A former WWE writer, Jimmy Jacobs, recently recounted his experience traveling with talent, including the then-World Champion Seth Rollins, revealing why it was discouraged backstage. Jacobs, who joined WWE’s writing team in April 2015, shared these insights during an episode of Café De René, where he also reflected on his unexpected firing in 2017. His story provides a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes dynamics between WWE’s creative staff and the performers.
The Complexity of Traveling With Talent in WWE
Jacobs, a former ROH World Tag Team Champion and longtime friend of Seth Rollins, initially thought traveling together would be a practical solution for the WWE creative team. Early in his WWE tenure, Jacobs believed riding with Rollins would ease logistical challenges and free resources for the company. However, Michael Hayes, a key figure in WWE’s backstage operations, quickly intervened. Hayes pointed out that it wasn’t appropriate for someone from the “office” side to be too close to a star like Rollins, reflecting an unspoken boundary between the creative team and the talent.
The Distinction Between “Office” and “Boys” Clarified
Jacobs detailed the situation from his first day on the road with WWE, describing his confusion stemming from his indie wrestling background. Unlike the independent scene where cramped travel arrangements are normal, WWE operated with ample resources. Writers were assigned rental cars for trips between Raw and SmackDown venues, and although Rollins, as World Champion, invited Jacobs to ride with him, the creative team divided transportation separately.

“As far as we interacted, he (Michael Hayes) was always gracious to me. I kind of f*cked up early on, like my first day on the road there, he pulled me aside and had a little talk with me…It was like my first day on the road. We were in the Northeast. It was a drive from Connecticut to that town and then SmackDown was on Tuesdays so then we would just drive from that town to the next town. We had to get rental cars — the creative team did. I come from the indies where… (Jacobs laughed) Resources are limited.There’s limited room on this car. You’re squeezing people in so I’m not used to WWE where there’s like excess of everything so from Raw to SmackDown, the writers had rental cars but Seth Rollins who was the World Champion at that point, he’s also my old tag team partner. So he asked me to drive with him from Raw to SmackDown, and I thought, great, I got a ride and I’m not burdening the writing team with — they don’t have to account for me.Like, kind of I’m doing them a favor by getting a ride somewhere else because who knows if there’s enough spots in the car?Because I still have that mentality of, like, on the indies and so, at the end of the night after Raw, the writers are in the room and they’re divvying up the car, who’s gonna be in what car and they go, ‘Aye Jimmy, you’re gonna be with Ryan here’ and I go, ‘Oh, actually, I think I’m riding with Seth,’ and then Seth pops his head in, he goes, ‘Hey, you f*cks! He’s riding with the champ tonight!’And the next day, Michael pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey, I know you guys are friends, but, you’re on this side of things now. You’re on the office side…’ And that took me a minute. It took me a minute to understand that I wasn’t one of the boys, that there’s a difference between the office and the boys, and there is. That took me a second to really get that.”
This experience opened Jacobs’ eyes to the clearly defined divide between company staff and wrestlers. Hayes’ message was that despite personal relationships, maintaining professionalism meant recognizing the separate roles within WWE’s structure.
Jacobs’ Career Path After WWE Departure
After being released from WWE, Jacobs returned to in-ring competition and later joined the creative teams for other wrestling promotions, including TNA and AEW. His tenure in AEW ended reportedly in October 2024. Currently, Jacobs collaborates with Scott D’Amore, the former TNA President, alongside Maple Leaf Wrestling, continuing his influence behind the scenes in professional wrestling.
Backstage Culture Influences Talent and Staff Relations
Jacobs’ story highlights how backstage culture often governs interactions between on-screen talent and behind-the-scenes personnel. The rigid boundaries are intended to preserve the illusion and operational workflow of the wrestling product, ensuring that personal friendships do not interfere with professional roles. This is especially relevant regarding logistics such as travel arrangements, where clear lines are drawn to avoid perceived favoritism or mismanagement.
What Lies Ahead for WWE’s Creative and Talent Dynamics
As wrestling promotions evolve, the lessons from Jacobs’ time reveal ongoing challenges in balancing camaraderie with professional distance. For WWE, maintaining these boundaries may continue to be crucial, especially as the company juggles the demands of creative storytelling and talent management. Jacobs’ experience serves as a reminder that even longstanding friendships must sometimes adapt to the realities of corporate roles within sports entertainment.