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Ex-WWE writer Michael Leonardi posted the following as part of two videos recently on Linkedin:
"I was fired by Vince McMahon back in 2016 while trying to protect the company from airing a racially insensitive segment. For years I felt ashamed and replayed the situation 1000's of times over in my head trying to figure out what I could have done to not get fired. In light of everything going on, I just wanted to get it off my chest as I'm finally starting to feel like maybe I didn't deserve to be fired?
In this video I also talk about some of the the inner-workings of the WWE writing team, the culture that vince created and why WWE is poised to see massive growth moving forward. This is Part 1 of a 2-part video #wwe"
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7158203491142832128/
"Part 2 of my firing by Vince McMahon for trying to protect the company in 2016.
I also dig into the reason for my departure in 2005, which was voluntary. Back then, there was a character by the name of Muhammad Hassan. In July of 2005, while in the build-up to a PPV match with the Undertaker, WWE aired a controversial segment that made national news as hitting a little too close to home with the on-going "war on terror." (you can read Muhammad Hassan's Wiki for more) Shortly thereafter, the london bus bombings occurred which brought more attention to the angle and the concern amongst UPN.
I was assigned to produce the PPV promo for that match at the upcoming Great American Bash PPV. I told my boss that I had a problem being associated with the project (I felt strongly that it was just wrong of us to keep going with it) and asked if I could be assigned to one of the other matches (which I was) Eddie vs. Rey (with little dominick, which is crazy to see where he is now!)
I was then promptly stripped of all my responsibilities as an associate producer and given grunt work. A week or so later, UPN put enough pressure on WWE that the character was eventually wiped from WWE programming after the PPV and never seen again. I was then given back my responsibilities. As much as I loved working there, I thought it was F'd up that the situation was handled that way and soon thereafter put in my notice.
My point in sharing this is simply because of what's going on now... and by no means am I even remotely comparing my stuff to that of all the awful, horrid news we're receiving. I really value strong leaders and great culture... it's a massive part of any organization. I believe that even in spite of amazing financial success, bad leadership and culture can tear anything down. This was potentially the case with WWE... the culture that Vince created is one of the worst I've ever seen... and I will tell you this... there is A LOT more underneath the surface, I guarantee you that.
All that being said, I don't think this merger could have come at a better time... had it not happened, this 40 year behemoth of an organization would have experienced a potentially catastrophic collapse. Instead, they are poised to move forward and see healthy growth for years to come. What Hunter has done with the developmental system, along with the slow and steady growth into international markets is a recipe for a true global brand that in 5-10 years will see multiple countries running multiple developmental systems, brands, touring and more. I'm excited for WWE's future.
I will say this... to the TKO board... It would be prudent to get it right and cut out all potential cancer right now. #wwe"
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7158898924731179008
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