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Bruce Prichard Explains Why WWE Started Adding More Hollywood TV Writers to the Creative Team, Why Some Couldn’t Last

May 6, 2020 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
WWE Vince McMahon WWE's WWE Smackdown Neville, Bruce Prichard Image Credit: WWE

– On the latest edition of Something to Wrestle, Bruce Prichard discussed WWE Backlash 2005. During the podcast, Prichard addressed changes going on at the time in the creative team, and WWE bringing on an old-school Hollywood TV writer, Larry Mollin, around that time. Mollin had TV credits in Hollywood dating back to the 1970s and had worked on such shows as CHiPS, Knight Rider, and Beverly Hills, 90210. Prichard addressed why WWE was going after writers with Hollywood TV backgrounds. According to Prichard, Mollin only lasted on the creative team for about a couple of months. Highlights are below.

Bruce Prichard on the mindset on having Hollywood writers on the WWE creative team: “Well, a big part of it was trying to get outside of the bubble and bringing writers with a writing experience to bring them into your content, and hopefully then, they can create characters and add some depth to the writing process itself. That was the feeling, not like, ‘Not all writers can’t write on Friends or Chicago ER, or whatever the hell.’ You have to have the right mix, and Brian Gewirtz is the perfect example of someone who came from that world and was able to adapt. Tommy Blacha came from that world and was able to adapt. Freddie Prinze came from that world and was able to adapt, in retrospect, because they were fans and loved the business and were students of the game. Just because someone is a great writer doesn’t mean they would be a great writer for the WWE. Some would be. There’s guys that are out there that have had very successful shows that are huge fans that couldn’t make it and some that could.”

Prichard on Larry Mollin: “So, Larry Mollin — I don’t think I ever met Larry face-to-face. I talked to him several times over the phone, but Larry didn’t go to TVs and wasn’t around a lot. So yeah, I couldn’t tell you one thing about him other than that — I think he was the bony fingers guy. He had fingers like Lurch in the Addams Family, but I can’t tell you for sure because I never got to meet the guy.”

Prichard on a WWE writing team job being very demanding in terms of hours: “Look, it’s very demanding, and you’re either willing to put in the time and the effort or you’re not. And sometimes, that can be a rude awakening. And the other thing about writing on a sitcom or television show is that you’re writing 13 episodes at a time, then you’re done. Try doing it every week, live. It’s a huge difference, and there’s nobody else that does what we do. So, therein lies the hard-to-find, to be able to come in and adapt. You got to find the right people.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Something to Wrestle with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.