Vince McMahon made an appearance on today’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. Here are the highlights:
McMahon said he doesn’t believe in ceilings or pats on the back, but rather he just thinks of doing. McMahon said that everything his company does is calculated and that he listens to smart people and makes decisions.
McMahon said Comcast tried to tie them up and make calls they shouldn’t make when they planned to launch WWE Network, so they went their own way.
McMahon said that he can’t control opinions about him. If someone thinks he’s an a**hole, he can’t think about that no matter what he tries to do. “If people think I’m an a**hole, congratulations, I am”
Regarding the word wrestling, he wanted to be different from other wrestling promotions so he came up with World Wrestling Federation and when the World WildLife Fund situation came about, he came up with World Wrestling Entertainment. He said it took him 30 minutes to decide on “getting the F out” and going to WWE.
McMahon revealed he will induct The Undertaker into the Hall Of Fame. He said he loves Taker and they’ve been through so much. He said it’ll be one of the most difficult things he’s ever had to do because of his “love” for Mark Calaway. He called The Undertaker an extraordinary human being and one of the greats.
McMahon said he enjoys confrontation and that he relishes competition. He said that he doesn’t consider WWE a job or loves what he does. And that’s probably the reason why he spends so many hours involved in the company. He said there was a period around Wrestlemania 4 or 5 where he had a big ego, but that only lasted about 6 months. He said taking the company public made him a better businessman because he wasn’t running the business just for him.
Regarding talent cuts, he said it’s not about you and your ego, it’s about your audience and best for business. He said that the door is always open for names to return and mentions names leaving for WCW and then returning to WWE years later. “Sometimes it’s best to cut dead weight. It’s not personal. The heat has to go somewhere, and oftentimes I’m the bad guy.”
He said that WrestleMania 1 is probably his favorite moment in wrestling due to everything that was on the line for that show to be a success.
McMahon told a story about how Jim Ross overheard four promoters plotting to kill McMahon while taking a dump.
Regarding WWE’s Saudi Arabia partnership, he said there isn’t anywhere he won’t do business, and they’ve had a presence in Saudi Arabia for years. He said people love western culture everywhere, but not western politics. He said “people are people and cultures are cultures and you have to respect that.”
Regarding his workouts, he said he finishes training at 3am everyday and that it’s his only socially acceptable form of getting out his aggression. His decision to lift weights is more of a mental and psychological decision rather than a way to bulk up his body.
He said he loves branding and that’s how he came up with the word “stupendous” line for WrestleMania 38 as it sounds good.
McMahon brought up how his mom lived to be 101 years old as if he gets hit by a bus today, he wants to have the chance to thank everyone before he kicks the bucket. He wants to reach the same age as his mom.
McMahon offered McAfee the chance to wrestle at WrestleMania and McAfee accepted. He said that he would find McAfee a worthy opponent.
Regarding creating stars, he said it’s a team effort between the talent and the company together. He said being called a WWE Superstar is much better than a “professional wrestler.”
McMahon called Brock Lesnar an extremely brilliant person overall.
McMahon called himself a student of “street psychology.” He said he probably has a lot of learning disabilities growing up.
Regarding the art of being a heel, “You have to want people to really dislike you,” he said. McMahon said he’d much rather be behind the camera than in front of it.
You can watch the video below: