JBL, a WWE Hall of Famer, recently appeared on the “Something To Wrestle With” podcast. He discussed the criticisms directed at WWE and the way they organized WrestleMania 41.
Below are some standout moments from the podcast discussion:
He commented on how the build to WrestleMania was handled: “In my opinion, it’s been excellent. Everyone was lambasting the creative team and Triple H, even suggesting that the build-up to WrestleMania wasn’t good enough. But as we’ve discussed previously, the event is slated for much later in the year. So we can’t possibly expect it to have a similar timeline to a late January pay-per-view leading up to a March WrestleMania. It’s relatively easy then. Between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, there’s just one other pay-per-view, hence the build-up starts at the Rumble, as it has always been known. However, this road to WrestleMania was several weeks longer, making it necessary to wait until the last pay-per-view to commence the build-up. I must say, they’ve done a commendable job in that aspect.”
Regarding the contentious segment featuring Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair, JBL had this to say: “In my view, it stirred up the public’s attention. I was unsure how much traction it was going to drive initially. Of course, this was important; there were championship hopes at stake, it was a big deal. But I believe this particular segment generated a lot of buzz, and there were even rumours indicating a shoot, which I found fascinating. There are people out there, somewhat hypocritically, complaining that they want it to appear more like a shoot and then, when they can’t ascertain whether it’s a shoot or not, they start saying, ‘Someone should be dismissed because of this.’ You can’t win both sides. Either you desire entertainment, an intimate setting, and experiences one can’t see through. Regardless, this could be a 100% shoot, I’m unaware if it is or not. It certainly appears so. But why does it matter if it stirs interest? This encounter will surely have many people invested in it.”