CHAT WITH THE CHAIRMAN

RAW Magazine: History suggests that sports-entertainment is a cyclical industry. What’s your response to those who say that given the amount of exposure the World Wrestling Federation gets, it can’t sustain its current level of popularity?

Vincent K. McMahon: First, let’s address the cyclical nature of sports-entertainment. I guess to a certain extent it is, but only in the same way that every other entertainment company is also looked at as being cyclical. Yet, it’s not really cyclical. You have some years that are very good, and some years that aren’t quite as good. The key, of course, is to stay away from the losing years.

When you think about it, you should compare the World Wrestling Federation to other major entertainment companies or motion picture studios. For instance, Warner Bros. has very good years. They may have three, four, five, or six [good years] in a row, and then they may have a year that’s not as good because some of their movie releases aren’t really what the public wants to see. That’s what it’s all about: Having your finger on the pulse of the marketplace, and making sure that you give the public what they want. If nothing else, our company has mastered that. We do have our finger on the pulse of the marketplace, if for no other reasons than having all these live events and listening to our audience all the time. By listening to our fans—using that as a marketing tool—we have a formula for long-range success.

As far as sustaining our popularity, I believe we can. We are currently in primetime twice a week for two-hour events each. Quite frankly, I prefer 90-minute events. I believe that given the audience attention level, we could do an even more compelling 90 minutes. I wouldn’t want to get down to an hour because that’s not enough time to tell good stories. But, we could do more than two nights if we were doing 90-minute specials—90-minute motion pictures, if you will. I don’t think it would be at a saturation level, either. It just has to be a good, fresh product.

RAW: You have so many talented Superstars here. Are you worried about egos, having enough playing time, if you will, for everyone?

VKM: That’s always a problem, no matter how many hours you have, but it’s a nice problem to have. In the real world of competition, the players want to compete and they want to compete at the very highest level. They don’t want to be a mid-card, much less in a preliminary match. They’re always fighting for the spotlight and that’s tough to reach, because those who have it are fighting just as hard to stay there. So it’s real competition. Again, the nice part about it is that we listen to our fans, and they’re the ones who really decide who is ready to break through into that top echelon.

RAW: There are those who say the World Wrestling Federation is losing some of its "Attitude" and becoming more "corporate." Do you see it this way? And does the Federation have to operate differently now that it is a public—and much larger—company?

VKM: I think there are certain business matters which we must now conduct differently than we used to. However, as far as "Attitude" is concerned, I would disagree with the premise that we’ve lost our edge. I do think that it’s more difficult to tell stories sometimes. If we use less expletives, does that mean we’re losing our edge? If that’s the case, then that means our Superstars must learn to expand their vocabulary.

It’s all about communication. It’s more than just hurling an expletive, which after a while becomes crass. I think one of the biggest mistakes our detractors make is when they say "The WWF is sleazy. The only reason they’re successful is because they use an occasional expletive, have scantily clad women and such." If you’re looking for that, you can find it anywhere on television and in more abundance than in our programming. So no, I don’t think we’ve lost our edge at all. I do think it’s more difficult for us, as we go forward, to maintain our "Attitude," but I do think we’re doing a good job.

RAW: How was the transition to Viacom gone?

VKM: I think it went moderately well. We were moderately disappointed in some of the promotion for some of their channels. TNN is difficult to find sometimes. We are working with them to help the audience at large—much less our audience—find TNN. We’re working on a lot of ways to help them expand their horizons. We’ve already done for them what they thought we would do, by brining them the vast audience of the World Wrestling Federation to their networks, not just TNN but MTV as well. We’ve done our job, but it’s important for us to continue to do that. We need to continue to grow those networks because the appeal of MTV is a limited demographic compared to the much larger demographic which the WWF attracts. At the same time, as a general broadcasting entertainment network, TNN has a lot of growing to do. It needs to acquire more quality programming like the WWF, and it is. I think it’s going as well as can possibly be expected with a fiercely independent, maverick organization [like the WWF] working with two corporate gorillas like Viacom and NBC [for the XFL].

RAW: Where did the idea for Wrestle-Mania originate, and what does it mean to you?

VKM: The idea came to me while Linda and I were on vacation, which is something we don’t often do. I have to do something with my mind, or I’ll get in trouble. I’m always thinking and have to have things to do. When I’m on vacation here in the States, I can do all kinds of stuff; I can train and keep busy. But, we were in the Caribbean, and there was nothing to do. You could swim, make love, eat and lie in the sun. I’m not too good at lying still in the sun. I can do that for about 10 minutes, then I’ve got to walk around. It gave me a lot of time to think.

[By 1984-85] there had been a number of Super Bowls, and there was no reason why we couldn’t take our product and have our own Super Bowl-type event once a year. And that’s really what Wrestlemania represents—the beginning or the end of the year in the WWF, depending upon your point of view. It’s the culmination of so much. It’s the biggest event that the Federation will present each year.

RAW: You’ve been called just about everything—good and bad—in the press. Are you hurt by the negatives, flattered by the positives, and do you think you are treated fairly?

VKM: I would dare say that most anyone in public life, if they stay in public long enough, is not treated fairly. It doesn’t matter who you are, it still bothers you when you’re not treated fairly. Now, I just pick up the phone—generally, it’s the phone because most people won’t see me personally, some won’t even take my call—and have the opportunity to get it off my chest and tell them what [expletive] they are and so forth, and I feel better about it. It doesn’t take back what they’ve said, however.

I do think the standards of the media have dropped to an all-time low in terms of credibility. That crossover of whether it’s entertainment or news is the biggest crock of b.s. in television today, because it’s all entertainment. I liken the people in the news [industry] to the people in the rasslin’ business of 20 or 30 years ago who were trying to convince the audience that it was real, 100% sport. It never has been and never will be. It’s the greatest form of sports-entertainment in history, and the audience loves it for that, but at one time, this industry was lying to the public. I think the news people are right where the old wrestling promoters of yesteryear used to be, lying to the public by saying, "This is in the name of news." No, it’s not. It’s in the name of television ratings. It’s in the name of attracting a higher rating, a higher-quality sponsor and ultimately more money. It’s all about that.

RAW: What role has the Internet played in all this?

VKM: I think that the Internet—and I do love the free flow of ideas on the ‘Net—is like the wild west of the information world. One of the problems with the Internet is that a lot of times it is inaccurate. So I think, in as much as I applaud the Internet, it has contributed to the acceleration of what was already in decline. The standards are being lowered, not just on the Internet, but in all of news and media. The crap with this past presidential election [continues to reflect that].

So, I get a kick out of working with the media. We just bypass them and go straight to the public, our consumers, and level with them. We’re straight-forward with them and always will be. We bust our butts for them, as we should. We love our fans, so there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for them, and we go directly to t hem. Whatever the media says doesn’t matter much.

RAW: How about the things that the media says which are directed at you personally?

VKM: From a person standpoint, the old expression of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is somewhat true. Again, I think there are individuals who I’d like to meet in a dark alley somewhere and have some fun with them only because they are liars and cowards. But generally speaking, I don’t know. In America it’s live by the sword of freedom of expression and be will to die by it as well. This company, more than other entertainment company I know, does. So we’re living by that sword, and we’re going to cut every now and then from it’s backlash. There are good and bad people in everything and that goes for the media as well. We’re going to be treated very poorly, I think that goes with the territory, and you have to get over it, get beyond it and know who you are among your peers and especially among your family when you look in the mirror. If you’ve got those bases covered, then you can flip the bird at the media.

WORD ASSOCIATION

RAW: PTC?

VKM: Sucks. An organization that wants to take away my freedom of expression.

RAW: WCW?
VKM: Disappointment.

RAW: ECW?
VKM: Throwback to what the business used to be.

RAW: Hulk Hogan?

VKM: Disappointment.

RAW: Ted Turner?

VKM: Adversary.

VKM: Respectful.

RAW: Jim Ross?

VKM: Dedicated.

RAW: The Rock?

VKM: Flamboyant.

RAW: Steve Austin?

VKM: Consummate professional.

RAW: Kurt Angle?

VKM: Gifted.

RAW: Hardy Boyz?

VKM: Reckless youth.

RAW: Howard Finkel?

VKM: You have to love him.

RAW: WWFE?

VKM: The McMahon family crest.

RAW: When good things are said about you, does that flatter you? What do you think when they say Vince McMahon is a genius?

VKM: First of all, that’s b.s. I’m not [a genius] by a long shot. Those things don’t flatter me because they don’t know what they’re talking about. This is such a team effort. The contributions and sacrifices of so many people in this organization through so many years have created this sensation.

I know what I do, and I have a pretty good gut feeling [for what the public wants] because I am the common man. That’s who I am. I understand the common man because I understand me in that regard at least. So, if that’s a gift, and I think it is, it’s a gift that is not exploited. But other than that, no, I’m not flattered by what I read when people call me a genius and things of that nature because I’m not. I’m a real common sense guy who caught a lot of good breaks and who has been very, very fortunate. I’m the luckiest man I know in the whole world. With my lifestyle and my background, it could very easily have been, "I shouldn’t be alive today." With all the many near-death experiences and things of that nature and the environment which I grew up, it could have easily gone the other way.

RAW: What motivates you today?

VKM: I don’t know what has ever motivated me. I guess maybe another gift I have is a great work ethic. As a child, you had to keep me busy, otherwise I’d be busy in a negative way. I really don’t know what makes me run. I haven’t a clue. I look back on my dad and other relatives, and they didn’t have the kind of drive that I have. They were wonderful human beings and very well-balanced. I don’t know if I’m necessarily as well-balanced as they were. I don’t know what drives me, I don’t have a clue, but I’m driven more today than I ever have been.

RAW: With so much going on these days, how much time can you devote to your different endeavors? It is difficult to delegate things you used to do yourself?

VKM: You do have to delegate as you grow. There’s no question about that. And you have to delegate not only the responsibility of things, but also the authority. You have to recognize that some things won’t be done exactly how you would have wanted them done. But because our organization has grown so much and in so many different ways, the delegation process places responsibility and authority on the shoulders of people you can watch grow and watch the way they treat others. This organization is different from any other in the entertainment business where it’s this cutthroat [expletive] world out there. There is a great deal of deference, a great deal of respect shown to one another, and a great deal of teamwork. There is also a lot of competitiveness and a lot of testosterone and estrogen, and that’s just wonderful. But it’s just different than any other entertainment company that’s out there.

RAW: Is your life much different now with so much going on?

VKM: I don’t really think so. After all, you can only do so much in a 24-hour period. I was doing whatever I could do in that same 24-hour period 20 years ago, and I’m simply doing the best I can now. That’s the answer. You do the best you can every day. It may be on a different level, but it’s still the best you can. After that, you can’t worry about it. You’ve got to let go. After you’ve done the best you can, there is nothing more you can do.

RAW: Has that realization kept you from burnout?

VKM: I don’t know. A lot of people have burned out around me. I don’t know that I’ve come close to burning out because I enjoy what we do so much. The biggest thrill in the world is entertaining the public, there is no bigger thrill than that.

RAW: Do you still get a rush coming out to the crowd at live events?

VKM: Oh yeah, but I live vicariously through ever one of our performers. So I get that rush when they go out. There’s really no difference. As long as there’s a response, there’s a rush.

RAW: What frightens you?

VKM: Let me see. There aren’t any humans who frighten me. I guess one of the things I’m not too fond of is heights. I wouldn’t quite say it frightens me, though. I don’t know.

RAW: Are you afraid of failure?

VKM: No, I’m definitely now afraid of failure, and I don’t think anyone else should be afraid of it, either. I think that’s a tremendous advantage that we have as an organization and maybe one that I have personally, too. I’m not afraid of failing. I don’t like to fail. I hate to fail. But I’m not afraid of it. I think from a long-term strategy standpoint—and I’m not very long-range oriented—if you’re not afraid to fail and you have a well-planned strategy and are good at taking calculated risks—not just risk for risk’s sake—then chances are your batting average is going to be pretty damned good. Will you fail on occasion? Sure. But it’s like getting knocked down. I’m not afraid to get knocked down literally or figuratively. When that happens, you just get back up. There have been times when people got tired of knocking us down, because we just kept getting up. And then we knocked them down, because they got tired. So I think not being afraid to fail has been a personal and professional asset.

RAW: Who do you admire and who were your greatest influences?

VKM: I really don’t know. I really don’t admire a lot of public figures, but the one who I have most admired was Martin Luther King, Jr. I think I could relate to and admire him more than John F. Kennedy, more than anyone in modern U.S. history. Even above that, would be my dad and my family.

RAW: How about people who influenced you?

VKM: I don’t know if there’s any one person who has been profoundly influential. But if I had to say other than my dad, it would be my grandmother. She helped rear me, and she always had a home for me whenever I needed it. She was someone of very high ethical standards, yet she never stood on a soapbox and never preached. Her wisdom was doled out in my actions.

I remember when she was in her 60s, she was concerned because a kite or a ball was stuck in a tree. I had to begun to climb the tree, and she made me come back down so that she could go up and get it. She had a very, very strong work ethic as well and was a grand, grand lady. I have nothing but love and respect for her. She had a big influence over me.

RAW: Are you looking forward to becoming a grandparent?

RAW: In the last couple of years, what have you been most proud of?

I’ve always had a theory that no matter what I or anyone else in the company has accomplished in the past, and I relate it to me more than anyone else, no matter what you’ve done the day before, guess what? You wake up the next morning completely naked, so now you have to go on and earn your clothes today and the next day, and that’s what life’s about. I love that challenge because I think that you have to earn the respect of people you work with every day and earn the respect of your family every day. You just can’t take that for granted. You certainly have to respect your fans every day as well and never take them for granted.

RAW: Did you want your children to follow in your footsteps, and would you have been disappointed if they hadn’t?

VKM: No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I never pushed the business on either of them. Unlike my dad who didn’t want me in the business and told me so and did everything he could to keep me out of it, I never but barriers in front of them. At the same time, I never encouraged them that this is their life, and this is the way they should live in this environment. It was there if they wanted it. I would have been just as happy—don’t get me wrong, it’s a trill working with them everyday—if they had wanted to do anything other than this.

RAW: What do the McMahons talk about at dinner?

RAW: Over all the years you’ve been involved in the business, are there any moments that stand out as extraordinarily special?

VKM: I have a habit of not looking back. I always look forward, so I don’t dwell a lot on past history. I certainly don’t dwell on many of the negatives of past history because you learn from the mistakes and bad things. At the same time from a positive standpoint, I guess those are things that you expect to happen. So many wonderful things have happened to me in my life and there have been so many exhilarating moments professionally and personally that it would be a disservice to categorize them. There have been so many that it wouldn’t be fair to rank them. []