Jackie Redmond is pushing back on the idea that WWE countdown show reports are fully scripted, explaining that while production gives her the topic, the storytelling approach is still her own.

Speaking with Awful Announcing, Redmond revealed that WWE assigns the match or feud she needs to cover, but she personally decides how to shape the report and what angle to focus on.

“So the backstage reporting, as in the countdown shows, the reports I do there, I’m told, ‘Hey, we want you to cover Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi,’ right? Like, give us a report on that. So I’m given the topic.”

Redmond compared the process to her work covering hockey, saying the assignment is only the starting point and the rest comes from her own research and instincts.

“But much like in hockey, if I’m told to do a report on Nick Suzuki, I’m going to find what’s interesting about him and build something around that. So it is me.”

She shared one backstage example involving The Undertaker while preparing coverage for Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi. Redmond admitted she would not normally approach Undertaker casually, but her sports media background encouraged her to seek insight from a legend.

“For example, with Brock and Oba, I was walking around backstage and saw The Undertaker there. I’ve only met him once, and he’s the Undertaker, I’m not just casually going up and talking to him. But I thought, if this were hockey and there was a legend or Hall of Famer around, I’d go ask them for their perspective. So I went up and asked him about Oba Femi, why he’s connected so quickly with the audience and how rare that is.”

Redmond also explained that WWE personalities including Peter Rosenberg, Cathy Kelley, and Byron Saxton do collaborate with producers and backstage staff to keep the presentation organized, but they are still trusted to deliver reports in their own style.

“So yeah, myself, Peter Rosenberg, Cathy Kelley, Byron Saxton, we’re delivering those reports. We do work with people behind the scenes who help structure the show and ask, ‘Does this make sense?’”

She added that the creative freedom behind the role is one of the most enjoyable parts of working WWE programming.

“But we do have freedom in how we cover matches and tell those stories, which has been really cool.”