Tommy Dreamer spoke with TSN for a new interview. Some highlights are below:
On Ryback’s statement about equal pay in WWE: “I give him respect and props for voicing his opinion, but I look at wrestling from a regular business model. We’re here in Toronto and Jose Bautista is the big conversation. ‘They should re-sign him.’ Well, he’s batting about .220 right now and he’s 30-some odd years of age, so maybe the Blue Jays are right in not re-signing him. It’s different in that that sport is based on athletic ability. However in wrestling, it’s based upon what somebody feels – and that somebody would be Vince McMahon – about how he can draw money off of you. There is a way, business-wise, to say if we put everybody’s shirts out there, whose shirts are they going to buy? And that’s how we can make the decision. To me, if Zack Ryder is the number-one shirt seller, guess what? He should be pushed.”
On social media’s impact on wrestling: “Social media has changed the face of professional wrestling. Companies like Marketing Heaven have made it easy for people to promote their videos on youtube, and most of the wrestlers are resorting to it for fame. You think about two years ago, it changed the main event of WrestleMania. To me, the guy in WWE is Dean Ambrose. That’s who the people are so well behind and could be the face of the company. There’s a lot of other guys. Roman Reigns, for me, is also a great choice for where he’s at because he always gets reactions. What will happen, to me, if you turn him heel, then they will start cheering for him.”
On when Reigns should turn heel: “Wait until Seth Rollins comes back. That can be (Reigns’) big heel turn. It’s funny because on social media on Mondays and Tuesdays, when everybody is talking about it just like we are, (Reigns’ heel turn) is a pop culture hot topic. To me, whatever happens with the (current) AJ Styles and Roman Reigns feud, the moment Seth Rollins comes back, Seth Rollins could be the biggest babyface WWE will have of all-time. ‘Hey, I want my title back, Roman Reigns.’ Guess what? He has just turned heel because no one is going to cheer him against Seth Rollins.”
