There's Just One Problem...
True Tales From The Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person In WWE
Brian Gewirtz
Published: 2022
Pages: 258
Synopsis: The autobiography of a former head writer in WWE.
Vince is very old-school when it comes to respect. One of the rules of the road is you cannot sleep in a car as it's a sign of disrespect to the person driving. They have to stay awake and are providing you with safety, so the least you can do is stay awake with them. Similarly, you can't sleep on Vince's corporate plane unless Vince falls asleep first.
I made the mistake of falling asleep on the plane my first month in the company. Vince saw this, got up from his chair, got within an inch of my face and screamed my name, as loud as he could, waking me up and scaring the shit out of me. Also, in an attempt to not get airsick, I took a Dramamine before a flight, and while I didn't throw up, I did fall asleep in the production meeting (at the head table facing everyone).
Granted, that's not as bad as the one time on a flight when an employee who shall go nameless was complaining about having to pee, asking me every two minutes to ask the pilot how much longer until we landed. This was before the actual WWE corporate jet, and we were in a much smaller plane with no bathroom. In fact, there was one seat up front where you could take the cover off and convert it into a toilet if you really had to go... in full view of everyone. Why it was designed that way, I don't know, as it seemed like a lose-lose for everyone involved.
This employee made the mistake of telling a plane full of people, many of whom had taken actual brutal in-ring bumps, "There's no greater pain than the pain of having to pee." Ultimately this employee couldn't wait and asked (or more accurately "told") the person who occupied the "toilet seat" to move to the back - Linda McMahon. As the plane began to land and the nameless employee dropped their pants to sit down (standing would've been a disaster of epic proportions) Vince literally dove to the back of the plane so as not to be anywhere near ensuing urination. I've never seen him move so fast in my life. Amazingly, the pee-er in question is still with the company and, suffice to say, has never lived this moment down. Out of respect, he will remain nameless.
Okay, it was Michael Cole.
Brian Gewirtz is someone who doesn't nearly get enough credit for the things he helped create during one of WWE's biggest growth periods. Granted, he's not put in the same category as a Vince Russo, where's he constantly vilified by the wrestling fan community... but conversely, he's not the first one receiving praise, either.
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Gewirtz was often criticized by online fans for being a "TV writer with little knowledge of wrestling," his book There's Just One Problem... True Tales From The Former, One-Time 7th Most Powerful Person In WWE showcases just how big a fan of the industry he is.
A Hollywood writer who came to the World Wrestling Federation in 1999 shortly after helping produce a wrestling segment on MTV, Gewirth had the opportunity to work with everyone from The Rock to Chris Jericho and from Edge and Christian to Rowdy Roddy Piper. While every segment he planned for these folks wasn't the most memorable segment on the show... there are quite a few that ended up rewriting wrestling industry.
Gewirtz's writing style (both while with WWE and in this book) is lighthearted and humorous, showcasing a respect for the competitors and the great work they do in the ring while also moving them out of the tried-and-true "Attitude Era" format of wrestling that was on the downswing right as WWF was becoming WWE.
Coming up with memorable moments for the likes of Kurt Angle, John Cena, Eugene and Kane (not to mention a lot of the material that was produced for when celebrities such as Mike Tyson, Bob Barker and Jeremy Piven became 'guest hosts' on Raw), Gewirtz showed that he wrote television with WWE fans in mind.. which isn't always an easy task.
In fact, it was Gewirtz's passion that, in part, helped him land a permanent job with The Rock, working as an SVP for his Seven Bucks Productions company and becoming a principal in the Young Rock television series.
Gewirtz also discusses his love/hate relationship with Vince McMahon over the years, giving insight that some fans may have expected, but also opening the curtain a bit more than we've seen in the past. He has a very colorful depiction of one of wrestling's most controversial personalities.
Overall Rating: Oh Hell Yeah! Whether you're a casual fan or someone who scours websites for news, this is the type of book that will give you a deeper appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes in the world's largest wrestling company.