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WWE legend Teddy Long recently spoke about how "times have changed" in the wrestling business, with people openly talking about things unlike before.
Long is one of the greatest on-screen managers in wrestling history. He kickstarted his career as a referee but eventually became the General Manager of SmackDown in 2004. He portrayed the role of the authority figure until 2012. Considering he has had a decades-spanning run in the wrestling industry, Teddy Long has seen the landscape change drastically over the years.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast hosted by Mac Davis, the WWE Hall of Famer mentioned that there's more space to share thoughts now. He explained that veterans would have fallen in trouble until a few years back for the things now they openly speak about on their podcasts.
Teddy Long also mentioned how newer details were being unearthed about his former colleagues, which he was never privy to.
"Times have changed. It's not what it used to be no more. We can go back 15 years, you wouldn't dare be saying some of the stuff we are talking about here on this show. So the times have changed, that's why you've got the Dark Side of the Ring. You didn't have that back in the day. Now you get that, that tells you the truth. They tell you everything you need to know about a person and really, some of the stuff I've seen on that about guys even I worked with, I didn't even know," said Teddy Long. [4:02 - 4:35]
Check out the full video below:
WWE legend Teddy Long didn't have it easy in the business
On a previous episode of The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Teddy Long opened up about his struggling days in the wrestling business.
The WWE Hall of Famer recalled traveling around 245 miles from Atlanta to Charlotte, NC, just for the sake of collecting a $600 cheque the Jim Crockett Promotions owed him. Teddy Long revealed he had no option but to go by himself to receive the money since it didn't come through the mail.
"I never did get to that point, because my money never got that good. I remember one time I think I had a $600 cheque that they [Jim Crockett] were supposed to send me in the mail. I never got it in the mail and all my bills were due and stuff. I had to drive all the way from Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, and wait in Jim Crockett's office for two hours and collect a $600 cheque and then get in my car and drive all the way back to Atlanta," said Teddy Long.
Long was rewarded for his contribution to the industry with a much-deserved WWE Hall of Fame induction back in 2017.
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