Konnan Talks WWE Not Listening To The Fans, Being Behind The Curve With Representing Minorities
Konnan talked with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes about WWE behind the curve when it comes to representing minorities and how they haven't done a good enough job of listening to the fans over the years.
In regards to WWE not listening to the fans, Konnan thinks it ultimately will hurt the company to ignore what the paying customer wants to see.
"A lot of people in [WWE] think fans don't know what's good for them," Konnan said. "I always remember thinking 'What do you mean they don't know what's good for them? They're not going to pay money to see something they don't like.' They know what they want to see, and a lot of times they would fight the fans, like 'This is what they want.' And I would think to myself 'No, they're telling you what they want!' They ignored them for a long time.
"Look at all the backlash they got when they wouldn't push CM Punk. Look at all the backlash they got when they wouldn't push Daniel Bryan. So, now what the people are doing is they're taking it out on WWE. So when people found out WWE wanted to push Roman Reigns, people turned their backs on him. They were like, 'You didn't give us what we wanted, then we're going to boo him every time he comes out,' even though he wasn't a bad wrestler."
With multiple weekly shows and a WWE Network that is packed with content, Konnan believed maybe it's just too much, or maybe it's just too much of what Vince McMahon wants.
"Somewhere along the way, [WWE] lost their way," Konnan continued. "I work in Mexico and I help put together a live show, but it's like a two-hour show and that's it. They're doing a three-hour show on Monday, and then a two-hour show and all that original content in WWE Ride Along and Table for 3. SmackDown is usually better because it's only two hours and their storylines are better. A lot of times, at the end of the day, it's what Vince McMahon wants, and it shouldn't be what he wants, it should be what the fans want."
When asked about WWE's ability to represent minorities, Konnan felt while they've improved as of late, WWE has always been more reactive instead of proactive.
[WWE] just did a lot of stuff with minorities that was very demeaning and stereotypical and they've always been behind the curve at that," Konnan said. "For a while, you just saw Latinos portrayed in one way, especially in WWE where there were coming out in lawnmowers or whatever the case may be. They kind of flipped the script when Alberto Del Rio came out, he was kind of an aristocrat. You never really see a Latino in that position. I think they're more inclusive than before, wrestling as a whole, but they've still got a long way to go."