. Finally, Wade, God bless him, he heard 'dog' and my man growled. Before he could finish the 'Grrrr,' Vince goes, 'NOT AN ACTUAL DOG! NO!' And he cuts this five-minute promo on the guys about understanding what this dog is. Once he said all that, Sheamus goes, out-loud, 'I think I'm having an out of body experience.' Everyone laughed and it relaxed the mood. After that, they both took a shot and it didn't work because it wasn't in an environment conducive to success."
Prinze Jr. continued, "The class is over, I'm in Vince's office, and he goes, 'What did you think?' 'We can't ever do that again.' 'What do you mean?' 'Vince, they don't know what razzle-dazzle means. Let me take this over. No cameras, no agents, no one but talent so they feel safe. Then I'll report to you, privately, who has got it and who doesn't.'"
And that's how Prinze Jr. became the leader of promo class.
The "Scooby-Doo" actor remained in WWE until February 2009 when the two parties parted ways. But Prinze Jr. remains tied to the WWE family and will be hosting this season of Rollout with Xavier Woods on UpUpDownDown.
Elsewhere on the podcast, Prinze Jr. recalled Vince McMahon's reaction to him playing World of Warcraft during a conference call. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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