Former WWE superstar Tom Prichard — who many might know as Dr. Tom Prichard — recently appeared on The Angle Podcast, where he spoke about Vince McMahon, Prichard’s brother Bruce, the NXT rebrand, and much more.
Check out some of the highlights below:
On wrestling missing realness and Brock Lesnar bringing it back:
The guys going into the ring thinking it’s a performance instead of thinking in their mind that this is real and people know when you’re not real and people know when you’re not authentic and that’s missing today. A lot of its missing. The most authentic guy in the business today is Brock Lesnar and there’s only one Brock Lesnar and there should be, but yea that’s a huge element missing today is the guys believing in themselves.
On the recent wave of WWE releases that included William Regal:
I’ve been fired there a couple of times too, and it does sting, but it’s a publicly traded company, that’s the number one priority. It’s not personal, it’s just business, what a load of shit! It is personal because you’ve been with these people for so long and they’ve been such an intricate part of the machine and they developed talent for you and they gained the talent’s trust. I do believe Vince has empathy, but it’s a business. Do I question why they’d let a guy like Regal go? Yea! Do I question why they let some of the other guys go? Guys like Road Dogg. Were there people I think he should’ve fired? Of course I do! With a guy like Regal, I rerally do believe it was more of a I think these guys have been here long enough and they want to change the culture. It’s the culture that Vince wants to build.
On NXT’s rebrand to NXT 2.0:
Vince wasn’t happy with it. Simple as that. Indie guys think they get over, the internet starts featuring them, and then when you get to WWE or AEW they do have standards, and they do want to know if you know how to play the game. They do want to know if you listen and who’ll you’ll listen to. Will you take what is being said to you and know how to adapt it and interpret it. Some people know how to and some people don’t. Daniel Bryan happened to be one of those who did and understood the backstage machinery. It’s a huge element. If you’re an asshole, no one is going to want to work with you. Indie guys sometimes come in full of their own crap and don’t ever adapt.
On Cody Rhodes’ departure from All Elite Wrestling and possible return to WWE:
Everybody does, leaves WWE and comes back. But nobody knows for sure. If he’s going back to WWE he’s coming back in a different position with different gravitas because he has been a vice president of the other company so he has been in a top position. It will cause a buzz if that is the case. Whether it’s something to get people thinking he’s going back to WWE or not, at least it’s got people talking and that’s a good thing. Cody and his wife as well, they have confidence. I got to know The American Dream really good when we were in FCW. You have to have that performer’s ego, you have to believe that you are the star. Dream would go from territory to territory. Cody Rhodes has a bit of The Dream in him and like him or not it’s about him.
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