Pro wrestlers have obviously had a little more flexibility on the microphone since Triple H took over creative responsibilities after Vince McMahon retired in July 2022. Promos need to be exactly in accordance with the script provided by the creative team, because they have important notes to hit and a certain time frame to do it.
Even today, promos still need to make their points, but they can now use words like “wrestling” more freely and give some performers more flexibility than they did in the past. This has been possible courtesy of The Game, Triple H.
The subject of freedom in regard to promo delivery was recently discussed with Rhea Ripley. The Eradicator was asked how much creative control she has over promos during an interview with Richard Deitsch on the Sports Media Podcast.
“It really goes week to week. I’ve had a couple of promos where I didn’t get too much of a say because there were things they wanted to get across. Obviously, they’re like, ‘Yes, you can word it in your own way but we pretty much want it exactly like this.’ It gets to the point sometimes where I’m like, I don’t even know how to reword this because it’s not really the way that I would speak, so I might just say it exactly how it is and just try and put my own twang on it, maybe throw a ‘mate’ in there or a ‘Rhea bloody Ripley’ or something.
A lot of the time, a lot of the backstages, I get free range. Most of the time, I don’t really read my promos until right before doing them because I don’t want to be stressing about it too much, especially when I’m out there with the boys [Judgment Day]. We go out there and we bounce off each other. We help each other through it. A lot of the time, we just mingle out there. We’re just saying random things, hyping each other up and helping each other out. It’s such an art to be able to go out there and just wing it.
That’s where the fun comes from and why the fans gravitated towards me and the Judgment Day, especially with our backstages. We go into it knowing we’re going to have fun. ‘Let’s mess with this person a little bit,’ we go out there and start saying things we want to say. Most of the time it’s dumb. Dom will go out there and start talking all prison talk and we’re all hype guys behind him.”
Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley won the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match back in January. She is all set for a blockbuster match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair. We will have to wait and see if Ripley can exact her revenge on Flair for beating her at the Show of Shows three years ago and knock off The Queen from her pedestal.
H/T to Ringside News
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