In an extensive new interview, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long was asked about his experience working under Vince McMahon.
It's no secret that the disgraced former WWE Chairman had a chaotic approach to booking shows, often tearing up the scripts while they were on the air. That made life incredibly difficult for the company's Superstars, something Long acknowledged while reflecting on a SmackDown match featuring Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston.
"Vince was a man that didn't play. He was serious about the job and he wanted you to be serious," he recalled. "There's nothing wrong with that. When you're doing your job, you should be out there and you should be serious. If you lacked or anything, Vince would get right in you. He didn't waste no time."
"I saw him leave the Gorilla position and walk right down to the ring and make guys get out of the ring right on TV. He did that one night with Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston, I believe. I think they were going to a pay-per-view. Seth was supposed to be looking good for the pay-per-view and I think Kofi was eating him up out there. Vince couldn't take it."
"He jumped up, got out of his chair and went down to the ring and made them get out in front of all the people," Long added. "He took them back, talked to them, told them what he wanted and then sent them right back out there."
While this may sound like hyperbole, the incident was one Rollins himself reflected on in a 2019 interview:
"One time on SmackDown, I had this match with Kofi. It was when they were still taping SmackDown, I had this match with Kofi. And it was meant to be a get over match for me. Now, Kofi’s someone that I have a lot of respect for and someone I would never 0 even in a match that is meant for me to look good in - I would not want to just squash Kofi. I just wouldn’t want to do it. I would want to give him something and that’s just my nature."
"So we went out and had this - it was literally three minutes long probably, start to finish, bell to bell - three minutes long and I give Kofi a little bit, and made him look good, and then beat him. And I remember coming to the back thinking, 'Oh, okay, that was alright.'"
"And Vince was furious about it! Like, furious! Just, ‘Get over here!’ And he’s yelling at me, and he’s just like, 'If you’re gonna be my guy, you’re gonna be my guy, that’s not what I want!' And he shooed me out of the gorilla."
“I didn’t understand, I didn’t get it and Michael was trying to explain to me what Vince wanted out of the situation, and they ended up making me and Kofi have to go out and redo the match. And I remember the feeling when they told me that. I was so angry and embarrassed, and just ready to just walk out and not do it, cause I was like, never in my life! Never should this happen to me!"
"But it was such a learning experience in retrospect that it’s okay to screw up sometimes. That it’s okay to try things and fail and learn from your mistakes, and as long as you improve your second time around, and don’t make the same mistake twice, you’re gonna be alright."
Seeing as SmackDown used to be taped in advance, we'd love to know how many other times this happened. Regardless, it's hard to imagine this taking place now Triple H is calling the shots in WWE.
Check out the full interview with Long in the player below.