Former “Smackdown” Writer Shares His Experiences With WWE

It’s no secret that being a WWE superstar means having a grueling and exhausting schedule. But what about the writers?

In a new interview with Sports Illustrated, Lucha Underground head writer Chris “DJ” DeJoseph shed some light on the subject, as he was one of the top writers on “Smackdown” from 2006-2010.

Below are some highlights from the interview:

On traveling from town to town:

“I was the wheel man, and I used to burn through towns,” said DeJoseph. “I actually started chewing tobacco because it gave me something to do so I wouldn’t fall asleep. When you have a little more seniority, you could sit in the back and nap. But I preferred when we all stayed up. It’s pretty tough when you’re driving in the middle of nowhere in the dark.”

On the Tuesday morning production meetings:

“You sit at a table and talk through the show,” explained DeJoseph. “It’s detailed, but if you don’t do a good job delivering the show, you can almost be booed off the table. Vince will start rolling his eyes and people will start making comments, so you need some confidence and a willingness to take some risks.

“So you pitch the show. I always had a few back-up ideas as options because I knew Vince wouldn’t go for everything. You wouldn’t just pitch random ideas. I always tried to do something that stuck within the story, and we focused on what the top guys were doing, whether that was for John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Triple H, or The Undertaker.”

The Undertaker & Kane vs. Mr. Kennedy & MVP: SmackDown, November 3, 2006

On what happens after the show:

“Then you’d go back to the hotel room, try to have some kind of enjoyment and get some drinks even though you have a really early flight the next morning, and then you have to be back in Stamford at the office at 10am on Wednesday. And the cycle repeats, there is no off-switch.”

He also discusses re-writing the show, the “Raw” writing team and more.

What do you think of Chris DeJoseph’s experience on “Smackdown?” Leave us a comment below, or post a comment on our Facebook page!

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