JBL Says WWE Unreal Is ‘Too Inside,’ But WWE Is Still Doing Something Right

JBL says he’s against WWE Unreal, but also believes WWE is doing something right with it.

WWE Unreal Season 3 was released on Netflix on July 21. Unreal has been a controversial show for WWE, with many wrestlers and old-time wrestlers believing it’s not good for the business.

Speaking on Something to Wrestle With, JBL was asked if he had watched any episodes of Unreal Season 3. The WWE Hall of Famer said he hadn’t, and that he’s against the show completely.

“I have not a chance to check it out. I’m basically against Unreal. I’m old school guy. But I’m not so set against it that I think that they shouldn’t do it. I mean, they’re doing something right. So I’m not gonna be the old guy who shakes his fist at the clouds and yells, ‘Get off my lawn, kids.’ They’re doing something right. They’re selling out football stadiums back to back nights. I think it’s too inside. But they’re doing something right. Maybe fans want to see all this.”

Conrad mentions that Unreal blurs the line between reality and the character. Many fans feel more relatable to a character once they see a different side of them. But JBL doesn’t think he wants to be relatable to other people.

“I don’t want to be relatable when I’m a character. I don’t want to be relatable at all. I went down to Nashville Stadium. My buddy had some tickets there. He had almost front row tickets. They’re worth a fortune. I’m sitting there, and I’m watching Mookie Betts and [Freddie] Freeman bat. I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, this is unbelievable.’ I mean, I know Mookie Betts is not relatable to me. That’s why I pay to see him, because I can’t do what he does. I’d pay to watch Aaron Judge. I’d pay to watch [Shohei] Ohtani. I can’t do what they do. They’re not relatable to me as far as one of us. I don’t want to pay to see somebody that’s one of us. I love sports. I can’t do what Tom Brady does. That’s why I would pay to see him play. I think the same thing about wrestling. If you just make it, ‘Oh, he’s just one of us.’ I think that’s death now. I think you’re dead at that point because people aren’t going to pay for that. Now, can you create bigger stars out of this? Yeah, possibly. That could be the upside. I think a lot of this still can be worked and it probably is. But do I want a character that I know through and through? No. Because I’m not going to watch it.” I don’t care. I don’t care who Jon Snow really is. I could care less that his background or where he came from or his… I just want to watch him. I want to watch him and I want to see him on the North Wall defending stuff. I want to see Dragons falling. I want to see all this crazy stuff that’s going to happen. I want to get lost in that. When I watch sports, I don’t want to see somebody that’s like me. I don’t want to say, ‘Oh, I I could do that.’ I think that’s where some wrestlers want to position themselves. ‘Oh, I’m just I’m one of you. I’m a fan like you.’ I don’t pay money to see somebody like me. I pay money to see somebody hit a 450-foot homerun because I can’t do that. I think it’s freaking awesome that they do that. Would I pay to see Usain Bolt run? Oh my god. I watched damn near every one of his races on television and on video. I can’t do that. That impresses the hell out of me. So, yeah, I think there is a potential downside to this. Now, can you still work it, make them bigger stars? Yeah, I think you probably can.”

Later in the podcast, JBL makes his point again using Brock Lesnar as an example.

“When I used to watch Brock Lesnar, he is a freak, and there’s nobody like Brock. I would watch Brock walking into an arena when I was doing commentary, and everything would change because he’s so different and so imposing as a human being. I think you lose that sometimes when guys get in the business and they don’t look that much different from the fans. You sit there and say, ‘Well the fans say oh he’s like one of us.’ Again, I don’t want to pay money to see one of us. So yeah I think there’s a downside risk to some of this. I think when you have a chance to do something like that you work it or you figure out what you can or can’t do. Guys today want to build a platform so badly that I think sometimes they give too much. I think when they give too much, fans feel like they know you. When I think fans feel like they know you, they’re not going to pay to see somebody they know. I’m not gonna pay to see my neighbor, unless my neighbor is LeBron James or somebody. I’m not gonna pay to see my neighbor if I think I’m just kind of like him and that guy goes out there and I can see him all the time. If I feel like they’re one of me, to me I think it’s detrimental.”

Elsewhere in the podcast, JBL said he has a hard time believing fans will see Tom Brady get into singles action in WWE. Fans can read his full comments here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.