Teddy Long defends 40-year-old star after major criticism from WWE fans (Exclusive)

WWE Hall of Famer and former SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long came to the defense of a 40-year-old superstar after receiving major criticism from WWE fans.

On the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, host Mac Davis asked Teddy Long and wrestling veteran Bill Apter about their thoughts on Jelly Roll's SummerSlam match. The 40-year-old country star will be teaming up with Randy Orton to face Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre.

Jelly Roll has received criticism because of his role as a "celebrity" participating in a big WWE Premium Live Event. However, Teddy Long noted that this has always been the case and requested the critics to change with the times:

"No, why would you get bothered by that? I understand what this is. It's World Wrestling Entertainment. They're going to bring in people from Hollywood and everywhere else. The good part about this, Bad Bunny, Logan Paul, those guys are drawing money. People want to see them. You have the old school wrestling fans that don't believe [this]. Times have changed now, you've got to change with the times." (7:46-8:23)

You can watch the full video below:

Teddy Long defended Jacob Fatu over a recent controversy

There was a controversy that has mostly boiled over involving Jacob Fatu. It had to do with the song he released, where he repeatedly used the N-word, causing a bit of a stir. The former SmackDown GM came to his defense.

Teddy Long found it hypocritical that people are getting upset over Fatu's use of the N-Word, stating that several other rappers have done it, and it only appears to be ok when they make millions off it.

"What's wrong with that? Every rapper on this planet, all of them have used the N-word. I keep seeing so many people getting upset by the N-word, but as long you're making millions of dollars, everything is alright." [From 0:43 onwards]

The controversy seems to have to do with the fact that Jacob Fatu has a Samoan heritage and not a black one. There would likely be no uproar if the same were done by Ron Killings, as it would have been deemed acceptable, as he is a black rapper.

However, it seems to have had no effect on Jacob Fatu's standing in WWE, and by all accounts, it looks like WWE is going fully forward with his push as the rumors of him getting city-themed merchandise were confirmed to be true on the most recent episode of SmackDown. If you're wondering why that's a big deal, it's because such merchandise is only reserved for "elite-tier" talent, which goes to show how valuable WWE thinks he is.

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Edited by Rohit Nath