DeMarco: WWE Isn’t For Everyone, And That’s Okay

Recent Jimmy Jacobs comments on working for WWE brings a reminder from Greg DeMarco: it’s not for everyone, and that’s totally okay.

Jimmy Jacobs is one of the most creative minds in professional wrestling. “The Zombie Princess” can be credited with a good portion of the creative output from Impact Wrestling today, and he was the brain child behind Project 151, which became Age Of The Fall in ROH and jump-started the career of Tyler Black…who would later become the Seth Rollins we know today.

From 2015 to 2017, Jimmy Jacobs worked as a writer for WWE. His time there is something fans will bring up from time-to-time, and Jacobs himself will often be asked about in interviews. He recently appeared on Jordan Garber NOW, and had this to say:

“WWE is such a faux corporate environment and Vince [McMahon] wants it to appear as corporate. It made me feel like I couldn’t be myself. I missed having nail polish on and being kind of like a maniac. I felt like I was in a shell. I spent the majority of my time there basically scared of Vince and ultimately afraid of losing my job. It wasn’t until the last couple of months of my time there where I was so sick of feeling just tied and boxed up that I wasn’t scared of getting fired anymore. Which I spent most of my time doing. Maybe I would last longer if I wasn’t scared of Vince. It’s his sandbox …he’s just letting you play in it.”

That quote comes courtesy of the write-up I found at SEScoops.

I respect Jimmy Jacobs, what he’s done in the wrestling business, and oftentimes his opinion. But I do think this needs to be taken as opinion, and not fact. I’d go so far to say it’s unfair to call WWE a “faux corporate environment,” because a company gets to set its culture–like it or not. And when you sign on the dotted line, you have to know what you’re getting yourself into.

But it’s also unfair of me to make a blanket statement, so let’s break it down:

“Faux corporate environment / Vince wants it to appear as corporate” – I do understand that Vince McMahon has set a certain standard for his company. And some might not agree with it in 2019. That doesn’t mean that it’s fake. It is what it is–know what you’re signing up for!

“I missed having nail polish on and being kind of like a maniac.” – That doesn’t sound like a bad (or “faux”) corporate environment, it sounds like a bad fit. The challenge in getting a job is you need to know what you’re getting into. You need to ensure it’s a good fit. WWE is the dream job for 95% of the people in this business, and when they get there plenty will realize it’s not really what they thought it was–or more accurately what they wanted it to be.

“I spent the majority of my time there basically scared of Vince and ultimately afraid of losing my job.” – Plenty of people work with Vince McMahon, and within Vince McMahon’s WWE, and are successful. Many of them for decades. Many of them are quite wealthy because of it. No offense to the guy, but this sounds like a Jimmy Jacobs problem, not a Vince McMahon problem. Learn the system, learn the culture, and you can be successful within it.

“Maybe I would last longer if I wasn’t scared of Vince. It’s his sandbox …he’s just letting you play in it.” – We’ve heard plenty of stories where Vince McMahon appreciates being challenged. Every third edition of “Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard” has  story about talking to Vince, and how to approach him. People are people, and knowing how to manage personalities–and how to “manage up”–is a key to success in any organization. Yeah, one trait of a great leader is the ability to adapt for those you lead, but that doesn’t mean all great leaders have that trait. You can apply that logic both ways–a trait of a great employee with upward mobility is knowing your leader, and adjusting.

So, what’s the deal?

I am glad you asked, because here is the deal. WWE isn’t for everyone. That goes for fans–plenty of them online who want WWE to be something it’s not (when you have all sorts of options at your fingertips). It also goes for talent, writers, producers, broadcasters, management, corporate employees, etc. Eric Bischoff just went through it, and his explanation is the best: it wasn’t a good fit and it didn’t work.

When my company shut down in January, I was back in the job market. I’d worked there for 8 years, and knew how to be successful there. When I was picking my new job (I was lucky enough to have a couple of options pretty quick), fit was one of my top concerns. I love where I am, and was able to advance after 4 months. There is always luck involved in that, but I get how it works. And I adjusted. Had it not worked and wasn’t for me, that would be okay. It happens.

Where I work isn’t for everyone. WWE isn’t for everyone. And that’s okay.

Pro wrestling, along with sports entertainment, is a fun ride. Enjoy it! Follow me on social media @ChairshotGreg and drop me a line at gregdemarco@thechairshot.com.