411’s WWE Byte This Report 10.07.07: Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Jr.

Hello, all. That’s right. You know you’ve waited, you’ve wondered, you’ve craved… well, FINALLY!……………JT……..HAS COME BACK……….. TO BYTE THIS!!! Yes, kids, when I heard that there was going to be a special ByteThis! presented by WWE, I just had to dust off the old ByteThisBase (that’s what the file is called) and bring the goodness for all three of you old readers of this column.

As you know, before we start…

This is where I would talk about finding a ByteThis re-capper replacement (which was a joke in and of itself), but as it’s no longer on, let’s get right to it.

Let’s get started

RING ENTRANCE

1. Byte This! is a weekly radio program hosted by Todd Grisham. He interviews superstars over the phone, and sometimes in the studio. They allow for some fan interaction via phone and chatroom. Sometimes the guest is in full character, sometimes completely out of character, and sometimes a little of both. During the commercial breaks, they show various clips. During the interviews, they show various clips and pictures of the superstar on the phone or in the studio.

2. I will provide a general recap with some of my thoughts and opinions, and a little (VERY little) witty banter.

3. Quotes will be found after the superstar recap, and for those of you who have to hear every single word out of your superstars’ mouth, a link will be provided to take you to the actual show.

4. Any typos found in the quotes or the recaps are because those are the exact words from the hosts or superstar’s mouth. (Example: ya know. Example: gonna)

THE MATCH

Show kicks off with Todd Grisham welcoming us to the show. He is quickly interrupted by today’s guest, Mr. McMahon [Vince is definitely not in kayfabe mode]! Vince doesn’t like the intro, and makes Todd do it again. He welcomes us to this special edition, and we have TONS of questions from the fans. Vince wonders if any of them are intelligent.

This is the first time we’ve seen Mr. McMahon since Unforgiven, and Todd wonders how he’s feeling. Next question. How is Shane feeling? Not bad.

Warren from New York would like to know what it was like having his face shoved in the Big Show’s ass. Obviously, it’s unpleasant. He’d rather not talk about it.

Joseph from Florida wants to know what he liked about The Marine script. He says he liked it because you can go to this movie and feel. You don’t have to do a lot of thinking in terms of the plot. He says it’s a really fun movie.

Todd asks why he chose to create WWE films. Vince says that it’s what they do. They are storytellers and it’s a logical extension of not only what they do but also of their intellectual property (Wall Street!). He pimps Cena, Stone Cold, the Rock, Big Show etc. Todd mentions that The Marine is opening October 13th, and asks him about the next project, “The Condemned”, starring Stone Cold Steve Austin. Vince would rather talk about The Marine considering that’s the one coming out.

*They go to break and show a pretty lengthy trailer for The Marine.*

We’re back and Todd brings up the recent stockholders meeting where Vince basically blasted WWE.com. Todd asks him to elaborate a bit on the “I think it sucks comment”. He says that it’s not as interactive and “fan friendly” as it should be. He thinks there are too many things about the same people. They have so many superstars, and so much info on a daily basis that more of it should be brought to the fans. He cites some examples, but they need to get more sensuality of it. He thinks there needs to also be more about the Divas on the front page. He pimps the new magazine. In general, he just doesn’t feel the website is “up to snuff”.

Jerry from Minnesota wants to know what are some of his favorite websites other than WWE. He says ESPN and some other’s he’d rather not mention.

Todd mentions Eric’s book, but Vince hasn’t read it. He pimps Bischoff and says that he believes he was truly sincere in the things that he wrote in that book. He talks a bit about WCW and how Time Warner lost 85 million.

Tony from Pennsylvania wants to know if WCW had bought WWE, would Vince ever have appeared on air as a character. He honestly doesn’t know. He has a certain amount of pride, but he is a businessman. He mention that Eric had told him he never would have asked, and that he was shocked when Vince asked him to appear as on air talent. Todd asks what he would be doing if WCW had knocked them out of the wrestling business. He says that he would always have been in the business, and admitted that it came very close for a while there. Whatever he’d be doing, he’d be having fun.

Todd brings up Hogan being in Stamford two weeks ago. Vince says he was just there to talk usual business. Todd brings up the Stone Cold vs. Hogan rumor. Vince thinks it’s interest on paper, but they have to keep both men’s injuries in mind.

Willie mentions it’s the 20 year anniversary of WrestleMania 3. Vince feels that each WM has to succeed better than the last one. So it may have been the best in terms of attendance, but he believes there have been better WM’s, and expects next year to be better than this years. He feels it would be fitting for Hogan to be there in some capacity because of the fact it’s in Detroit (slamming of Andre).

*They go to break and show a commercial for the Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthony three disc DVD.*

We’re back and Todd wants to talk about ECW. Vince thinks it’s going fair to good, but mostly fair. They’re a long way from where they can be. He says that seeing car wrecks only gets you so far. It’s nothing more than a stunt fest if you don’t care about the individuals. He wants to make an effort to bring in special individuals and get people to care about them; care if they win or lose, or get hurt. He’s proud of the good start, but again, long way to go.

Ryan wants to know if A. Vince plans on more cross-brand matches, and B. ECW will ever go to two hours. Vince say there is always the possibility, but that it wouldn’t be any time soon. He’s concerned with producing a really hot one hour show at the moment. He said that everyone should tune in Monday to find out more info about the cross-brand possibilities. He pimps the family reunion.

Christy from Georgia wants to know if losing Kurt Angle is a big hit to the WWE. Yes. It absolutely is. He pimps Kurt some, but goes on to talk about his injuries, and how his neck has been deteriorating for the last ten years. Vince worries about his health, and doesn’t think Kurt can think in the long term. He talks about the importance of being able to bend over and pick up his kids. Todd asks exactly why he was released. Vince says some of that is confidential, but that it boiled down to his personal health. Todd mentions that Kurt is now with a competitor (TNA was not mentioned), and Vince honestly doesn’t know if that will hurt WWE or not. Vince wanted him to take quite a bit of time off, and he obviously is not doing that. WWE gave him a full release, no strings attached. Vince said there was an understanding that before he came back through their door (which he mentions is still WIDE open for him), he would have to be in complete health, and Vince feels that he’s getting back in the ring entirely too soon.

Phil from New York wants to know when we may see Chris Benoit again. Vince says Benoit has been missed. He said it was Benoit’s decision to take time off to get rested (something he pimped), and said when he gets back, it’s going to be in a big way. He says Chris is very good about not getting burned out, wanted to get back in great shape (not that he was out of shape), and spend some time with his family.

Minnie from California wants to know what happened to women being ‘wrestlers’ and now just knowing how to strip. Ooooh. Vince says there are a few women who do know how to compete, but there isn’t a training facility that is specifically designed to train women. His goal at this point is to have the sexiest women on television. Basically, times have changed.

Todd brings up Trish and her engagement, and Vince says her fiancé is a great guy.

John from South Carolina wants to know who Vince thinks the future of WWE is. Vince is talking about hitting a certain icon status is a tough thing to do. He said it might be Cena but it might be Finlay. You just never know. It really depends on who the audience gravitates to.

Todd brings up Cryme Tyme and says some have called it racist. His thoughts? Vince says it’s the exact opposite of racist. WWE is selling fun, and Cryme Tyme is a riot, plain and simple. Those guys are fun, but Vince isn’t doing his job if he isn’t pissing someone off. He pimps CT a lot, and says that their videos are such a parody, how can you not find that funny?

*They go to break and show a commercial for the McMahon, the two disc DVD. They then run a commercial for the new WWE magazine.*

They’re back and Todd pimps the magazine. Vince is really high on it, and has nothing but praise for the people putting that together.

Minnie from Texas wants to know if the move from two brand magazines into one is a success. Vince says absolutely. It has been both an artistic and financial success to this point. He says the magazine is more cutting edge, and a reflection of our audience. You really get to see more of who the wrestlers really are. He is very proud of it.

Josh from Maryland has seen the McMahon DVD, and wants to know if Vince actually wanted to put the Triple H/Stephanie marriage on Pay-Per-View (he chuckles). He did in fact mention that, but he was just ribbing them.

Todd asks if there are any parts of his character that are really him. He doesn’t see himself that way, but there are always parallels and differences between the real person and the character. He’s a fun loving guy so that is a difference. They talk about the Bob Costas interview, and Vince says that was the real him. He is so proud of the WWE and his wrestlers and his fans, and if somebody pisses him off by disparaging it, he will always say something. You basically have “a tiger by the tail”, and he boils over.

Todd brings up the XFL. Vince says that it was a LOT of fun, and he is very proud of the XFL. He took a chance. He’s an entrepreneur. It was an excellent risk/reward ratio. They did lose some money, however. He wasn’t aware of many of the hurdles he was facing such as the NFL and their relationship with the media (basically saying they didn’t want them in the business).

Talk moves to No Mercy (Sunday, October 8th, LIVE on Pay-Per-View). Yes, Vince knows who MVP’s opponent is. No, he will not tell us (nice, Todd). Todd brings up the Fatal Four Way. Vince loves Fit Finlay. He has a little age on him but that’s a good thing. He’s a “tough, rugged bastard”. He pimps the leprechaun.

*They go to break, and show commercials for both the No Mercy PPV, and the Monday Night RAW Family Reunion*

We’re back and Todd pimps the season premiere of RAW. Vince believes we’ll see some very interesting thing. It’s going to be a very special night, and Vince thanks USA for letting them kick off the new season with a three hour show. He pimps everybody in the back for putting it together, and talks a little in general about producing a live show. Todd asks him what’s the favorite part of what he does. He says it’s the creative side. Working with the superstars, getting the best out of them, working with the crew, producers, directors, etc; to him, that is so much fun to him.

*They go to break and show The Marine premiere clip from Camp Pendleton in San Diego.*

We’re back yet again and they talk a bit about the premiere. To Vince, the single biggest event the E does every year is not WrestleMania. It’s when they go overseas and get to see and thank the troops. So to him, it was a no-brainer to go to a Marine camp, and they (the troops and the wrestlers) had a BLAST watching the movie; it really was a thrill for WWE. He gives a lot of praise to Cena for pulling of the role he did having never acted before. He pimps Cena some more and says you get to see a lot of who he is by watching this movie. He also praises his love for this business, and mentions that when they were filming in Australia, he insisted on flying back to perform at as many events as he could.

Hannah from Georgia wants to know if Vince would ever appear in a WWE film, and he has in fact been encouraged to do so. He’s even chosen a script if he ever decides to do it. He thinks that he’d have a blast, but the problem is that there is just no time. He will never be able to take three months and go film a movie. He doesn’t feel they are set up business and creative wise for him to take that long off (thank goodness for that *coughstephcough*).

RAPID FIRE TIME! (from the fans, and presented in Promo Format for your viewing pleasure)

Todd: Is there one decision you’ve made that you know regret.

Vince: I do regret some things in my personal life, but business wise, I don’t think I regret anything. I’m a risk taker and some things don’t work out. You get knocked down. You get up and learn from that.

Todd: My favorite match of all time is Hogan vs. Warrior from WM 6. Do you have a favorite match?

Vince: I don’t think I have a favorite match. I tend personally enjoy the matches with Benoit and Finlay and people like that. I enjoy the art of what we do. I enjoy the showmanship, but I don’t have a favorite match.

Todd: Are you done going after DX? Why do you keep letting them on your TV show?

Vince: The name of the Pay-Per-View was Unforgiven. I’m a very forgiving person, and I think it’s probably time for me to forgive them and go about my business.

Todd: Like you, I am 61 years old. What on earth possessed you to get in a Hell In A Cell match?

Vince: I’m still in reasonable shape. I really like the physicality. I like mixing it up, and I was there with my son and had Big Show as backup so. I enjoy confrontation; even in life I enjoy confrontation. Those are some of the reasons.

Todd: Was there one superstar you’ve ever released where it was very difficult on a personal level.

Vince: Kurt. Many times, it wasn’t me letting them go, but them leaving us, which has hurt us. It’s a 50/50 relationship. I get very close to the guys that are top talent, and when they turn their back on you, it hurts. There are times when we let them go and unquestionably with Kurt that was the case. Very unfortunate situation.

Todd: Have you seen Triple H at family functions since Unforgiven. What is it like and how has your relationship changed?

Vince: I have not seen him. The next gathering is probably Thanksgiving. I’d love to stuff the turkey with Triple H.

Todd begins to wrap up the show by pimping No Mercy, RAW, and The Marine. Vince stops him, and gives him a lesson in properly pimping things to the audience. They have about a three minute banter session about Todd being a puppet and having the wrong footage available to end the show (I REALLY would advise you to – if nothing else – go listen to the last five minutes of the show for this part because it really is hilarious, especially Vince scolding Todd for being over the top). They end the show with a clip for No Mercy.

**Notable Vince McMahon Quotes**

(on his face being planted in Big Show’s ass) “It’s like diving into the Grand Canyon. A stinky Grand Canyon.”

(on WWE.com covering too much about the same people) “I looked on the website earlier today and I was on there twice. Why is that? That doesn’t make any sense. That information should be combined.”

(on Bischoff’s book) “I understand it’s from his point of view (chuckle). A lot of times, people like to re-write history. We as human being re-write history in terms of we perceive it. The way we want others to perceive. I think it’s from the heart and he does believe what he said.”

(on Stone Cold. vs. Hogan at WM 23) “I don’t think we’ll ever see that match.”

(on WM) “Every year, someone always walks up to me after the show and says ‘wow, how do you top that?”.

“Kurt is an unbelievable human being. He has the biggest competitive spirit I’ve probably ever seen. Unfortunately, it’s that competitiveness that will be his demise in terms of this business. Kurt can’t say no. He pushes his body far greater than he should, and unfortunately a lot of those injuries are permanent.”

(on Kurt being with TNA) “The general idea was that he was going to take some time off, rehabilitate, get himself into the best shape possible and then return to the ring. He is NOT doing that. That is what upsets me, not that he wants to make a living for himself.”

“It’s my job to gauge want the audience wants, and then give it to them.” (AHAHAHAHAHA Sorry had to throw that one in there)

(on Cryme Tyme) “You can always pull back if you go too far. Katie Vick I guess would be an example of that. Personally I thought that was hilarious.”

(on Bob Costas) “He is lucky he isn’t 6’3, 300 pounds, because things would have gotten very interesting then. I would have jumped it. I know I would have. Or at the very least smacked the crap out of him.”

(on Finlay) “When you fight Fit, you leave that ring with a great deal of respect for him and for this business.”

THE FINISHER

Pretty good show. For once, Vince sounded sincere with his answers and I actually believed most of what he had to say. Nothing really sure what the point of this show was, as they really didn’t really talk about anything particular in regards to Vince McMahon himself. They basically just talked about the business (WWE) and pimped the various upcoming events. Either way, I’ve seen better, but I’ve definitely also seen worse. McMahon and Grisham have some pretty decent rapore. If you’ve got the hour and need something to do, I would check it out.

Have a good one folks, and remember… always mark for Christian Cage.

PROMOS

As always, be sure to read Hidden Highlights each and every week!

Entire interview can be seen / heard here