The Steel Cage

I'll start by prefacing this post the way I'll preface many posts about specific people: I didn't know Brian very well, though I'll say again that I don't really believe anyone in the wrestling business knows anyone else in the wrestling business very well.

Brian was named head of the Raw writing team a few months before I joined creative, and being that I was a part of the SmackDown writing team, I didn't work with him as much as others did. But I did get to see him in action on a number of occasions, and I gotta say, for all the flak he's taken, he's been a huge driving force behind the company's success.

As I understand it, Brian is the guy behind virtually all of The Rock's insanely awesome promos from 2000 or so on, which rocked the house. As pretty much the only person in the company with a background in Hollywood (now that David Lagana is no longer on the team), Brian's also an invaluable source for quality storytelling. He was the guy behind the HHH-Angle-Stephanie soap opera in 2000 that was absolutely awesome before it ended abruptly ...

He's also a master of making chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what. While Vince's main focus is the top guys, Brian's great at coming up with storylines for everyone on the show. Sure, they can be horsey sometimes, but the success of WrestleCrap.com proves that no angle is too out there to be entertaining.

Brian was one of the few people who congratulated me the night of the Billy & Chuck commitment ceremony, knowing it has been my idea originally. That meant a lot to me, especially in a world where you NEVER let anyone know they're doing a good job, for that may break the psychological hold you have over them.

Sure, you'll read criticism of Brian online, but think about it. Most of the people leaking the news you read online are wrestlers trying to control their own press. And it sure is easy to complain about your boss anonymously, isn't it? These guys can't exactly complain about Vince or Stephanie when their match or backstage segment gets cut -- so the writer gets the heat. Plus, Vince loves Brian, which makes others around the company jealous of him.

One of the secrets to success in the wrestling business is to know when it's time to stop fighting and just play along. More often than not, Brian would be fighting for new and fresh and different, and while he helped spearhead a lot of good change creatively, ultimately creative is in Vince's hands.

And when Vince tells you to tap out, you tap out. So Brian follows his boss' wishes -- just like you or I would do. And the fact that a "non-wrestling" guy has been with the company in such an integral leadership role for almost nine years now should show you just how important and valued a cog he is in that system.

I'll end with the fact that Brian also came up with the idea for my single favorite vignette ever. It was the "cold open" to No Mercy 2002, on the heels of those horrible storylines with Kane and Katie Vick, and also with Undertaker and that Tracy woman who accused him of having an affair of her.

Both storylines were set to culminate that night, and we all knew how ridiculous they were. A few days before the show, we were all meeting in Stamford, and Brian suggested a vignette where Undertaker would be getting ready for his match, and Kane would walk in, sit beside him, and simply say, "So how was your week?" It was the perfect way to wink at the fans for these ridiculous storylines we'd tortured them with for weeks.

Even Vince laughed out loud when Brian suggested it.