Former WWE referee and on-air personality Teddy Long says he’s happy to be away from the wrestling business following his release from WWE. Long, whose WWE contract expired back in June of 2014, said in an interview with Pro Wrestling 24/7 that he understands where Ryback is coming from with his thoughts on pay equality. On Tuesday, Ryback wrote a blog post challenging WWE’s pay scale.
“There are certain guys who receive a certain amount of pay and certain guys another amount, it determines where you are on the card,” Long said of Ryback’s issue. “Sometimes you feel like you’re put into a position where you’re at the top of the card, or even midcard. And then you go to one of these big pay per views. And you expect to get more and you don’t get that, it kind of makes you feel, especially after you bust your butt, like you’re not appreciated.”
Long said he agrees with Ryback’s stance, and he’s seen other talent with similar issues.
“I’ve seen that happen to a lot of guys. Even myself,” Long said. “I’ve worked shows, like Wrestlemania and thought I was in a good spot for a good payday and then it didn’t happen, it came to be something else.”
The former SmackDown General Manager also talked about how WWE has achieved mainstream success, and that TNA isn’t really competitor for them. You can listen to the full interview here.
