Former referee and RAW general manager Brad Maddox recently talked about the backstage environment in WWE on the Pancakes and Powerslams Podcast. He says that outbursts from the wrestlers, whether in public or in private, often come due to their frustration with the system within the company.
“It does get very frustrating. Communication gets very muddy, and I think a lot of guys feel a little trapped,” he said about working as an on-air talent in WWE. “Almost like they can’t defend themselves within the constructs of the company.
Maddox also indicated that former World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton is known to “threaten” other wrestlers backstage. “Randy would get angry at something in a match,” he explained, “and I remember a few instances when I was a referee, so I was in the Gorilla Position a lot of the time.
“A few times he would say things or threaten other guys, like right there in Gorilla, and I would be standing there with my eyes wide open, not believing that he is saying this in front of all the producers and in the same room with Vince. I was kind of amazed by that.”
Maddox was released by WWE in 2015 and currently wrestles on the independent circuit as Mad Braddox.
