Prinze talked about a TV writer that came up with a plan of his own to make some money off the WWE.
The WWE has a distribution deal through Walmart, so they could make their movies for $5 million and make the money back and then some through store sales.
Let’s let Prinze tell the story in his own words. Special thanks to Inside the Ropes for the following transcripts.
“There was a writer on the creative team, who was a television writer, and I’m not going to say his name, but it wasn’t clicking with what wrestlers needed to say and the types of stories wrestlers needed to pull off and the stories we could pull off as a company while having to have wrestling matches. Think of that philosophy, and that was this guy’s philosophy. ‘The matches are affecting the story.’ Dawg, you’re supposed to service the matches. This is a wrestling show.
“That’s why Bruce [Prichard] every week was like, ‘there is a lot of talk.’ He was dead on. This guy asked Vince if he could transition from the creative team to the film division because he had experience in film. He had experience in television, but not really experience in film. I respect the man’s hustle, but this was a hustle.
“He started selling his own scripts under a pen name to WWE and was producing his own movie and then paying himself to do it. I saw this right away. I know a Hollywood hustle when I see one. I felt like there was an advantage being taken of. He should have been like, ‘I wrote this great script, let’s make it,’ and Vince would have said yes. I didn’t like the subversive element to it.”
Lesson learned
Prinze knew he had to let Vince on what was happening, and that’s where the lesson about billionaires came about.
“We’re on the tarmac in White Plains, New York. We’re getting ready to fly into New Orleans. I see Vince’s limo pull up, which means get your ass on the plane because Vince isn’t waiting for nobody. I walk straight up to Vince and say, ‘before we get on the plane, I have to tell you something.
“You guys are making these $5 million movies, this guy is selling you scripts that would not sell in Hollywood that I’m sure he’s tried to sell a dozen times and everyone passed and you’re paying him for something like that and paying him to make his own movie. That’s four movies a year at $5 million apiece.’
“He looks me dead in the face and goes, ‘Freddie, it’s $20 million, get on the f*cking plane.’ My jaw (dropped) and I went, ‘Can I have that job?’ He started laughing, slapped me on the back, and I got on the plane. The whole time I’m thinking, ‘that’s a billionaire. That’s what a billionaire is.’”
Just being able to brush off $20 million is something most of us may never know, and it’s definitely a lesson all right. In the end, we’re sure Vince wasn’t happy and will never hire the guy again.
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