www.wrestlingnewsdesk.com is reporting this morning that the UK pro wrestling publication Power Slam has published a story about the life of a WWE writer.
An interview with Dr. Ranjan Chhibber, a former Assistant Professor of George Washington University who left his job to becomer a WWE writer, lashes out at Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie McMahon-Levesque.
In the book "Ring of Hell" by Matthew Randazzo, it is said that Chhibber, who was clearly a victim of WWE Vice President Michael Hayes's noted racism, quit WWE in protest when SMACKDOWN head writer Paul Heyman was sent home, albeit with pay, after one of his many clashes with the McMahon Family.
Chhibber also noted on his own website that under Heyman, Smackdown was doing 3.6 and 3.7 ratings and now the show is considered a success if it breaks a 2.8
The entire story can be read here: http://www.wrestlingnewsdesk.com/WND/the_news/wrestling/wwe_writer_talks_about_working_for_stephanie_mcmahon-levesque_200807151676.htm
A key excerpt:
Dr. Ranjan Chhibber, a lifelong fan hired to the writing team in 2004 on the basis of his award-winning academic career, risked being tarnished with both stigmas. The mere mention of his PhD immediately troubled intellectually-inferior workers, while his unmistakable passion for the business elicited the contempt of jaded veterans.
Dr. Chhibber remembers Pat Patterson, the former wrestler and booker and long-time match lay-out ace, cutting off his introduction with a scowling, "You ain't one of those Hollywood guys (who want to ruin wrestling)?"
When Dr. Chhibber took a different tack and tried to offset his outside status by informing flattered Senior Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis that he was a fan of all his All Japan matches, Stephanie reprimanded Chhibber for "acting like a mark."
"Stephanie told me that a WWE writer didn't need to know about other types of wrestling to be successful," said Dr. Chhibber.
"She said if I let wrestlers know I had that sort of knowledge, I would across as some type of 'super-mark' and never be able to earn their respect. I felt like it was impossible to be respected: they hated you if you didn't know wrestling, and they looked down on you if you were a fan."
"Like Groucho Marx in reverse," theorized one ex-writer, "wrestlers feel like anyone who wishes to belong to their club is automatically too lame to be accepted."
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