PJ Black was recently interviewed by ComicBook.com and “The Darewolf” had a lot to say about what it’s like having creative freedom as well as not having it. Black talked about the ability to show off his personality with Ring Of Honor in comparison to the limitations given during his WWE tenure. Quotes are below:
You were this new wave of talent that came in here [ROH] at the start of the year. How were you received by some of the ring of honor veterans?
“By the veterans, pretty good. By some of the other talent, they weren’t really sure. And by the fans, a lot of the hardcore fans were really excited. But there was also a part of the fans that were like, ‘eh, here’s another ex-WWE guy who just likes phony matches and stuff like that.’
That’s the reason why I left [WWE] there because I felt like I wasn’t used to my full potential and I wanted to show people what I could do. And within a few weeks, all those naysayers were like, ‘Oh, man.’ They’re on the PJ bandwagon right now.”
What kind of creative freedoms are you given working in ROH?
“Just doing the things that I feel comfortable [with], that I think my character needs to be doing and saying and wearing.
All the aspects of that and also when it comes together, like by putting matches together and stuff like that. I don’t have anyone telling me, ‘Don’t do this move, don’t do this move. You’re limited to doing this and this and this and this.’ No proverbial handcuffs, if you will.”
Were there moves you weren’t allowed to do back in WWE?
“Oh yeah, there was a whole list of moves that you couldn’t do. It changes all the time. It seems like it’s changed back now but there’s still a list of moves that you’re not allowed to do.”
Lately a lot of people has been talking about Jon Moxley’s interview where he talked about being frustrated with WWE’s creative process. Did you have a similar situation during your time there?
“Oh, yes. I think everyone has. You get to a certain point when they trust you a little more and you can start writing your own stuff but for some reason, for some guys it just always reverts back to that, where you have to get stuff cleared and they want you to say stuff line-by-line.
And that’s where the creative freedom comes in. And it’s not only with promos. It’s with matches, it’s with time, it’s with what you wear. I feel like they just micromanage everything. And to a certain extent, that does work and some people do need that. A lot of us are artists and you can’t handcuff us and tell us, ‘This is the way we need it done.’ Again, for some people that’s fine but a lot of people are not like that.”
