Justin Roberts has spent over a decade announcing for WWE. He is perhaps best known for the way he announced John Cena and The Undertaker, but of late, he has been making waves in a different manner. He’s released a book titled Best Seat In The House, where he talks extensively about the bullying culture that he saw and experienced first hand in the WWE.
Apart from the bullying, Roberts has gone on to tell the story of his time in WWE, and we had the chance to talk to him about the book, his time in WWE, and so much more.
Sportskeeda: Every announcer has one talent they announce better than everyone else. For example, Greg Hamilton does it better than anyone else for AJ Styles, and you did it well for John Cena. Was there any superstar you liked to announce more than the other?
Justin Roberts: Well, I liked to introduce everybody equally, but I had fun with some of the names like CM Punk, John Cena, The Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, Batista. So those were some of my favourite names to announce for sure.
Sportskeeda: Has John Cena or any other superstar specifically asked yo to announce their name in a certain way?
Justin Roberts: No, nobody ever requested a certain way. They just kind of went with it.
Sportskeeda: During your long tenure over there, how do you feel that the backstage politics evolved? Do you feel like the amount of backstage politics reduced or increase by the end of your tenure?
Justin Roberts: There were definitely politics throughout the time that I was there. It remained pretty consistent throughout.
Sportskeeda: When doing live events and on the road in general, were your expenses taken care of, or did you have to pay for the costs like the superstars?
Justin Roberts: My expenses in my deal were taken care of. Some of the guys I travelled with had to pay for their own hotel, rental car, etc. but mine were taken care of.
Sportskeeda: You've done ring announcing for independent shows as well. How's day to day life different when compared to WWE?
Justin Roberts: WWE is very structured. There's a lot more guidelines. With indies, you can do whatever you want, and with WWE you're doing TV, so it has to be done a certain, specific way.
Sportskeeda: Is ring announcing more enjoyable doing it in the indies?
Justin Roberts: It is. There's no pressure. You just do what you got to do to get the job done. Whereas in WWE, there are rules you may not know about. There's more flexibility in the Indies too
Sportskeeda: 7 years ago, there was the incident you had with Daniel Bryan in the Nexus invasion where he choked you with the necktie. Was there any heat with Bryan from your end or the companies end?
Justin Roberts: No, not at all. Everyone was happy with it. The reason Daniel Bryan got fired was because they had heat from somebody and they had to take it out on somebody. They took it out on him.
Sportskeeda: Was it a sponsor of sorts who had heat on WWE?Justin Roberts: I only know the speculation. The thought was that it was some big sponsor, but I don't know that for sure.
Sportskeeda: Do you follow the current WWE product? If you do, is there any talent that stands out to you?
Justin Roberts: Not really. Once in a while when I'm home, I'll turn it on, but I don't really follow it. Kevin Owens is one superstar I really like.
Sportskeeda: During your tenure, do you have any funny stories about blunders you made, hilarious things you witnessed, or more?
Justin Roberts: I would ALWAYS blunder the introduction for Tommy Dreamer. Always. Because I would always try to make him laugh and in doing so I would make myself laugh. So I always used to screw up his introduction accidentally.
Sportskeeda: Now that the book "Best Seat In The House" is released, what's next for Justin Roberts?Justin Roberts: Just doing things that come up that sound fun. There's a music group who I'm going back on tour with in May. I also announce boxing for CBS Sports, so just various projects that come up that sound like a good time. I'm doing some voice overs, TV shows, and just anything that sounds fun.
Sportskeeda: Back to the bullying situation. Your story, what you said on Reddit, your book, and everywhere..it's been a huge part of exposing the whole JBL-WWE bullying situation and the bullying culture that takes place there. Is there anything you hope to see after sharing your stories about these experiences to the world, or was it you telling your story?Justin Roberts: I said all along. In putting everything in the book, it wasn't to go after the company by any means. It was to tell my story because it was all part of my story and if this brings awareness to what went on and what might continue to go on, I just hope it becomes a better place for everybody who's there now, and everybody who will be there in the future.
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Remember, Justin Roberts has released a book titled "Best Seat In The House". Go to Justinrobertsbook.com, and you will be able to order it on other platforms.
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