Among the major milestones that coincided with Prinze’s tenure was WrestleMania 27, which took place on April 3rd, 2011. One of the more talked-about matches from the media’s perspective was the mixed tag bout between Dolph Ziggler, Layla and Michelle McCool and John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Snooki from MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” WrestleMania has involved celebrities since the inaugural, but Prinze said he wasn’t a fan of this one in particular, because he felt it clashed with a larger creative endeavor he’d been appointed.

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“I was there for Snooki. I fought against that,” Prinze said. “We had a story that had been approved… [to] sort of move this Divas era and make it more women’s wrestling. That was the task that I was charged with by Stephanie McMahon… and then somebody at a production meeting says… ‘Snooki’s interested in doing something at WrestleMania.’ I didn’t think it was serious, I was like, ‘Right, is she gonna host it or something?’ And they go, ‘No, she wants to work, she wants to wrestle.’ Right away, I get defensive, and I’m like, ‘She’s not wrestling any of my girls. I was charged with looking after them and writing something credible for them.’ And they go, ‘Yeah, she’s gonna do a storyline and they’re gonna work it with Michelle McCool.’ And I literally was like, ‘Yo, that’s my champion! And she’s gonna lose to Snooki at WrestleMania? Are you guys crazy? We’re trying to get these people taken seriously, and she’s gonna lose to a girl on a reality show?’ And they go, ‘Well, she can do gymnastics.’ And I was like, ‘Man, that’s awesome [but] she can’t win the match.’ Sure enough, she can do gymnastics, and sure enough, she won the match.”

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It would be another five years before WWE abandoned the “Divas” verbiage. Prinze felt the Snooki match didn’t do the women’s movement any favors. 

“I was just so frustrated… right after WrestleMania, it was back to Divas and dancing and shakin’ booties again.”