I was going to do bullet points but honestly you just have to listen to the entire interview. It's very eye opening and the post would've been ridiculously long. Here's two highlight stories, but there's so much more. This isn't even a third of the way through the podcast.
- Reference the day he began, "Counting the days" until he could leave: He was working as a heel against Seth and arrived at the arena with multiple writers approaching him. He had to do numerous backstage promos where he was appearing on screen while Seth kept trying to call him out. Said he was only worried about the in ring promo.
Said the in-ring promo was, "Hot garbage" and he was written lame rips on the audience. The part that caught his eye was something to the effect of, "I wouldn't come out here without a pooper scooper." Told the writers he wouldn't say it, and asked them to clip it out before Vince saw it, because he would "Laugh his ass off about how it was good shit." Said the writers changed it to, "I wouldn't come out here without a gas mask" before taking it to Vince.
Writers met with Vince, came back to Dean and read him, "Notes from VKM". Vince's notes were, "Dean needs to understand why he needs to rip on the audience. Dean needs to read his promos verbatim and not try to rewrite them."
Said he went off on the writer, even though it wasn't his fault, and asked why he worked there. Said he learned how to talk people into the building years ago and brought that talent here to use it. Said ,"If you want somebody to say your stupid lines, hire an actor."
On the same night, he went to Vince pissed off, because in a separate promo he was scripted to say something "Very distasteful, taking a jab at my friend who was going off to fight leukemia." Told Vince, surely you don't want me to say that, to which Vince said, "Oh yeah, you've gotta include Roman, he's part of the story." Said Vince played the, "Jedi mind trick" on him and got him to do it anyways.
Went out to cut the promo where he said the line about Roman. Can't remember exactly what the line was, but said as soon as it came out of his mouth, he thought, "Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that."
After cutting the Roman promo, he went backstage, and his gas mask promo was written directly by Vince, who then decided that he needed to be wearing a surgical mask to, "Protect him from these disgusting people." Said he went to Vince's office and Ed Koski was about to go in, but he asked to go in first. Said he asked Koski to give him 30 seconds before going in, at which point he leaned up against a luggage box and felt exhausted. Eventually compromised with Vince on the promo, finished the show, ran out of the arena and the first thought that went through his head was, "I need a drink."
Said Vince made a comment about Dean not wanting to lose his, "Creative license" to which Dean thought, "What creative license."
- On the day he knew he was gone: Says he almost walked out of the company, and is glad he didn't because of the legal ramifications. Says he woke up to a text from a writer explaining that the plan for the night would be that he was meeting with a doctor to be inoculated from all the different diseases carried by the, "Disgusting people." Says he replied to the writer, "I hate that" to which the writer responded, "I know."
By the time he got to the building, word had circulated that he wasn't happy with the script for the night. Michael Hayes confronted him about it to which he affirmed his displeasure and said he's tired of doing the goofy shit. Said he was handed the script for the promo right before going into a company wide sexual harassment meeting. Said he spent the whole meeting seething while reading over the promo.
Said he wanted to meet with Vince immediately after the meeting, but was intercepted by staff advising that Vince wanted to meet with him and make sure he knew the promo wasn't comedy. Said he went into Vince's office and Vince explained to him that it's not a comedy promo, and Vince's exact words were, "It's so well written, it's going to get you a ton of heat." Said he argued with Vince that it was prop comedy to which Vince said there were no props involved, to which Dean asked what the doctor and the giant syringe were there for then.
Said in his head he knew it was the last time he'd say this to Vince, and told him, "If this is what you want on your show, I'm the best guy to do it." Said he did the promo, and everybody backstage was high fiving talking about how Vince loved it. Said he couldn't get out of the building fast enough, and felt dizzy as he was leaving and in the bar at the airport.
Said that in the "Inoculation" promo he was scripted to make another dig about Roman's leukemia, which he drew the line on and refused to say. Wouldn't say it on Jericho's podcast and told him he would tell him after they went off the air. Said he doesn't know who wrote it but that they should be ashamed of themselves, and said that if it aired, he believes Susan G. Komen and potentially other sponsors would've severed ties with the WWE.