Backstage Details Emerge About Major WWE SmackDown Segment
Reports clarify that CM Punk knew about his WrestleMania 41 main event spot well before the dramatic contract signing segment on SmackDown in London.
The wrestling world was buzzing after CM Punk officially secured his place in the WrestleMania 41 main event during the March 28 episode of SmackDown in London. The dramatic contract signing with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins set the stage for what WWE is promoting as the biggest triple threat in WrestleMania history, but some fans wondered if Punk’s reactions during the segment were genuine.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select has poured cold water on any notion that Punk learned about his WrestleMania spot during the live segment.
They might claim that, but everything that I have ever seen that is that story driven and story involved was scripted out ahead of time for WWE. Even promos that you guys thought were not scripted have been scripted.
The revelation comes as little surprise to industry insiders, though it provides interesting context about WWE’s current creative process under Triple H. While there has been some loosening of restrictions compared to previous regimes, most televised segments remain tightly controlled.
Are promos less scripted under Triple H, or does it depend on the talent? Both. They are a little less scripted at times, but it’s still a lot of stuff gets scripted verbatim.
Despite the scripted nature of most segments, Sapp did acknowledge that certain top-tier performers like The Rock receive more creative freedom:
The Rock is not going out there with an exact script. He’s able to riff quite a bit, but he works with Brian Gewirtz and other people as well.
