Mike Bennett, who currently wrestles for Ring of Honor, is the latest wrestler to comment on The Undertaker saying younger wrestlers “lack an edge to them” and that the current WWE product is “soft.”
He did so during an appearance on the Wrestling With Awareness podcast. Here is what he had to say:
“You know, so first and foremost, I have the utmost respect for Undertaker. I always have and he was one of my favorites growing up. He was nothing but kind to me anytime I interacted. I didn’t interact with him a lot at WWE, but every time I did, he was great. My issue is, his problems seem to come at the talent and say that it was their fault that the product is soft. I can promise you that the talent has zero input on the product that gets put out. They get told what to do, if they go off script they get yelled at, or they get punished. It’s not the talent.
“The talent has always been ready and willing to do whatever is asked of them and most of the talent have had far more success on the independents, doing what they normally do, than when they get to WWE and they get watered down. They get told to do this, and do that, and do this. I do, I understand where Undertaker’s coming from. It’s just, from what I see it as, it’s just a generation gap. It’s a difference. We as the professional wrestlers of my generation, we look out for each other. We have each other’s backs. We understand when the company’s trying to screw us or not screw us or this and that, and I don’t think the guys are soft.”
“And I don’t think the guys are soft and… like my wife is very close with Michelle McCool and having that interaction there, I don’t think Undertaker was trying to be disrespectful. I think it’s just a generational thing. I think it’s his mindset of, ‘Well, this is the way we did it. They’re not doing it this way so it must be wrong’ as opposed to someone like Mick Foley, who’s adapting and understanding the way professional wrestling is evolving. Or someone like Edge, who’s helped out so many of the younger guys and understands where wrestling is evolving. So, I don’t think it was a disrespect thing from Undertaker, I just think it was a generational gap and not understanding this generation of professional wrestlers.”
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