Bruce Prichard: Chris Kreski was not the genius behind WWF creative in 2000

1. Boards
2. Pro Wrestling: WWE
3. Bruce Prichard: Chris Kreski was not the genius behind WWF creative in 2000...

Heatseeker500 2 days ago#1 but rather Brian Gewirtz and to a lesser extent, Tommy Blancha were. These two were hired to help Russo and Ferrara with the added load of Smackdown just before they left for WCW in 1999. Prichard says he never once saw Kreski handle a pre-tape or offer ideas in meetings, and that at the start of each meeting he was in, McMahon would ask Brian what he had for the show. Kreski, he claims would then write everything out that Brian had and present it back to Vince in its completed format. Personally I found this interesting since Prichard comes across as hit and miss with the truth, but there is so little known about Kreski's time in WWE, or even who he was in general, whereas Gewirtz's time in WWE is pretty well-documented and he wrote a lot of comedy into the show. Thoughts on this? Man is like a piece of cheese... quote

nwo_4_lyfe724 2 days ago#2 I see people question Prichards cred all the time but what has he ever said that is a known bullshit lie? quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#3 nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... I see people question Prichards cred all the time but what has he ever said that is a known bullshit lie? He's pretty much a spin doctor for WWE and has been caught out numerous times on his own podcast. For example the Scott Hall angle with Austin, he tried to say something along the lines of WWE didn't know he was a recovering alcoholic which is why they did the angle where he was covered in beer. Jim Cornette has also called him "The Artful Dodger", even though they get along with each other. Man is like a piece of cheese... quote

cheese_game619 2 days ago#4 Heatseeker500 posted... nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... I see people question Prichards cred all the time but what has he ever said that is a known bullshit lie? He's pretty much a spin doctor for WWE and has been caught out numerous times on his own podcast. For example the Scott Hall angle with Austin, he tried to say something along the lines of WWE didn't know he was a recovering alcoholic which is why they did the angle where he was covered in beer. Jim Cornette has also called him "The Artful Dodger", even though they get along with each other. its so great that conrad calls him out for stuff like that and starts abusing bruce, its hilarious quote

nwo_4_lyfe724 2 days ago#5 Got you. I have heard the story of Kreski and the storyboards before though so I know that's got some truth to it. quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#6 cheese_game619 posted... Heatseeker500 posted... nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... I see people question Prichards cred all the time but what has he ever said that is a known bullshit lie? He's pretty much a spin doctor for WWE and has been caught out numerous times on his own podcast. For example the Scott Hall angle with Austin, he tried to say something along the lines of WWE didn't know he was a recovering alcoholic which is why they did the angle where he was covered in beer. Jim Cornette has also called him "The Artful Dodger", even though they get along with each other. its so great that conrad calls him out for stuff like that and starts abusing bruce, its hilarious Yea lol it's really entertaining to listen to in all fairness. The argument they had about Hogan touring the UK in 93 was hilarious. nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... Got you. I have heard the story of Kreski and the storyboards before though so I know that's got some truth to it. I think the storyboards would have been Kreski formatting the show based off Gewirtz/Blancha's ideas for that week so I definitely agree there'll be some truth to it. Prichard brought up the old story of how everyone mocked him supposedly having a board up in his office with everyone's name on it, and how it would make the product better. Man is like a piece of cheese... (edited 2 days ago)quote

WarGreymon77 2 days ago#7 I don't really believe this. Especially with Gerwitz writing stuff like "Kung pow bitch, trending worldwide" for The Rock in recent years. quote

REAL-Talker 2 days ago#8 I heard that podcast as well. While I don't think Prichard is "hit or miss" with the truth like you said, I do think he's just prone to present stories and situations from his perspective which isn't always the entire story. So I don't really think he lies (well everyone lies but he's not a liar IMO) so much as he only presents one side of the coin when telling his stories. Given all we have heard and know about Kreski's time in the WWF along with what Prichard says it's not hard to see where he's coming from on this podcast.  Prichard admits Kreski was the head writer. He's also clarified in the past that what happens in production meetings and what happens when it comes to the head writer sitting down and coming up with creative with Vince are two separate things entirely. The latter being something he wouldn't be privy to by his own admission since he's stated before that whomever was head of creative would be isolated alongside Vince during said creative process.  It's also been said/reported that Kreski was quiet, non-confrontational, and didn't really "fit in" with the "the boys" and other industry lifers backstage. Thus they didn't really get what all the hype was about. That seems to be reflected in Prichard's recollection since he said Gewirtz was more vocal in production meetings and admitted that a lot of "the boys" made fun of his board with everyone's name on it. Not to mention Prichard is an industry lifer so again, that's where his perspective comes from.  All and all with everything being said he kind of undermined his own point because it was revealed that under Kreski's run as Head of Creative (which again Prichard cops to that being his role) the company was in terms of popularity, critical acclaim and net revenue hotter and better than it had ever been before or after and it immediately went in the opposite direction the second he was stripped of his title as head of creative. The company's net revenue in 2000 was up 34% (I think that's the number that was quoted) to the previous year under Russo's control with a fully healthy Steve Austin to boot. Beyond that you had people like Angle, Edge, Christian, Jericho, Benoit, The Hardyz, The Dudelyz, Too Cool, Trish, and Lita all elevate massively in popularity under his run as well as HHH and The Rock both peak in terms of popularity (in the wrestling business as it relates to The Rock since obviously he's more popular overall now as a mainstream mega movie star than he was in 2000 as "just a wrestler").  2000 was honestly my favorite year in wrestling history and I think it was the best year in the history of the WWF. I think a lot of that had to do with Kreski mostly because he's the constant. Russo leaves and not only does the product not miss a beat but grows in popularity and gets better because all of a sudden all the stuff Russo was good at Kreski is also good at if not better and all of the stuff Russo sucked at (specifically emphasizing the in-ring aspect of wrestling and not going overboard with smutty, profane, swerve heavy television) Kreski seemingly excelled at. He combined the 2 best aspect of wrestling into one and it made for compelling TV. He did the soap opera stuff Russo did (only better) to build narratives/stars and then let the performers get over with their in-ring work as well by continuing the stories in the ring. Gerwirtz was there for years after Kreski left/passed and if he was the true genius behind the brilliance that was 2000 then it doesn't make any sense for the rise in popularity and quality to coincide with Kreski being put in the head of creative chair and for the decline in popularity and quality to coincide with Kreski being removed from head of creative. Just my 2 cents. http://i.imgur.com/PPlFOrU.jpg Jena Frumes. That is all. #realtalk (edited 2 days ago)quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#9 @REAL-Talker It could be argued at the same time that the table was set for Gewirtz/Blancha/Kreski, and the revenue would have improved regardless with higher production values kicking in and word of mouth continuing to grow etc. The ratings average dropped slightly from 1999, but word of mouth was growing constantly. This would to an extent be backed up by the fact that 1999 did better than 1998, and 1998 did better than 1997. Had WCW and ECW not gone under, 2001 would have arguably had a decent chance of topping 2000 because of how popular the company had gotten alone. I think Invasion turned a lot of viewers off though. As for Gewirtz, it's hard to tell how much leeway he would have had under Kreski compared to Stephanie. Maybe she wanted to do things totally different and failed? If Kreski is non-confrontational, Stephanie is the complete opposite. Man is like a piece of cheese... (edited 2 days ago)quote

DragonKing0 2 days ago#10 Heatseeker500 posted... @REAL-Talker It could be argued at the same time that the table was set for Gewirtz/Blancha/Kreski, and the revenue would have improved regardless with higher production values kicking in and word of mouth continuing to grow etc. The ratings average dropped slightly from 1999, but word of mouth was growing constantly. This would to an extent be backed up by the fact that 1999 did better than 1998, and 1998 did better than 1997. Had WCW and ECW not gone under, 2001 would have arguably had a decent chance of topping 2000 because of how popular the company had gotten alone. I think Invasion turned a lot of viewers off though. As for Gewirtz, it's hard to tell how much leeway he would have had under Kreski compared to Stephanie. Maybe she wanted to do things totally different and failed? If Kreski is non-confrontational, Stephanie is the complete opposite. It is important to note that Steve Austin left for neck surgery right after Chris Kreski took over, and the Undertaker went on an extended hiatus less than a month before Kreski took the reigns. So even if the table was set and the momentum was already building, losing the biggest star of all time as well as your longest tenured active superstar right at the start of your run is a huge setback. And yet business continued to improve and the company reached unprecedented heights during 2000. That has to count for something in Kreski's favor. quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#11 I haven't listened yet but @REAL-Talker probably has the right of it. They're the same reasons Prichard sold Russo short. Also not at all surprised he shit on Kreski. He shit on Heyman and Russo this year already. All people who replaced him in some way. He got a larger role once Gewirtz was promoted and lo, he loves Gewirtz. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

DoubleDare 2 days ago#12 There's just something about bruce prichard I don't like. Also just looked at his podcast, the episodes are all at least 3 hours, screw that. On Your Mark...Get Set........GO!!!!!! quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#13 DoubleDare posted... There's just something about bruce prichard I don't like. Also just looked at his podcast, the episodes are all at least 3 hours, screw that. I was the same at first and it took me a while to start listening to them simply because of that, but it's a case of when you hear one you'll more than likely make time for it because some of the stories on it are really interesting. They cover a lot of people and incidents/events you'd never hear talked about quite in-depth anywhere else. Man is like a piece of cheese... (edited 2 days ago)quote

nwo_4_lyfe724 2 days ago#14 Heatseeker500 posted... DoubleDare posted... There's just something about bruce prichard I don't like. Also just looked at his podcast, the episodes are all at least 3 hours, screw that. I was the same at first and it took me a while to start listening to them simply because of that, but it's a case of when you hear one you'll more than likely make time for it because some of the stories on it are really interesting. They cover a lot of people and incidents/events you'd never hear talked about quite in-depth anywhere else. Right. It's audio. I listen to it on the go or playing games. And then there is this super cool feature where I can pause it if i need to! I got more different strokes than Phillip Drummond On the mic I bone ya woman just to keep my lyrics cummin. quote

BiggWillieStylk 2 days ago#15 @REAL-Talker, he's also prone to make shit up that he thinks makes sense whenever his memory fails him. The Poster Formerly Known As BooBooNukem! I'm a Jesus Freak!!! Woohoo! http://www.flickr.com/photos/biggwilliestylk/ - http://www.last.fm/user/BiggWillieStylk/ quote

KeJo6 2 days ago#16 nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... I see people question Prichards cred all the time but what has he ever said that is a known bullshit lie? brother love? http://i.imgur.com/wjniOlq.jpg PSN: KeJo13 quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#17 BiggWillieStylk posted... @REAL-Talker, he's also prone to make shit up that he thinks makes sense whenever his memory fails him. Yeah. Everyone does it but usually they qualify it. Prichard just doubles down I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

BiggWillieStylk 2 days ago#18 AndreLeGeant posted... BiggWillieStylk posted... @REAL-Talker, he's also prone to make shit up that he thinks makes sense whenever his memory fails him. Yeah. Everyone does it but usually they qualify it. Prichard just doubles down It doesn't help any that he's at least a little crazy. The Poster Formerly Known As BooBooNukem! I'm a Jesus Freak!!! Woohoo! http://www.flickr.com/photos/biggwilliestylk/ - http://www.last.fm/user/BiggWillieStylk/ quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#19 Ha. He's fun to listen to, but I wouldn't want to hang out with him for long. Like I don't think you'd really want to be his friend. Same with Cornette. Whereas Russo is annoying but sometimes dumb as a rock, but I'd watch some old Batman with him. Or Austin would be cool to hang out with provided you give him his space (funny how the biggest star ever in wrestling is such an introverted loner). I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#20 AndreLeGeant posted... Ha. He's fun to listen to, but I wouldn't want to hang out with him for long. Like I don't think you'd really want to be his friend. Same with Cornette. Whereas Russo is annoying but sometimes dumb as a rock, but I'd watch some old Batman with him. Or Austin would be cool to hang out with provided you give him his space (funny how the biggest star ever in wrestling is such an introverted loner). Flair and Nash are two people I've always thought would be hilarious to be around for a few drinks. Gene Okerlund as well. Man is like a piece of cheese... quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#21 Yeah. They seem alright. So does Pac if he doesn't get depressing on you.  I think it's really hard to say Kreski was head writer but give the credit to Gewirtz when Gewirtz working under Stephanie tanked the product. Prichard may remember just one or two instances of Gewirtz being vocal in a production meeting, and that's become "every time." It may also be that Kreski worked with Gewirtz and Blancha outside of those meetings, and Gewirtz was the better pitch person for the group. Or it could be that Gewirtz had a better eye toward producing segments (directing) than writing (two things Prichard conflated when he talked about Russo).  If Kreski were just sitting there copying down what Gewirtz said, Vince would not have kept him as head writer for so long. Nor would those dinner table meetings with Vince have been very productive.  I think Prichard hates giving "writers" credit because he's a good producer but a bad writer. Seems like you can tell Bruce what you want, and he does a good job getting that. But put paper in front of him and you get Mantaur and the Goon and forcing beer into Scott Hall's mouth. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#22 AndreLeGeant posted... Yeah. They seem alright. So does Pac if he doesn't get depressing on you.  I think it's really hard to say Kreski was head writer but give the credit to Gewirtz when Gewirtz working under Stephanie tanked the product. Prichard may remember just one or two instances of Gewirtz being vocal in a production meeting, and that's become "every time." It may also be that Kreski worked with Gewirtz and Blancha outside of those meetings, and Gewirtz was the better pitch person for the group. Or it could be that Gewirtz had a better eye toward producing segments (directing) than writing (two things Prichard conflated when he talked about Russo).  If Kreski were just sitting there copying down what Gewirtz said, Vince would not have kept him as head writer for so long. Nor would those dinner table meetings with Vince have been very productive.  I think Prichard hates giving "writers" credit because he's a good producer but a bad writer. Seems like you can tell Bruce what you want, and he does a good job getting that. But put paper in front of him and you get Mantaur and the Goon and forcing beer into Scott Hall's mouth. Producing was always Prichard's strongest point in my opinion. He does say on the podcast that he doesn't know for sure either because at that time he was doing more work in Gorilla as opposed to creative. It does seem like a bit of a strange one though given how Kreski was in charge for a year, but then remained with the company for another year or two after his demotion. Man is like a piece of cheese... quote

nwo_4_lyfe724 2 days ago#23 AndreLeGeant posted... Yeah. They seem alright. So does Pac if he doesn't get depressing on you.  I think it's really hard to say Kreski was head writer but give the credit to Gewirtz when Gewirtz working under Stephanie tanked the product. Prichard may remember just one or two instances of Gewirtz being vocal in a production meeting, and that's become "every time." It may also be that Kreski worked with Gewirtz and Blancha outside of those meetings, and Gewirtz was the better pitch person for the group. Or it could be that Gewirtz had a better eye toward producing segments (directing) than writing (two things Prichard conflated when he talked about Russo).  If Kreski were just sitting there copying down what Gewirtz said, Vince would not have kept him as head writer for so long. Nor would those dinner table meetings with Vince have been very productive.  I think Prichard hates giving "writers" credit because he's a good producer but a bad writer. Seems like you can tell Bruce what you want, and he does a good job getting that. But put paper in front of him and you get Mantaur and the Goon and forcing beer into Scott Hall's mouth. I've smoked many joints with Pac he is hilarious and an awesome person to chill with. I got more different strokes than Phillip Drummond On the mic I bone ya woman just to keep my lyrics cummin. quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#24 We don't know what his health or money situation was. Russo was getting paid $600k when he left WWF. If Kreski had a contract for that same amount and was already having health issues (or if he just needed the money), he may have toughed it out through the contract so he'd get paid.  Him not "fitting in" does explain more the decision to demote him. WWE is the kind of place where being "in" with the right people matters more than doing a good job, I think because the repercussions of doing a "bad" job are minimal. Like I'm a lawyer. All people care about at a law firm in litigation is whether you do a good job, because if you write a bad brief or do a bad job with deposition prep, we lose. But if you're doing deal work, it's more about "fitting in" because your first few years you're just reviewing contracts to make sure people signed, or doing other "busy" work. In WWE, writing a bad show has no real meaning because one show doesn't matter and there's always next week. So they place a higher priority on "fitting in." I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

Skye Reynolds 2 days ago#25 Hmm.. Let's see. The writing turned to shit after Kreski left. I'm guessing that Kreski fetched the coffee and, without having their boy there to carry their bags and get their coffee, the real bookers didn't have the motivation they needed to continue to book good programming. Yep. That must be it. quote

REAL-Talker 2 days ago#26 Heatseeker500 posted... @REAL-Talker It could be argued at the same time that the table was set for Gewirtz/Blancha/Kreski, and the revenue would have improved regardless with higher production values kicking in and word of mouth continuing to grow etc. The ratings average dropped slightly from 1999, but word of mouth was growing constantly. This would to an extent be backed up by the fact that 1999 did better than 1998, and 1998 did better than 1997. Had WCW and ECW not gone under, 2001 would have arguably had a decent chance of topping 2000 because of how popular the company had gotten alone. I think Invasion turned a lot of viewers off though. True, that's something that could be argued but I'd disagree with that argument. As stated by @DragonKing0 Kreski kind of had to re-calibrate the status quo of the WWF at the time when Austin and Taker were shelved. The focus went from Austin and Vince to HHH, Stephanie, Foley, and Rock. That's quite a change of direction when you really think about it. In fact there were a ton of new pieces on the board that Kreski began playing with. Angle, Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, Guerrero, Rikishi, Tazz, The Dudleyz, and Kurt Angle all were new faces/pieces Kreski rebuilt the midcard around and people like Jericho, The Hardyz, Edge, Christian, Lita, and Trish all were placed higher on the card and featured more prominently than they had been under Russo.  IMO that word of mouth the WWF rode to their peak popularity in 2000 had more to do with how good the product was at the start of 2000 than it did simple rollover from 1999. Not shitting on 1999 either but when you hold them up against each other it's not hard to see the vast difference in quality. And again, that's without Austin or Taker.  I do agree 100% with you about the Invasion though. To this day I think them botching that angle was the root cause of the downward spiral in terms of mainstream popularity of wrestling. The WCW fans who would have been willing to give the WWF a shot had they handled the invasion correctly just completely tuned out and never came back again about 1/4th of the way through that clusterfuck. http://i.imgur.com/PPlFOrU.jpg Jena Frumes. That is all. #realtalk quote

nwo_4_lyfe724 2 days ago#27 Oddly enough, just about everyone I watched wrestling with at the time quit watching just AFTER the invasion. I got more different strokes than Phillip Drummond On the mic I bone ya woman just to keep my lyrics cummin. quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#28 Skye Reynolds posted... Hmm.. Let's see. The writing turned to shit after Kreski left. I'm guessing that Kreski fetched the coffee and, without having their boy there to carry their bags and get their coffee, the real bookers didn't have the motivation they needed to continue to book good programming. Yep. That must be it. It's easier for Prichard to say that as well given how there is literally almost nothing out there on Kreski from co-workers etc. Every single person who has been head writer in WWF/E has put their own stamp on the product and personally I believe that Kreski did have a big impact in the way the show operated. I just wish more people would talk about working with him so we could get more of an idea on his style and methods. His formatting of the show in my opinion played a big factor in how well WWF was doing in 2000. With each head writer(s) in WWF/E you could see how each of them put their own stamp on the product, whether it be Cornette/Prichard in 1995-1996, Russo/Ferrara in 1998-1999, Kreski in 2000, or Stephanie in 2001-2002. The structuring in particular played a big part in how successful or not the shows were in my opinion. Man is like a piece of cheese... quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#29 I think Kreski certainly had to deal with a lot of talent churn compared with, say, 98 to 99. The roster in 99 was really stable - too stable, in fact, which led to Russo's frustrations with JR. Russo wanted new talent. 2000 definitely felt different. But I do think Kreski had the advantage of sticking to Russo's formatting and writer's bible. Generally a showrunner has a "bible" that establishes how to format the show, the themes to hit, etc. Kreski had new characters, but he stuck closely to Russo's format, which allowed a very different product to still feel related to what came before.  Like Kreski still had a central heel stable for a babyface to feud with (Rock vs DX instead of Austin vs Corporation). Still had something for every midcarder. Still had the trashy humor. Still had the backstage stunts. Still had the trend to break long segments up into smaller runs throughout the show. Still did the quick 20 second segments to follow up with what wrestlers were doing. Still had people arrive at the building after the show started or did the tease of "who just arrived?"  The biggest changes were that it got a little less edgy (especially by SummerSlam 2000) and they had a little more wrestling on TV. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#30 nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... Oddly enough, just about everyone I watched wrestling with at the time quit watching just AFTER the invasion. I noticed a drop off by autumn 2000. It wasn't quite as hot as it had been just a few months before. But then a big drop off occurred during the summer of the Invasion. When I started 8th Grade in autumn 2001, wrestling suddenly wasn't cool. And by 9th grade it was straight up lame and something you got made fun of for watching. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

Heatseeker500 (Topic Creator)2 days ago#31 AndreLeGeant posted... nwo_4_lyfe724 posted... Oddly enough, just about everyone I watched wrestling with at the time quit watching just AFTER the invasion. I noticed a drop off by autumn 2000. It wasn't quite as hot as it had been just a few months before. But then a big drop off occurred during the summer of the Invasion. When I started 8th Grade in autumn 2001, wrestling suddenly wasn't cool. And by 9th grade it was straight up lame and something you got made fun of for watching. In September 2000 the viewership began to drop from low 6's and high 5's to low 5's and high 4's, tying in with when more wrestling entered the product as you mentioned. Man is like a piece of cheese... quote

AndreLeGeant 2 days ago#32 There was more wrestling on the show in early 00. Two things happened in August/September 00 as I recall that may have driven viewers away. First, the Angle/HHH feud was the first feud in ages that just seemed aborted, and I think viewers were getting a little tired of HHH as a heel and Kurt as a face. Second, Right to Censor. They had negative heat and their existence marked the end of the trashier stuff that was fun window dressing. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I am your sXe hero. They should build a mosque in mecca. Right next to the dome of the rock. -- Lord Sideous quote

1. Boards
2. Pro Wrestling: WWE 
3. Bruce Prichard: Chris Kreski was not the genius behind WWF creative in 2000...