Camp WWE: Seth Green Bringing Attitude and Hilarity

Comedic icon Seth Green has delivered an elbow from the top rope with his latest re-imagining of WWE Superstars.

His new adult animated comedy series Camp WWE portrays our favorite wrestlers as kids at a summer camp. 

“They approached us,” said Green. “They had this idea of Vince as the owner of a summer camp where the Superstars were 8-year-olds run by some of the legacy performers. We pitched on how it would work as a series and they liked our pitch.”

Green, a long-time wrestling fan who grew up idolizing Roddy Piper, has given the more mature fans, or in some cases, not so mature fans, a show on non-stop laughs with adult humor that will satisfy the tastes of those who hold the Attitude Era in high regards.

The show’s main star is none other than WWE chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, who voices himself. McMahon has always been an entertaining character in reality and in Camp WWE they take the persona to the extreme.

In the opening episode, McMahon is eating cookies from stolen care packages of his campers, threatens to hit Triple H with a bag of frozen walnuts, puts on headphones to listen to famous explosions in world history and just cackles with pure joy. His dialogue is unforgettable with ridiculous lines like “Have you ever tried to kill the wind?” There is also, a moment where McMahon’s character throws a pill into a lake and a speedboat just pops up and he rides it until he gets on land before jumping on a giraffe to chase down an 8-year-old John Cena.

“In an ‘R’ rated animated comedy, you have a totally different opportunity than you do at the live shows. We just extrapolated from what we believe these characters to be and push it to the extreme,” Green said. “You have someone like Vince who for real, has a T-Rex skull on the wall of his office. That’s the reality so when you expand from that, it’s just hilarious. I think women are unprepared for how deeply they’re going to fall in love with animated Vince McMahon.”

Getting such a highly esteemed figure to poke fun at himself would seem like a challenge especially when that person is the head of the biggest sports entertainment brand around the globe. However, Green and company had no issues getting McMahon to buy in with their absurd and hilarious vision.

“He [Vince McMahon] shakes his head all the time but it’s with a laugh and then he says the line,” Green said. “There hasn’t been anything that’s been vetoed. Also, making him laugh at what he’s saying is one of our greatest prides.”

The ridiculous characters do not stop there in the Camp WWE’s season premiere that airs this Sunday. The episode focuses on a homesick 8-year-old John Cena who wants to go home and leave the camp. McMahon along with his daughter Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, which play camp counselors, try everything they can to prevent him from leaving. McMahon even seeks out the services of a gung-ho SGT. Slaughter that is all too eager to blow something up and an insane Ric Flair to convince Cena to stay.

Flair, voiced by Ric Flair himself, is dressed in his classic robe and is out of control. Throughout his attempt to show Cena how fun Camp WWE is, has relations with a tire, a rock and even a bear in a cave all while uttering his emphasis “Woooo” catchphrase. The premier doesn’t stop at showcasing the absurdity of Flair as he just randomly drops pillows in the middle of the camp so he can do elbow drops on them and even utters nonsensical phrases like “I sleep standing up.”

Among the campers featured in Camp WWE are Big Show, Brie and Nikki Bella, The Rock, The Undertaker, Paige, R-Truth, Paige, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kevin Owens and many more.

Austin’s 8-year-old character is even more of a hell-raiser than “The Rattlesnake” was in the outrageous Attitude Era. His natural reflexes are to flip the middle finger, he’s always drinking beer and cursing and one of the funniest moments of the premier features little Austin popping up out of a coffin, dressed as a zombie with a beer in each hand, cursing and almost setting the camp on fire. The character was one of the more enjoyable ones to make for Green.

“With Austin, imagining him as an 8-year-old in an animated world, where there’s no rules for him always drinking beer and always swearing. You can’t control him. What was Austin like as an 8-year-old? Uncontrollable. It’s just fun,” Green said. “Everyone has been super game though. Everyone wants to play along. We’re doing it from a place of love and I think everyone feels that.”

Camp WWE, with its edgy content and hilarious hijinks are going to appeal to a mass audience even if you’re not familiar with the true characters that roamed the squared circle. You’ll be hooked after the first episode. Green also doesn’t think anyone is ready for what’s to come with the real Triple H’s cameo where he plays Triple H’s dad Quadruple H. “Nobody is ready for Triple H’s cameo,” Green laughed. “He shows up at camp and he and Vince have a ‘Dad off.’ People just aren’t ready for it. It’s just next level.”

Green and head writer Aaron Blitzstein want viewers to know you’re in good hands because they’re passionate about the brand and have been following WWE since they were kids. With their work on Family Guy and Robot Chicken, it’s a safe bet to jump on board and enjoy the ride that Camp WWE has in store for us.

“Fans of the brand, I can tell you that we’re making it for you. There’s going to be stuff in every frame and every joke that you get on a next level and for people who have never considered having an interest in the WWE Universe, I can tell you that the first month of the subscription [WWE Network] is free and you’ll get to watch these first bunch within that first month so try it out. I think we have something for you that you never thought you’d love.”

Photos by WWE

Camp WWE premieres Sunday, May 1st on WWE Network, after WWE Payback.

Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports, a surfing enthusiast, an avid basketball fan, a pro wrestling connoisseur and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.