1
00:00:25,734 --> 00:00:26,943
Take one, mark.
2
00:00:28,361 --> 00:00:31,031
Do I say everything to you?
-Yes, to me.
3
00:00:32,991 --> 00:00:34,451
That's how it should be, I think.
4
00:00:36,619 --> 00:00:37,912
The lighting is good.
5
00:00:39,330 --> 00:00:40,707
No peaks.
6
00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:42,083
Thanks, everyone.
7
00:00:49,132 --> 00:00:52,219
FROM 2021 THERE WILL BE 100 HOURS
INTERVIEWS FILMED
8
00:00:52,302 --> 00:00:58,600
WITH VINCE McMAHON, HIS FAMILY,
BUSINESS PARTNERS AND WWE STARS.
9
00:00:59,184 --> 00:01:00,894
Good?
-Yes, I think so.
10
00:01:01,644 --> 00:01:03,104
Where are we? What do we do?
11
00:01:03,688 --> 00:01:07,233
We talk about me.
I've never done that before.
12
00:01:07,817 --> 00:01:09,611
I don't like to talk about myself.
13
00:01:09,694 --> 00:01:12,781
I'm okay with talking about others
then I act.
14
00:01:12,864 --> 00:01:17,494
But this is strange and different.
Talking about myself.
15
00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:20,663
So I'll do my best.
16
00:01:21,664 --> 00:01:23,834
Vince McMahon is larger than life...
17
00:01:23,917 --> 00:01:27,546
more famous than some wrestlers
that he helped create.
18
00:01:27,629 --> 00:01:30,549
They do mention McMahon
the P.T. Barnum of wrestling.
19
00:01:30,632 --> 00:01:34,428
He made the WWE
an international billion-dollar business.
20
00:01:34,511 --> 00:01:38,473
He can also be seen on screen
as the villain, the billionaire, the boss.
21
00:01:38,556 --> 00:01:39,891
Where have you been?
22
00:01:42,811 --> 00:01:46,606
For a long time people wondered
who I actually am.
23
00:01:47,190 --> 00:01:49,275
I am portrayed as a villain.
24
00:01:50,401 --> 00:01:52,237
But no one really knows me.
25
00:01:52,821 --> 00:01:55,406
It took a long time
before I met myself.
26
00:01:55,949 --> 00:01:57,992
I don't know exactly who I am yet.
27
00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:00,370
Do I know Vince McMahon?
28
00:02:01,454 --> 00:02:03,456
Nobody knows Vince McMahon.
29
00:02:04,833 --> 00:02:07,418
This is Mr. McMahon.
30
00:02:07,919 --> 00:02:13,299
People know who he is
but they don't know who he really is.
31
00:02:14,008 --> 00:02:18,555
The one he shows,
that striking promoter...
32
00:02:18,638 --> 00:02:20,306
that's a character.
33
00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:25,520
When it comes to himself,
he shows what he wants you to see.
34
00:02:26,604 --> 00:02:29,316
Few people rule
about a world of its own.
35
00:02:29,399 --> 00:02:30,692
Vince McMahon does.
36
00:02:31,442 --> 00:02:35,405
He has built something
that is very powerful...
37
00:02:35,488 --> 00:02:39,200
very big, something
has lived among people for generations.
38
00:02:39,784 --> 00:02:42,746
He did things
that people thought impossible.
39
00:02:42,829 --> 00:02:44,747
And he showed no mercy.
40
00:02:45,582 --> 00:02:48,293
With Vince McMahon, what you see is what you get.
41
00:02:48,376 --> 00:02:51,296
And what you expect is what you get.
42
00:02:52,130 --> 00:02:54,883
I love Vince
and have a lot of respect for him.
43
00:02:54,966 --> 00:02:59,012
But he lied to me a lot
and I'm disappointed in him.
44
00:02:59,095 --> 00:03:05,143
Does your father have an unfair reputation?
-My father has the reputation he wants.
45
00:03:08,563 --> 00:03:11,108
FOR A FINAL INTERVION
WITH VINCE McMAHON
46
00:03:11,191 --> 00:03:12,859
PRODUCTION STOPPED DUE TO NEWS.
47
00:03:12,942 --> 00:03:14,861
I just got news.
48
00:03:14,944 --> 00:03:17,280
Vince McMahon
legendary CEO and director...
49
00:03:17,363 --> 00:03:19,991
of the WWE, is calling it quits.
50
00:03:20,074 --> 00:03:26,289
The Wall Street Journal says the WWE
3 million settlement investigates...
51
00:03:26,372 --> 00:03:29,376
that Vince McMahon
an ex-employee paid...
52
00:03:29,459 --> 00:03:32,671
with whom he allegedly had an affair.
53
00:03:32,754 --> 00:03:38,677
It started with a tip that the management
received an anonymous email from the WWE.
54
00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,264
It stated that McMahon was abusive
had made an employee...
55
00:03:42,347 --> 00:03:43,765
and kept it a secret.
56
00:03:43,848 --> 00:03:47,936
We also heard: this is
not everything yet. There is much more.
57
00:03:48,436 --> 00:03:51,272
With that first article in June 2022...
58
00:03:52,315 --> 00:03:56,819
began a series of events
including articles about other NDAs.
59
00:03:57,570 --> 00:03:59,280
Government investigation...
60
00:04:00,281 --> 00:04:01,741
Vince quit...
61
00:04:02,367 --> 00:04:05,745
Vince McMahon returned
and sold the company.
62
00:04:06,454 --> 00:04:11,668
Then the lawsuit against him
with enormously explicit details.
63
00:04:12,210 --> 00:04:14,880
A WWE boss left on Friday...
64
00:04:14,963 --> 00:04:17,424
after an ex-employee sued him...
65
00:04:17,507 --> 00:04:23,054
because of 'numerous perverse
and humiliating acts'.
66
00:04:24,806 --> 00:04:27,225
THE VAST MAJORITY
OF THESE INTERVIEWS,
67
00:04:27,308 --> 00:04:31,980
ALSO FILMED WITH VINCE McMAHON
BEFORE THE ACCUSATIONS WERE PUBLIC.
68
00:04:32,647 --> 00:04:35,650
If only I could tell the real stories.
Goodness.
69
00:04:38,861 --> 00:04:40,071
Tell one.
70
00:04:40,154 --> 00:04:41,239
No.
-Why not?
71
00:04:41,322 --> 00:04:44,409
That's what I say. I don't want to tell them.
72
00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:47,912
I give you enough
that it is somewhat interesting.
73
00:04:49,330 --> 00:04:51,249
No one can really know me.
74
00:04:55,420 --> 00:04:57,923
It is as polarizing as it is entertaining.
75
00:04:58,006 --> 00:05:02,594
Vince McMahon is part rebel,
part mogul and all showman.
76
00:05:02,677 --> 00:05:07,682
McMahon made the WWE
a billion dollar company.
77
00:05:08,349 --> 00:05:11,144
One part athleticism,
one part theater...
78
00:05:11,227 --> 00:05:13,730
and a good touch of violence.
What do you get then?
79
00:05:13,813 --> 00:05:15,565
One of America's hobbies.
80
00:05:15,648 --> 00:05:18,109
One hundred percent Americana.
81
00:05:18,693 --> 00:05:23,490
The Ministry of Justice
sues the man who runs the WWE.
82
00:05:23,573 --> 00:05:26,617
This is about crime
breaking the law.
83
00:05:27,702 --> 00:05:31,831
A tyrant, the head of the organization,
who conducted a reign of terror.
84
00:05:31,914 --> 00:05:35,001
What did he know? What did he do?
What did he want to hide?
85
00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:38,213
It's more than business.
It's about the family.
86
00:05:38,296 --> 00:05:40,673
It's like Succession in the ring.
87
00:05:41,632 --> 00:05:44,928
Another business leader
with a sex scandal.
88
00:05:45,011 --> 00:05:47,055
This isn't just bad behavior.
89
00:05:47,138 --> 00:05:48,848
These are terrible things.
90
00:05:49,599 --> 00:05:52,602
Vince McMahon can get away with a lot...
91
00:05:52,685 --> 00:05:54,938
because he also played a role.
92
00:05:55,021 --> 00:05:57,857
Where is the border?
between Vince and Mr. McMahon?
93
00:05:57,940 --> 00:06:00,651
Yes. Dismissed.
94
00:06:12,455 --> 00:06:14,832
The first thing I have to tell you is...
95
00:06:17,043 --> 00:06:22,799
that you are not going to understand
what happened or what it's like...
96
00:06:22,882 --> 00:06:26,261
because for that you have to experience it.
97
00:06:26,344 --> 00:06:29,139
You only know what they say.
98
00:06:29,222 --> 00:06:33,226
I know wrestlers and promoters
and I know this industry.
99
00:06:33,810 --> 00:06:38,439
You don't get the whole story.
100
00:06:40,024 --> 00:06:42,443
You can see pro wrestling...
101
00:06:43,694 --> 00:06:47,782
like a fantasy that becomes reality.
102
00:06:50,159 --> 00:06:51,244
Come on.
103
00:06:53,538 --> 00:06:54,539
Kane is on fire.
104
00:06:56,249 --> 00:06:59,419
Some said, 'Why are you looking?
That's not real.
105
00:06:59,502 --> 00:07:01,838
Buoy. It's just fake wrestling.'
106
00:07:02,713 --> 00:07:05,925
Then I think: you're wrong.
107
00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:09,387
What I did is a form of art.
108
00:07:10,221 --> 00:07:11,931
Look how beautiful it is.
109
00:07:13,182 --> 00:07:17,270
Wrestling is a strange phenomenon
where aggression can be unleashed...
110
00:07:17,353 --> 00:07:18,938
during a morality play.
111
00:07:20,273 --> 00:07:23,109
Most people say:
'It was just a show.
112
00:07:23,192 --> 00:07:25,027
None of that was real.”
113
00:07:26,154 --> 00:07:29,824
But within that you want to believe
that it is real.
114
00:07:31,868 --> 00:07:33,244
I was an artist.
115
00:07:36,706 --> 00:07:39,167
People who weren't fans said:
116
00:07:39,250 --> 00:07:43,087
'The fans are too stupid
to realize it's fake.'
117
00:07:43,671 --> 00:07:47,258
No, people are smart enough
to accept that it is a show.
118
00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:53,264
They empathize with the characters
and storylines and participate.
119
00:07:53,347 --> 00:07:56,601
Pro wrestling is always
been melodramatic...
120
00:07:57,268 --> 00:07:59,395
with clear dividing lines.
121
00:07:59,979 --> 00:08:04,192
This is your hero, this is your villain.
This is the damsel in danger.
122
00:08:04,275 --> 00:08:07,236
We give you a chance to feel.
123
00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:11,157
Everything we do is about emotions.
124
00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:13,367
For greatness.
125
00:08:14,911 --> 00:08:18,122
That's America. Life size.
126
00:08:18,956 --> 00:08:20,416
Great stories.
127
00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,586
Our form of entertainment
is American culture.
128
00:08:24,253 --> 00:08:30,135
Pro wrestling is important,
because it's such a part of the culture.
129
00:08:30,218 --> 00:08:33,262
But no one talks about that importance.
130
00:08:34,222 --> 00:08:40,019
The influence and impact
from Vince McMahon is ignored.
131
00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,440
But it has influence
on the world around us.
132
00:08:53,616 --> 00:08:57,245
From there we go to Phoenix
for PR before March 31.
133
00:08:58,287 --> 00:09:00,290
This is 39 year old Vince McMahon...
134
00:09:00,373 --> 00:09:03,585
a wrestling promoter
third generation, sometimes announcer...
135
00:09:03,668 --> 00:09:06,004
and the power behind the WWE.
136
00:09:06,087 --> 00:09:08,839
One day we hope to be recognized as...
137
00:09:10,091 --> 00:09:13,844
the main source
of sports entertainment in the world.
138
00:09:16,556 --> 00:09:19,934
I've started
in the trade by my father.
139
00:09:21,435 --> 00:09:24,689
My father was considered
as the best promoter in his profession.
140
00:09:25,273 --> 00:09:28,568
I met Vince McMahon Sr.
at Madison Square Garden...
141
00:09:28,651 --> 00:09:31,028
when I was 15.
142
00:09:31,779 --> 00:09:36,951
He looked and acted
as the Pope of Madison Square Garden.
143
00:09:38,119 --> 00:09:42,832
Not until I met my father when I was 12
I knew my name was McMahon.
144
00:09:44,500 --> 00:09:47,504
That's what I grew up for
in a trailer park with my mother...
145
00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:50,131
and an abusive stepfather.
146
00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,135
I was beaten almost daily.
147
00:09:55,511 --> 00:09:57,972
You live with it until you escape it.
148
00:09:59,473 --> 00:10:04,228
When I was abused and all,
I didn't hear anything from my father.
149
00:10:05,354 --> 00:10:07,356
When I met my father...
150
00:10:09,442 --> 00:10:11,777
he had a glow about him.
151
00:10:12,820 --> 00:10:15,906
I ran towards him.
I expected a hug.
152
00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:21,495
And I got a pat on the back.
"Hi, boy."
153
00:10:22,038 --> 00:10:22,997
'That was different.'
154
00:10:24,081 --> 00:10:26,709
But I loved him immediately.
155
00:10:27,251 --> 00:10:32,632
I felt it was in his heart
the way I wanted him to be. A little.
156
00:10:32,715 --> 00:10:36,427
Or maybe I was fooling myself.
157
00:10:37,428 --> 00:10:39,556
My father and I never talked...
158
00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:43,851
about why he wasn't in my life
during the years that shaped me.
159
00:10:44,518 --> 00:10:47,563
Even when I was older,
we didn't talk about it.
160
00:10:50,149 --> 00:10:52,819
One thing that is really true
about Vince McMahon...
161
00:10:52,902 --> 00:10:55,529
is that he came from nothing.
162
00:10:56,739 --> 00:10:58,825
But once his father was in his life...
163
00:10:58,908 --> 00:11:03,120
became Vince's dream of escape
suddenly concrete.
164
00:11:04,246 --> 00:11:06,708
He could point to his father.
165
00:11:06,791 --> 00:11:11,003
'That's what I want to be. That's my way out.'
166
00:11:13,923 --> 00:11:17,635
I hadn't seen much wrestling on TV
until I met my father.
167
00:11:17,718 --> 00:11:20,721
And then I thought, oh, he does that.
168
00:11:22,056 --> 00:11:24,851
That charismatic,
larger-than-life personalities.
169
00:11:24,934 --> 00:11:29,772
They argue with each other.
They solve it physically, with a fight.
170
00:11:30,606 --> 00:11:31,941
I like that.
171
00:11:33,025 --> 00:11:37,154
Then I had a strange connection
with my father.
172
00:11:37,822 --> 00:11:41,075
We didn't play together.
There was no such camaraderie.
173
00:11:41,659 --> 00:11:44,412
Even at that age
we were talking about business.
174
00:11:44,495 --> 00:11:49,291
We had that in common,
in addition to our family relationship.
175
00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:53,755
Vince and I met
when I was 13 and he was 16.
176
00:11:53,838 --> 00:11:57,508
I never have it
hear people talking about something else...
177
00:11:57,591 --> 00:12:03,139
then working in pro wrestling.
178
00:12:03,639 --> 00:12:06,893
I knew I wanted to do my father's job.
"Come on, Dad."
179
00:12:06,976 --> 00:12:10,020
Then I got to go to Bangor, Maine.
180
00:12:11,522 --> 00:12:15,609
The northernmost point
of my father's territory.
181
00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:21,741
Bangor was a success and my father thought:
he did well.
182
00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:26,162
One day I was with Dad
working on a TV show.
183
00:12:26,245 --> 00:12:29,457
The presenter wanted more and more money.
184
00:12:29,540 --> 00:12:35,296
The show was just about to start
and then he left.
185
00:12:35,379 --> 00:12:37,715
My father had coins...
186
00:12:37,798 --> 00:12:41,427
which he played in his hand
as he thought.
187
00:12:41,510 --> 00:12:43,971
So I saw him thinking like that.
188
00:12:44,847 --> 00:12:46,557
I asked, "Dad, what are you going to do?"
189
00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:50,936
'Go and present. You are the presenter.'
190
00:12:52,563 --> 00:12:55,191
Show one, taping of All-Star Wrestling.
191
00:12:55,274 --> 00:12:59,487
Is this fast enough, Dad?
Do we mark here or do we rotate?
192
00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:01,489
Hello, everyone. I'm Vince McMahon...
193
00:13:01,572 --> 00:13:05,367
I just started rambling as an announcer.
194
00:13:06,076 --> 00:13:08,705
Bobo, those muscles in his neck.
What biceps.
195
00:13:08,788 --> 00:13:11,749
A good athlete and a deep...
I repeat it again...
196
00:13:11,832 --> 00:13:15,461
but it's nice
that he'll be back this week.
197
00:13:15,544 --> 00:13:17,671
Vince was great as a commentator.
198
00:13:19,298 --> 00:13:22,551
But Vince did have emotion.
199
00:13:23,135 --> 00:13:24,637
And Vince told stories.
200
00:13:25,221 --> 00:13:27,765
I realized I was the channel.
201
00:13:28,390 --> 00:13:32,019
I have to translate to the audience
what happens in the ring.
202
00:13:32,102 --> 00:13:34,063
'This is the story.'
203
00:13:34,146 --> 00:13:36,107
Zbyszko faces a legend.
204
00:13:36,190 --> 00:13:39,986
Our profession is no different
than a play, film or book.
205
00:13:40,069 --> 00:13:41,070
It's the same.
206
00:13:41,153 --> 00:13:44,365
You have an environment
so we show the environment.
207
00:13:44,448 --> 00:13:46,117
The arena is packed...
208
00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,704
And then you have to
create interesting characters.
209
00:13:49,787 --> 00:13:53,791
Zbyszko, the only one
who is trained by Bruno Sammartino.
210
00:13:53,874 --> 00:13:55,001
Good and bad.
211
00:13:55,084 --> 00:13:57,295
A babyface, so a hero...
212
00:13:57,378 --> 00:13:59,797
and the other is a heel, a bad guy.
213
00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,925
Sammartino loves
the rope open for Zbyszko.
214
00:14:03,008 --> 00:14:03,884
Too much...
215
00:14:05,427 --> 00:14:06,262
Be careful.
216
00:14:06,345 --> 00:14:07,847
And then another character.
217
00:14:07,930 --> 00:14:09,807
The referee flies out.
218
00:14:09,890 --> 00:14:11,267
And a big climax.
219
00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:15,521
Zbyszko hits Sammartino.
He's really getting to him.
220
00:14:15,604 --> 00:14:17,398
Zbyszko couldn't handle it.
221
00:14:18,148 --> 00:14:19,817
The formula is simple...
222
00:14:20,734 --> 00:14:23,738
but not easy.
223
00:14:23,821 --> 00:14:27,992
Sammartino lies in a pool of blood.
224
00:14:29,159 --> 00:14:31,912
And I kept presenting for my father.
225
00:14:33,289 --> 00:14:36,751
Not long after that my father wanted
quit the profession.
226
00:14:36,834 --> 00:14:42,048
He wanted to sell it.
And he didn't think about me at all.
227
00:14:42,131 --> 00:14:42,965
On behalf of...
228
00:14:43,048 --> 00:14:45,968
He wanted to sell it
to Gorilla Monsoon.
229
00:14:46,051 --> 00:14:47,553
He was a partner at the time.
230
00:14:48,137 --> 00:14:49,722
Monsoon with another punch.
231
00:14:51,056 --> 00:14:52,809
Ali can't find his way.
232
00:14:52,892 --> 00:14:56,395
When I joined the company,
Gorilla Monsoon was the successor.
233
00:14:56,478 --> 00:14:58,981
I immediately felt that tension.
234
00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:01,901
Gorilla Monsoon thought I was competition.
235
00:15:03,235 --> 00:15:04,486
And he was right.
236
00:15:05,446 --> 00:15:08,908
When I wanted to buy the company,
Dad proposed a deal.
237
00:15:08,991 --> 00:15:11,494
I had to pay him an amount...
238
00:15:11,577 --> 00:15:15,706
three months later this, three months
then that, and then the final payment.
239
00:15:15,789 --> 00:15:17,625
If I missed a payment...
240
00:15:17,708 --> 00:15:20,378
he got the company back
and he kept the money.
241
00:15:20,461 --> 00:15:23,673
That's what Dad said
and its shareholders.
242
00:15:23,756 --> 00:15:26,383
They thought: that kid will never succeed.
243
00:15:27,217 --> 00:15:30,137
We took the company
from Vince's father.
244
00:15:30,721 --> 00:15:34,725
We paid with money
that they would have deserved...
245
00:15:34,808 --> 00:15:37,395
if they had kept the company.
246
00:15:37,478 --> 00:15:40,147
We paid with future profits.
247
00:15:40,230 --> 00:15:43,150
Nobody could believe it
after the last payment.
248
00:15:43,859 --> 00:15:45,778
My father was amazed.
249
00:15:46,612 --> 00:15:48,864
Did your father want you to be successful?
250
00:15:49,990 --> 00:15:52,910
He wanted that, I think...
251
00:15:52,993 --> 00:15:55,079
but sometimes I don't think so.
252
00:15:56,163 --> 00:16:00,417
He didn't want it
make it easy for Vince...
253
00:16:00,918 --> 00:16:04,463
he wanted him to know
what it was like to have a hard time.
254
00:16:04,546 --> 00:16:07,299
It felt strange.
When I bought the company...
255
00:16:08,092 --> 00:16:12,554
there was some friction,
because my father worked for me at the time.
256
00:16:13,097 --> 00:16:15,015
He didn't want what I wanted.
257
00:16:15,557 --> 00:16:18,269
Hello and welcome
at All-American Wrestling...
258
00:16:18,352 --> 00:16:20,229
My vision was: upgrade the product.
259
00:16:20,312 --> 00:16:22,982
I wanted to make it mainstream.
260
00:16:23,732 --> 00:16:27,194
Not for the lower classes,
what everyone thought.
261
00:16:28,278 --> 00:16:31,740
No pro wrestling.
I don't like that term.
262
00:16:32,449 --> 00:16:34,785
I wanted to be more.
263
00:16:34,868 --> 00:16:40,041
We had to grow to include it
against promoters from all over the country.
264
00:16:40,124 --> 00:16:44,086
Back then the wrestling industry was regional.
265
00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:46,672
It worked with a department system.
266
00:16:47,339 --> 00:16:49,967
There were separate wrestling companies
in the country...
267
00:16:50,050 --> 00:16:56,056
each in their own area
running shows, live and on TV.
268
00:16:57,057 --> 00:17:01,145
You had Florida, Georgia,
the Mid-Atlantic, the Carolinas.
269
00:17:01,228 --> 00:17:04,398
There was San Francisco, Portland, Seattle.
270
00:17:04,481 --> 00:17:09,487
Vince's father owned the WWE, then the WWF...
271
00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:11,739
in the northeastern area.
272
00:17:11,822 --> 00:17:16,326
There were imaginary boundaries
which no one exceeded.
273
00:17:16,952 --> 00:17:18,496
A system of rich guys.
274
00:17:18,579 --> 00:17:22,083
They had made agreements
and you didn't break it.
275
00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:27,046
Once I closed the deal,
I knew what I wanted to do.
276
00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:29,131
I went into their areas.
277
00:17:29,214 --> 00:17:32,927
One of the big ones
World Wrestling Entertainment Cities...
278
00:17:33,010 --> 00:17:35,054
St. Louis, Missouri, and...
279
00:17:35,137 --> 00:17:37,223
Vince started promoting his own shows...
280
00:17:37,306 --> 00:17:42,311
in someone else's territory.
281
00:17:42,394 --> 00:17:44,605
That upset people.
282
00:17:44,688 --> 00:17:49,694
Whether in St. Louis, Los Angeles,
Hoboken, New Jersey or elsewhere is...
283
00:17:49,777 --> 00:17:53,238
World Wrestling Entertainment is there.
284
00:17:53,822 --> 00:17:55,866
My father was very against that.
285
00:17:56,617 --> 00:17:59,453
He said, 'Calm down, Vinnie.
Don't create problems.'
286
00:17:59,536 --> 00:18:03,332
It hurt my father
but I was in the business world.
287
00:18:04,249 --> 00:18:06,585
Other promoters threatened my father.
288
00:18:06,668 --> 00:18:10,089
"Your child will soon be in a river."
289
00:18:10,172 --> 00:18:14,718
I don't know what's wrong with them.
Promoters love rivers.
290
00:18:16,178 --> 00:18:19,056
I didn't care if I was threatened...
291
00:18:19,139 --> 00:18:21,851
because you had nothing.
292
00:18:21,934 --> 00:18:23,978
I am your competition.
293
00:18:24,061 --> 00:18:25,938
Back with All-Star Wrestling.
294
00:18:26,021 --> 00:18:29,525
Here is the former
nine-time Heavyweight Champion...
295
00:18:29,608 --> 00:18:30,443
Verne Gagne...
296
00:18:30,526 --> 00:18:35,197
I worked for Verne Gagne in the AWA,
one of the strongest areas.
297
00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:40,119
And to Verne Gagne, Vince was Satan.
298
00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:43,581
He was the devil.
He destroyed all areas.
299
00:18:43,664 --> 00:18:45,708
We're going to Tampa, Florida soon...
300
00:18:45,791 --> 00:18:50,295
Once they went national
and the areas no longer applied...
301
00:18:51,088 --> 00:18:54,925
grabbed many talents
who worked in other areas...
302
00:18:55,008 --> 00:18:59,471
a better chance
with Vince McMahon and the WWE.
303
00:19:00,305 --> 00:19:04,810
Our talents made a lot of money.
That attracted others.
304
00:19:04,893 --> 00:19:09,690
Wrestling talent is flooding into the WWE.
305
00:19:09,773 --> 00:19:11,692
We've never seen that before.
306
00:19:12,276 --> 00:19:15,863
If you look at what he did,
you see he was merciless.
307
00:19:15,946 --> 00:19:19,492
He bought their best guys in each area.
308
00:19:19,575 --> 00:19:24,705
And then he went back with those guys
which he had stolen from them.
309
00:19:25,289 --> 00:19:26,707
Nobody could do anything.
310
00:19:26,790 --> 00:19:31,504
We hear you every area
want to invade the US.
311
00:19:31,587 --> 00:19:32,421
Indeed.
312
00:19:32,504 --> 00:19:35,382
Most of Vince's wrestlers
came from elsewhere.
313
00:19:35,465 --> 00:19:39,136
Someone else had done the work
to make them who they were.
314
00:19:39,887 --> 00:19:45,309
After one phone call they left
and they abandoned them.
315
00:19:45,392 --> 00:19:49,021
Just like with me.
'You can earn more here.'
316
00:19:49,104 --> 00:19:53,567
It's a tough world
and you have to get your share.
317
00:19:54,610 --> 00:19:59,198
I didn't take anything away from anyone.
I was building something.
318
00:19:59,698 --> 00:20:03,410
If you can't handle me...
This is America.
319
00:20:04,745 --> 00:20:05,579
Too bad then.
320
00:20:06,705 --> 00:20:12,628
The popularity of the WWE is skyrocketing...
321
00:20:12,711 --> 00:20:16,132
Then I was able to do it successfully
fighting those promoters...
322
00:20:16,215 --> 00:20:19,801
and said: 'Now I can have it my way.'
323
00:20:21,345 --> 00:20:23,848
My father chose Bob Backlund as champion.
324
00:20:23,931 --> 00:20:26,934
I like to travel.
I love the fans and I love wrestling.
325
00:20:27,017 --> 00:20:28,811
Every minute of my life is nice.
326
00:20:28,894 --> 00:20:30,062
We appreciate that...
327
00:20:30,145 --> 00:20:33,190
He was a typical American boy,
but too boring.
328
00:20:33,690 --> 00:20:36,360
I was looking for someone with more charisma.
329
00:20:36,944 --> 00:20:39,738
Look. Serious? Look now.
330
00:20:39,821 --> 00:20:42,616
The Dream gets that man.
331
00:20:42,699 --> 00:20:43,784
Oh, no.
332
00:20:43,867 --> 00:20:45,870
Dusty Rhodes was an option.
333
00:20:45,953 --> 00:20:52,001
When this building is full,
you see a white man and a black man...
334
00:20:52,084 --> 00:20:54,211
eating from the same popcorn container.
335
00:20:55,963 --> 00:20:58,715
That's great. The American dream.
336
00:20:59,299 --> 00:21:03,679
My father said
that he didn't believe in it.
337
00:21:04,388 --> 00:21:06,682
It seemed too difficult an undertaking.
338
00:21:08,016 --> 00:21:11,145
Dusty couldn't make anything of it...
339
00:21:11,228 --> 00:21:14,190
so I kept looking
to someone who could enchant you...
340
00:21:14,273 --> 00:21:17,651
and excite,
with a larger than life personality.
341
00:21:18,986 --> 00:21:22,072
This man is not a television illusion.
342
00:21:24,866 --> 00:21:26,493
When I met Hulk Hogan...
343
00:21:27,202 --> 00:21:29,788
that was years
before I bought the company.
344
00:21:30,414 --> 00:21:32,291
What a physically unique specimen.
345
00:21:32,374 --> 00:21:34,543
And his name was Sterling Golden.
346
00:21:35,210 --> 00:21:37,463
Sterling Golden...
347
00:21:37,546 --> 00:21:40,674
My father saw him
and said, 'That's not your name.'
348
00:21:40,757 --> 00:21:42,426
He turned him into Hulk Hogan.
349
00:21:43,010 --> 00:21:47,264
The incredible Hulk Hogan.
350
00:21:47,347 --> 00:21:49,558
When they promoted me, they wanted someone...
351
00:21:50,058 --> 00:21:54,896
who could defeat Andre the Giant,
one of their big stars.
352
00:21:56,064 --> 00:21:56,898
Hogan.
353
00:21:58,191 --> 00:21:59,401
Come here.
354
00:21:59,985 --> 00:22:03,488
Andre the Giant is the first attraction
of sports entertainment.
355
00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:08,244
You could advertise with Andre the Giant
and draw a full house.
356
00:22:08,327 --> 00:22:09,953
Hulk Hogan goes for a...
357
00:22:10,537 --> 00:22:13,499
I was Andre's other half.
358
00:22:13,582 --> 00:22:14,958
We struggled everywhere.
359
00:22:15,542 --> 00:22:18,420
Shea Stadium was sold out
by me and Andre the Giant.
360
00:22:18,503 --> 00:22:20,631
I was a household name.
361
00:22:20,714 --> 00:22:25,135
I got name recognition
through the so-called TV Matches.
362
00:22:26,094 --> 00:22:29,806
During those matches
I wrestled with two men.
363
00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:32,935
Sylvester Stallone saw that...
364
00:22:33,018 --> 00:22:36,730
and that's how I got my role
in that Rockymovie.
365
00:22:38,065 --> 00:22:40,985
I was talking to Vince Sr. about Rocky III...
366
00:22:41,068 --> 00:22:43,404
and he said, 'You're not going to do that.
367
00:22:43,487 --> 00:22:47,866
You are a wrestler.
You're not acting. No TV stuff.”
368
00:22:47,949 --> 00:22:50,494
He asked my father and he said no.
369
00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:55,499
My father had a lot invested in Hogan
and wanted to see money.
370
00:22:55,999 --> 00:22:59,962
He said, 'If you do that,
you're fired and you're not coming back.'
371
00:23:00,045 --> 00:23:01,505
I said, 'Okay. Cool.'
372
00:23:05,092 --> 00:23:08,261
I knew that
that Rockymovie would be big.
373
00:23:09,137 --> 00:23:11,056
I'll get you, Balboa.
374
00:23:11,848 --> 00:23:15,310
Watch Scarface or The Godfather.
375
00:23:15,936 --> 00:23:18,981
The Rockyfranchise was bigger than that.
376
00:23:19,064 --> 00:23:20,941
It was Americana.
377
00:23:21,691 --> 00:23:23,860
It would make me famous.
378
00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:26,572
It got crazy.
379
00:23:26,655 --> 00:23:28,365
Here's Hulk Hogan.
380
00:23:30,325 --> 00:23:32,035
You're a big guy.
381
00:23:34,162 --> 00:23:35,331
A big man...
382
00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:38,083
In the middle of that, Verne Gagne called me.
383
00:23:38,166 --> 00:23:40,210
"How quickly can you get to Minnesota?"
384
00:23:41,461 --> 00:23:44,381
Hulk Hogan back in the AWA.
I can't believe...
385
00:23:44,464 --> 00:23:47,217
Once in the AWA I started Hulkamania.
386
00:23:47,968 --> 00:23:53,014
I tore my shirt.
It got bigger and became famous.
387
00:23:54,015 --> 00:23:58,854
I followed his career.
He was honing his talents.
388
00:23:58,937 --> 00:24:02,191
Here comes Hogan with a leg smash.
389
00:24:02,274 --> 00:24:04,610
I am the champion. This is your belt.
390
00:24:04,693 --> 00:24:08,822
Vince said to me:
'I want to take over all departments...
391
00:24:08,905 --> 00:24:12,784
and I want to do that with you.'
I said, 'Come on then.'
392
00:24:13,368 --> 00:24:17,373
Hulk knew which way things were going
and he knew Vince would lead the way.
393
00:24:17,456 --> 00:24:21,960
The decision was easy. Someone goes
promote you and make you a star...
394
00:24:22,043 --> 00:24:26,465
throughout the country. The other alone
in Minneapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee.
395
00:24:26,548 --> 00:24:29,760
I wanted my whole career back.
396
00:24:29,843 --> 00:24:34,931
When Vince said what he wanted to do to me,
I knew what would happen.
397
00:24:35,682 --> 00:24:37,976
This can't be true. Hulk Hogan.
398
00:24:38,977 --> 00:24:42,314
I want to thank the WWE for
bringing back the Hulkster...
399
00:24:42,814 --> 00:24:47,152
I had to get the title from Bob Backlund
to get Hulk Hogan.
400
00:24:47,235 --> 00:24:50,030
That wasn't possible. They were both babyfaces.
401
00:24:50,113 --> 00:24:52,699
So I used the Iron Sheik.
402
00:24:52,782 --> 00:24:54,034
Bob Backlund.
403
00:24:57,454 --> 00:24:59,706
The Iron Sheik of Iran was...
404
00:24:59,789 --> 00:25:05,378
one of the least liked individuals
ever in our company.
405
00:25:07,631 --> 00:25:11,843
There was a lot of nationalism then.
Come on, America.
406
00:25:12,427 --> 00:25:14,555
We had problems with Iran for years.
407
00:25:14,638 --> 00:25:17,599
The president spoke in Washington
with the National Security Council...
408
00:25:17,682 --> 00:25:19,768
about developments in Iran.
409
00:25:20,435 --> 00:25:23,689
American hostages were taken
held in Iran.
410
00:25:23,772 --> 00:25:27,067
That was on the front page.
It was talked about.
411
00:25:28,151 --> 00:25:32,030
If the Iron Sheik was in the ring
with its Iranian flag...
412
00:25:32,113 --> 00:25:33,991
Iran number one.
413
00:25:34,074 --> 00:25:36,368
...people reacted negatively.
414
00:25:37,035 --> 00:25:41,498
You look at what's happening
and tries to make a story...
415
00:25:41,581 --> 00:25:44,418
allowing people to respond...
416
00:25:44,501 --> 00:25:46,920
like they do
cannot do in everyday life.
417
00:25:47,003 --> 00:25:49,548
A lot of people don't like the Iron Sheik.
418
00:25:49,631 --> 00:25:53,135
You won't find an Iranian sheik on the street...
419
00:25:53,218 --> 00:25:57,014
that you can boo
and get beaten up.
420
00:25:57,097 --> 00:26:00,058
But in wrestling matches that was possible.
421
00:26:00,141 --> 00:26:01,143
Iran sucks.
422
00:26:01,226 --> 00:26:03,353
What are they chanting? Iran what?
423
00:26:03,853 --> 00:26:05,522
I don't want to say it, Vince.
424
00:26:06,398 --> 00:26:10,193
It is not always appropriate later,
but watch movies.
425
00:26:11,027 --> 00:26:15,616
Movies depicted Japan as
an evil empire attacking America.
426
00:26:15,699 --> 00:26:18,869
People from Japan could not be trusted.
427
00:26:18,952 --> 00:26:19,786
Germany.
428
00:26:19,869 --> 00:26:20,787
You lie.
429
00:26:21,913 --> 00:26:22,748
Russians.
430
00:26:22,831 --> 00:26:25,125
If he dies, he dies.
431
00:26:25,917 --> 00:26:28,587
It was taught to you at a young age...
432
00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:36,887
that foreigners were bad guys.
433
00:26:36,970 --> 00:26:38,472
From Russia...
434
00:26:38,555 --> 00:26:43,727
Right, wrong or neutral,
then your villain was a Russian...
435
00:26:44,311 --> 00:26:46,771
a German, a Japanese.
436
00:26:47,522 --> 00:26:50,191
That was easy to understand.
437
00:26:50,734 --> 00:26:51,651
Banzai.
438
00:26:52,235 --> 00:26:55,322
Wrestling is an imitation of the world.
439
00:26:55,405 --> 00:27:00,202
If you want to know what America is like,
watch wrestling. We show you yourself.
440
00:27:00,285 --> 00:27:03,789
Which wrestler do you not like?
-The Sheik.
441
00:27:03,872 --> 00:27:05,624
Sheik.
-The Iron Sheik.
442
00:27:06,416 --> 00:27:09,211
Why not?
-He's from another country, man.
443
00:27:09,294 --> 00:27:10,504
From another country.
444
00:27:10,587 --> 00:27:13,757
Vince saw it. He followed the river.
445
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,344
That's how he became rich.
He wasn't swimming against the direction.
446
00:27:20,138 --> 00:27:24,768
You can look back and say:
"You'll probably regret that."
447
00:27:24,851 --> 00:27:29,231
If you're ten, twenty,
looking back five years...
448
00:27:29,314 --> 00:27:30,941
life was different then.
449
00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:33,235
The values were different.
450
00:27:33,318 --> 00:27:38,699
You can view today's values
don't apply it to the past.
451
00:27:38,782 --> 00:27:41,910
It was a different time,
a different life with different values.
452
00:27:41,993 --> 00:27:45,664
Today that would be a problem.
453
00:27:45,747 --> 00:27:49,167
But at the time I didn't think it was much of a big deal.
454
00:27:49,668 --> 00:27:51,795
The Iron Sheik.
455
00:27:55,048 --> 00:27:59,135
I wanted to transfer the title
from Bob Backlund to the Iron Sheik.
456
00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:04,933
That's how that tall, blond American could...
457
00:28:05,016 --> 00:28:07,894
defeat the Iron Sheik of Iran.
458
00:28:08,770 --> 00:28:13,191
Hulk Hogan had an ultimate opponent
necessary. The timing was right.
459
00:28:13,274 --> 00:28:16,820
The American hero
against a bad Iranian.
460
00:28:17,404 --> 00:28:21,783
'Eye of the Tiger' plays
as Hogan enters the ring.
461
00:28:22,409 --> 00:28:27,164
At that time Vince decided
whether I would win or lose...
462
00:28:27,247 --> 00:28:32,502
but what happened physically,
I decided in the ring itself.
463
00:28:32,585 --> 00:28:36,089
We didn't rehearse anything.
That's the art of wrestling.
464
00:28:38,591 --> 00:28:41,887
I jumped into the ring before the bell rang.
I shouldn't have said that.
465
00:28:41,970 --> 00:28:43,513
It just felt good.
466
00:28:43,596 --> 00:28:47,601
Hulk is holding the Sheik's robe.
And a clothesline.
467
00:28:47,684 --> 00:28:52,189
I didn't say I would clothesline him
and would strangle. It just happens.
468
00:28:52,272 --> 00:28:53,982
The Hulk in trouble.
469
00:28:54,065 --> 00:28:55,442
Listen to the audience.
470
00:28:55,525 --> 00:28:57,319
The noise is deafening.
471
00:28:57,402 --> 00:28:59,780
You feel it. You listen, you think.
472
00:28:59,863 --> 00:29:02,115
Hulk Hogan with a leg.
473
00:29:02,699 --> 00:29:05,243
One, two... Success.
474
00:29:06,119 --> 00:29:09,497
It was a great response
from Madison Square Garden.
475
00:29:10,749 --> 00:29:13,335
Hulkamania is here.
476
00:29:13,418 --> 00:29:17,130
Everyone still knows Hulk Hogan.
477
00:29:17,213 --> 00:29:20,967
I wanted the whole WWE
stood behind the Hulkster.
478
00:29:21,050 --> 00:29:23,428
And I would bring him back to the US.
479
00:29:23,511 --> 00:29:25,305
Hulkamania is worldwide.
480
00:29:26,639 --> 00:29:27,474
What a...
481
00:29:27,557 --> 00:29:32,979
That the Iron Sheik got the belt
and that I would get it afterwards...
482
00:29:33,062 --> 00:29:36,817
because we needed someone
as a figurehead for the expansion...
483
00:29:36,900 --> 00:29:40,737
that was a business decision
that Vince had to execute creatively.
484
00:29:41,821 --> 00:29:43,657
And it worked.
485
00:29:43,740 --> 00:29:48,704
Many fans think that Hulk is Hogan
is the best pro wrestling champion ever.
486
00:29:48,787 --> 00:29:53,792
You can understand the importance of Hulk Hogan
don't exaggerate.
487
00:29:53,875 --> 00:29:57,546
If it wasn't for Hulk Hogan,
Vince's expansion had failed.
488
00:29:57,629 --> 00:29:59,839
I'm almost certain.
489
00:30:00,882 --> 00:30:03,009
Pro wrestling is driven by stars.
490
00:30:03,092 --> 00:30:06,221
And stars make you popular.
491
00:30:06,805 --> 00:30:10,267
Vince was much better at creating
of stars than those other promoters.
492
00:30:10,350 --> 00:30:11,518
Because his father was.
493
00:30:12,185 --> 00:30:17,524
Vince McMahon Sr. was very good
in making stars of his best boys.
494
00:30:17,607 --> 00:30:20,318
That was more important than good matches.
495
00:30:20,401 --> 00:30:23,238
That was Vince's strength,
for it was his father's strength.
496
00:30:23,863 --> 00:30:27,200
At some point
my father said he was proud of me.
497
00:30:27,826 --> 00:30:30,912
He said, 'All those friends of mine
are not real friends.
498
00:30:30,995 --> 00:30:34,374
Those promoters with whom I...
working together all these years...
499
00:30:34,457 --> 00:30:37,377
can drop dead.
You're better than them.
500
00:30:37,460 --> 00:30:39,713
I'm proud of you. They can drop dead.'
501
00:30:39,796 --> 00:30:42,507
And I thought: wow.
502
00:30:43,049 --> 00:30:46,219
The first time Dad said something like that,
that he was on my side.
503
00:30:47,345 --> 00:30:50,098
He waited for me to succeed.
504
00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,476
Maybe he always felt that way,
but didn't say it.
505
00:30:53,977 --> 00:30:56,729
That was one of the most beautiful moments
of my life.
506
00:30:59,607 --> 00:31:00,567
Until...
507
00:31:01,109 --> 00:31:04,738
WRESTLING PROMOTER VINCE McMAHON
DIED AT THE AGE OF 69
508
00:31:04,821 --> 00:31:09,034
Please all rise for a moment of silence...
509
00:31:09,117 --> 00:31:12,829
for Mr. Vincent J. McMahon.
510
00:31:13,329 --> 00:31:17,667
The day before he died was the only time
that he said he loved me.
511
00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:20,461
But he did say it.
Before his death.
512
00:31:21,838 --> 00:31:23,089
God, that felt so good.
513
00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:27,677
Whether they care about you or not...
514
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:30,597
it's so nice to have someone
who you care about.
515
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:33,850
I had the chance to really
to give my father...
516
00:31:33,933 --> 00:31:35,435
and to love him.
517
00:31:38,271 --> 00:31:41,900
I don't think he liked his father.
518
00:31:42,817 --> 00:31:44,027
Why do you say that?
519
00:31:46,946 --> 00:31:51,076
Then Jr. appeared, he knew
that wrestling would change.
520
00:31:51,159 --> 00:31:53,119
It couldn't stay the same.
521
00:31:53,202 --> 00:31:58,124
Every idea he had
made his father angry.
522
00:31:58,207 --> 00:31:59,709
And the wrestlers too.
523
00:31:59,792 --> 00:32:02,837
In the locker room
they discussed how crazy he was.
524
00:32:03,421 --> 00:32:08,843
When Vince took over the company
and started clashing with his father...
525
00:32:09,969 --> 00:32:16,601
that was mainly
because Vince Sr. wasn't prepared...
526
00:32:16,684 --> 00:32:20,647
to accept which direction
would enter the industry.
527
00:32:22,523 --> 00:32:26,486
Vince came up with all these crazy ideas.
528
00:32:27,111 --> 00:32:29,447
It was just... It wasn't wrestling.
529
00:32:30,031 --> 00:32:34,494
Vince had ideas about programs
for a younger audience...
530
00:32:35,078 --> 00:32:39,583
and did not want to conceal it
that it went according to scripts.
531
00:32:39,666 --> 00:32:42,878
Vince wanted to grow and expand.
532
00:32:42,961 --> 00:32:45,838
While everyone was looking at the wards...
533
00:32:46,506 --> 00:32:49,926
Vince knew that national cable TV
was the future.
534
00:32:50,009 --> 00:32:55,682
It was clear to me from the start
that Vince wanted more distribution.
535
00:32:55,765 --> 00:33:00,687
became USA Network
the marketing channel for the WWE.
536
00:33:01,270 --> 00:33:05,108
Vince always had something new to promote.
537
00:33:06,067 --> 00:33:11,197
Vince wasn't in wrestling.
He was in entertainment.
538
00:33:13,074 --> 00:33:16,703
For example: when he took over...
539
00:33:16,786 --> 00:33:21,249
he made that talk show.
We thought he was crazy.
540
00:33:21,332 --> 00:33:23,209
Thank you and welcome to TNT...
541
00:33:23,292 --> 00:33:25,962
That was so much fun.
542
00:33:26,546 --> 00:33:27,589
Indeed.
543
00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:31,092
It was the Wild West in talk show form.
544
00:33:32,051 --> 00:33:33,011
It was hilarious.
545
00:33:34,470 --> 00:33:35,931
Stupid idiot.
546
00:33:36,014 --> 00:33:39,184
Vince experimented
in different ways...
547
00:33:39,267 --> 00:33:42,145
to showcase the talent
to other audiences.
548
00:33:42,228 --> 00:33:44,272
I'm for that.
549
00:33:44,355 --> 00:33:49,277
He wanted to use wrestling
as a stepping stone to other things.
550
00:33:50,194 --> 00:33:54,074
Our company grew
and more opportunities opened up.
551
00:33:54,157 --> 00:33:57,285
And we thought, yes, we're doing this. And that.
552
00:33:57,869 --> 00:34:02,415
The voice of the WWE
and host of TNT, Mr. Vince McMahon.
553
00:34:04,333 --> 00:34:08,755
Dave, as you know,
there are a lot of mothers in New York...
554
00:34:08,838 --> 00:34:11,924
Vince and you had
an overlap in the beginning.
555
00:34:14,343 --> 00:34:17,430
It was the show
of Letterman's third anniversary.
556
00:34:17,513 --> 00:34:21,601
They decided that if there was a baby
was born during that show...
557
00:34:21,684 --> 00:34:25,063
that baby would become the Late Night Baby.
558
00:34:25,146 --> 00:34:29,943
They sent Vince McMahon to
one maternity ward and me to another.
559
00:34:30,026 --> 00:34:32,654
Vince, I have a question for you.
-Yes, David.
560
00:34:32,737 --> 00:34:34,155
Is that your tuxedo?
561
00:34:34,238 --> 00:34:36,240
No.
-Okay.
562
00:34:38,409 --> 00:34:41,079
Vince liked it
to be with Letterman.
563
00:34:41,162 --> 00:34:44,248
It was awful
culturally hip show.
564
00:34:44,957 --> 00:34:49,713
It was a sign of credibility
if David Letterman gave you approval.
565
00:34:49,796 --> 00:34:52,215
I have a question, Larry.
Is that your tuxedo?
566
00:34:52,298 --> 00:34:55,051
No.
-Okay. Back to you.
567
00:34:55,676 --> 00:35:02,434
Vince always wanted different aspects
of entertainment.
568
00:35:02,517 --> 00:35:07,146
How can we collaborate with something
and strengthen both brands?
569
00:35:10,024 --> 00:35:14,279
Hi. You listen to MTV,
Music Television.
570
00:35:14,362 --> 00:35:16,114
I'm Cyndi Lauper.
571
00:35:16,197 --> 00:35:21,577
Cyndi Lauper was on MTV at the time.
She was a big star.
572
00:35:25,665 --> 00:35:28,001
For the uninformed, this is Cyndi Lauper.
573
00:35:28,084 --> 00:35:32,547
From her debut album She's So Unusual
four singles reached the top five.
574
00:35:32,630 --> 00:35:35,341
In the video for
'Girls Just Want to Have Fun...'
575
00:35:35,424 --> 00:35:38,303
Captain Lou Albano appeared
as Cyndi's father.
576
00:35:38,386 --> 00:35:41,598
Cyndi Lauper met Captain Lou Albano
on an airplane.
577
00:35:41,681 --> 00:35:43,349
I want to see Cyndi Lauper.
578
00:35:43,432 --> 00:35:46,061
She thought they could do something together.
579
00:35:46,144 --> 00:35:48,271
Heavy metal wrestling is cool.
580
00:35:48,354 --> 00:35:52,191
That was an opportunity to become bigger.
For both of us.
581
00:35:52,859 --> 00:35:56,237
Tell them
how i made you a superstar.
582
00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,032
Tell me how you live off my reputation.
583
00:35:59,115 --> 00:36:01,576
That women are nothing.
-What?
584
00:36:03,494 --> 00:36:07,624
Cyndi worked with us
and MTV then thought:
585
00:36:07,707 --> 00:36:10,668
Cyndi does a lot with that other genre.
586
00:36:10,751 --> 00:36:13,046
Let's do that too.
587
00:36:13,129 --> 00:36:15,882
This week on MTV: The Brawl on Sunday...
588
00:36:15,965 --> 00:36:18,343
We did two TV shows on MTV.
589
00:36:18,426 --> 00:36:22,388
Good ratings for MTV
and it was a beautiful story.
590
00:36:22,471 --> 00:36:24,974
I dare you, you fat windbag.
591
00:36:25,057 --> 00:36:27,894
At that time, women's wrestling was...
592
00:36:29,729 --> 00:36:32,398
Tasteless in a tawdry industry.
593
00:36:32,481 --> 00:36:33,733
I'll tell you...
594
00:36:33,816 --> 00:36:37,529
I wanted Cyndi to work together
with a female wrestler.
595
00:36:37,612 --> 00:36:39,572
That made that division more valuable.
596
00:36:41,073 --> 00:36:42,951
Yes.
-Moolah is dying.
597
00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:44,953
Indeed.
598
00:36:45,036 --> 00:36:48,080
We chose Wendi Richter
to represent Cyndi.
599
00:36:48,664 --> 00:36:51,167
I suddenly got a call from her.
600
00:36:51,250 --> 00:36:54,671
She asked if I was her
wanted to represent in the ring.
601
00:36:54,754 --> 00:36:56,464
And I said, 'Of course.'
602
00:36:57,215 --> 00:37:02,470
The challenger's manager: Cyndi Lauper.
603
00:37:04,472 --> 00:37:09,352
The audience was excited.
That was because she was there.
604
00:37:09,435 --> 00:37:11,437
The crowd goes crazy.
605
00:37:12,396 --> 00:37:16,109
A lot of my friends and I
were wrestling fans.
606
00:37:16,192 --> 00:37:19,654
We liked the quasi-seriousness of it.
607
00:37:19,737 --> 00:37:23,908
A mainstream sports presenter...
608
00:37:23,991 --> 00:37:27,579
that Hulk Hogan
and introduces Rowdy Roddy Piper.
609
00:37:27,662 --> 00:37:29,122
And he does it seriously.
610
00:37:29,205 --> 00:37:31,666
Thanks, Howard. This is truly an honor.
611
00:37:31,749 --> 00:37:33,834
It was funny. Great.
612
00:37:34,585 --> 00:37:35,503
They're going wild.
613
00:37:37,755 --> 00:37:39,465
The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection.
614
00:37:41,217 --> 00:37:42,176
Watch out.
615
00:37:43,219 --> 00:37:46,931
You can't mean this.
Here comes Mr T, ladies and gentlemen.
616
00:37:47,014 --> 00:37:51,769
I was friends with Mr T
and it was very popular at the time.
617
00:37:51,852 --> 00:37:53,396
Really extreme.
618
00:37:54,397 --> 00:37:57,066
So you bring
that celebrity into our world.
619
00:37:57,984 --> 00:38:01,196
It's a madhouse.
What is this? Ladies and gentlemen...
620
00:38:01,279 --> 00:38:02,405
It's chaos.
621
00:38:03,614 --> 00:38:04,699
WINNER
622
00:38:04,782 --> 00:38:07,452
That collaboration with MTV...
623
00:38:07,535 --> 00:38:10,622
was a big step further
than what we had already done.
624
00:38:10,705 --> 00:38:12,540
MTV was extremely popular.
625
00:38:12,623 --> 00:38:19,505
So Vince McMahon's product
was no longer for the back rooms.
626
00:38:19,588 --> 00:38:21,590
It became mainstream.
627
00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,052
It changed wrestling.
628
00:38:24,135 --> 00:38:27,889
Now people can say:
"I watch wrestling."
629
00:38:27,972 --> 00:38:32,060
Andy Warhol, what do you think?
of what happened here before?
630
00:38:32,143 --> 00:38:36,898
I'm speechless. It's so exciting.
I have no words for it.
631
00:38:36,981 --> 00:38:38,399
It's not over yet.
632
00:38:38,482 --> 00:38:42,194
This was just the tip of the iceberg.
633
00:38:43,821 --> 00:38:49,327
The company grew by leaps and bounds
and I enjoyed the work.
634
00:38:49,410 --> 00:38:52,872
But my wife finally said:
"You need a vacation."
635
00:38:52,955 --> 00:38:56,375
I went to the Caribbean,
for two days.
636
00:38:57,043 --> 00:39:00,588
The next day I said:
'We do one big event a year...
637
00:39:00,671 --> 00:39:04,133
just like the Super Bowl.
We call it WrestleMania.”
638
00:39:04,717 --> 00:39:08,680
She looked at me and said:
'You haven't relaxed.
639
00:39:08,763 --> 00:39:10,431
You were thinking about business.”
640
00:39:11,432 --> 00:39:14,727
WrestleMania is Sunday afternoon, March 31.
641
00:39:14,810 --> 00:39:19,023
Mr T wrestles for the first time
and teams up with Hulk Hogan...
642
00:39:19,106 --> 00:39:23,695
The best wrestling production ever in the world.
643
00:39:23,778 --> 00:39:25,446
This will be wrestling history.
644
00:39:25,529 --> 00:39:27,615
The Woodstock of pro wrestling.
645
00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:31,327
WrestleMania was just common sense.
646
00:39:31,952 --> 00:39:33,037
There was a Super Bowl...
647
00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,040
and other major events
sports and such...
648
00:39:36,123 --> 00:39:40,962
so why didn't we
something big at the end of the season?
649
00:39:41,045 --> 00:39:42,505
WrestleMania.
-WrestleMania.
650
00:39:42,588 --> 00:39:43,464
WrestleMania.
651
00:39:43,547 --> 00:39:48,970
We could do that huge event
shown on 'closed-circuit'.
652
00:39:49,053 --> 00:39:54,267
More than a million people are watching
via closed-circuit TV in the US.
653
00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:57,603
Closed circuit was a big projector...
654
00:39:57,686 --> 00:40:01,607
that on a big screen in a stadium
showed what you presented.
655
00:40:01,690 --> 00:40:05,570
You paid entrance fee
to watch, as if it were live.
656
00:40:05,653 --> 00:40:09,824
That concept sounds ridiculous now,
but then it was like that.
657
00:40:10,825 --> 00:40:14,620
Closed circuit TV
in every major city in the US.
658
00:40:14,703 --> 00:40:19,125
And it can also be seen
in 24 other countries on a big screen.
659
00:40:19,208 --> 00:40:20,877
HULK AND MR T AT WRESTLEMANIA
660
00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:23,171
The hype worked so well
that Hulk Hogan and Mr T...
661
00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:27,050
received the ultimate yuppie honor:
Presenting Saturday Night Live.
662
00:40:27,133 --> 00:40:31,137
Mr T and Hulk Hogan.
663
00:40:31,637 --> 00:40:33,097
There's a big match coming up.
664
00:40:33,180 --> 00:40:36,351
At Madison Square Garden.
WrestleMania. Hulk Hogan...
665
00:40:36,434 --> 00:40:41,814
In terms of publicity for WrestleMania
you wanted as much press as possible.
666
00:40:43,107 --> 00:40:44,984
It was at Madison Square Garden.
667
00:40:45,067 --> 00:40:47,695
This isn't real wrestling.
It's a romp.
668
00:40:47,778 --> 00:40:52,491
And John Stossel wanted
interview our artists.
669
00:40:53,117 --> 00:40:57,288
John Stossel claimed he wanted to know
or Hulk Hogan really...
670
00:40:57,371 --> 00:40:59,415
was so popular
as the New York Times said.
671
00:40:59,498 --> 00:41:03,628
He asked, 'Are you using it?
razor blades for bleeding?'
672
00:41:03,711 --> 00:41:06,422
I said, 'Seriously?
Isn't that masochistic?'
673
00:41:06,505 --> 00:41:09,801
I already had wounds on my face
of the weeks before.
674
00:41:09,884 --> 00:41:12,261
I went straight to Vince.
675
00:41:12,344 --> 00:41:17,767
I said, 'Vince, he's not here
to hear how popular Hulk Hogan is.
676
00:41:17,850 --> 00:41:19,810
He wants to expose wrestling.”
677
00:41:20,561 --> 00:41:22,730
Vince came into the locker room...
678
00:41:22,813 --> 00:41:26,150
and said there was a journalist walking around
those wrestlers asked...
679
00:41:26,233 --> 00:41:27,276
whether wrestling was fake.
680
00:41:27,860 --> 00:41:31,447
Fans, unfortunately it's fake.
681
00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:34,492
He said, 'If only someone would do something to him.'
682
00:41:35,159 --> 00:41:40,039
I didn't hear Vince McMahon say anything
about putting him in his place.
683
00:41:40,122 --> 00:41:41,499
I've never heard that.
684
00:41:42,082 --> 00:41:44,210
He didn't order us to do it...
685
00:41:44,293 --> 00:41:50,424
but he said, 'If only someone would fix that.'
And then he walked away again.
686
00:41:51,300 --> 00:41:55,972
There was a wrestler, David Schultz,
who decided to take it upon himself.
687
00:41:56,055 --> 00:41:58,182
I think it's fake.
-Is it fake?
688
00:41:59,475 --> 00:42:03,938
David Schultz started from scratch
To hit Stossel.
689
00:42:04,021 --> 00:42:05,397
Is it fake, do you think? Come...
690
00:42:06,857 --> 00:42:08,359
Cut.
-What do you mean?
691
00:42:08,859 --> 00:42:12,989
What was Vince's reaction
when John was beaten?
692
00:42:13,072 --> 00:42:16,451
We celebrated.
Not just Vince, everyone.
693
00:42:16,534 --> 00:42:19,495
David got pats on the back and drinks.
694
00:42:20,079 --> 00:42:23,499
We wanted to protect the industry.
695
00:42:23,582 --> 00:42:27,795
Wrestling isn't fake.
It's fixed. It's a show.
696
00:42:27,878 --> 00:42:31,674
But for the past ten years
I have been operated on 23 times.
697
00:42:31,757 --> 00:42:32,675
In ten years.
698
00:42:32,758 --> 00:42:36,929
Then explain how that is fake.
I don't know anything.
699
00:42:37,012 --> 00:42:41,225
You have to realize
that they were protecting the industry.
700
00:42:41,308 --> 00:42:42,643
We loved it.
701
00:42:43,143 --> 00:42:46,522
Until the lawsuit came. Then things went wrong.
702
00:42:46,605 --> 00:42:47,982
How are you doing physically?
703
00:42:48,566 --> 00:42:51,736
According to a doctor
Do I have permanent hearing damage...
704
00:42:51,819 --> 00:42:54,864
Mainstream culture
came to pro wrestling.
705
00:42:54,947 --> 00:42:58,451
But pro wrestling
wasn't ready for primetime.
706
00:42:58,534 --> 00:43:00,953
You also saw that on The Richard Belzer Show.
707
00:43:01,745 --> 00:43:05,208
Hulk Hogan, the one best
could deal with the media...
708
00:43:05,291 --> 00:43:11,506
from the entire club, came
ends up in a bizarre shitty situation.
709
00:43:11,589 --> 00:43:15,593
You don't know what's going on.
You sat in a hut on the heath.
710
00:43:15,676 --> 00:43:18,637
Let me explain.
I'll tell you how it is.
711
00:43:19,638 --> 00:43:22,308
It's tough as people
want to undermine the profession.
712
00:43:22,391 --> 00:43:24,560
I'm not afraid of anyone.
713
00:43:24,643 --> 00:43:25,895
I believe you.
-Get it?
714
00:43:25,978 --> 00:43:27,355
Absolutely.
-Are you a man?
715
00:43:27,438 --> 00:43:28,981
What do you think?
-No idea.
716
00:43:29,064 --> 00:43:30,274
Do you want to go outside?
717
00:43:30,816 --> 00:43:35,238
Richard Belzer said:
"Do one of those wrestling moves on me."
718
00:43:35,321 --> 00:43:37,740
Just tell me when
he has to stop screaming.
719
00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:41,994
I did a front chin lock.
720
00:43:42,661 --> 00:43:45,623
What do you think, T?
-Hold him like this.
721
00:43:46,665 --> 00:43:49,043
When I let him go
he hurt his head.
722
00:43:51,420 --> 00:43:56,717
Belzer fell to the ground.
Hulk thought it was fake.
723
00:43:57,468 --> 00:43:59,887
But he was injured.
724
00:44:01,513 --> 00:44:03,266
You're bleeding...
-Be right back.
725
00:44:03,349 --> 00:44:05,768
He hurt his head when he fell.
726
00:44:05,851 --> 00:44:07,395
This was not good.
727
00:44:07,478 --> 00:44:12,650
I have Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon
and WWE all sued.
728
00:44:12,733 --> 00:44:14,986
Yes. Vince wasn't happy with me.
729
00:44:15,069 --> 00:44:19,740
It was a vulnerable phase
from WrestleMania I...
730
00:44:19,823 --> 00:44:22,785
and I better not strangle people.
731
00:44:22,868 --> 00:44:24,578
WrestleMania was a big risk.
732
00:44:25,329 --> 00:44:28,583
Vince had everything on success
kicked out of WrestleMania.
733
00:44:28,666 --> 00:44:30,167
He had put a lot of money into it.
734
00:44:30,250 --> 00:44:32,712
If it had failed,
he had gone bankrupt.
735
00:44:32,795 --> 00:44:36,549
And that is very possible.
736
00:44:36,632 --> 00:44:41,345
My parents had mortgaged everything
to make WrestleMania I possible.
737
00:44:42,346 --> 00:44:46,517
I was so young
that I didn't understand what that meant.
738
00:44:47,017 --> 00:44:50,688
They never talked about finances
in front of us. But you felt it.
739
00:44:50,771 --> 00:44:56,277
My father kept saying, 'This will work',
and: 'We put a lot into it.'
740
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,822
I was still a teenager. I thought...
741
00:44:59,905 --> 00:45:01,615
We didn't have enough money.
742
00:45:02,199 --> 00:45:05,577
If it failed,
we were in trouble.
743
00:45:06,537 --> 00:45:08,247
That seems correct to me.
744
00:45:09,790 --> 00:45:12,376
Welcome, everyone.
Gorilla Monsoon at the ring...
745
00:45:12,459 --> 00:45:18,924
at WrestleMania,
the WWE's spectacular wrestling show.
746
00:45:19,633 --> 00:45:22,261
I knew if this didn't work...
747
00:45:23,053 --> 00:45:25,723
we had nothing left at all.
748
00:45:29,351 --> 00:45:31,896
More than 35,000 men stand up.
749
00:45:31,979 --> 00:45:34,565
It's so exciting.
750
00:45:35,607 --> 00:45:38,152
The crowd supports Hulk Hogan and Mr T.
751
00:45:40,112 --> 00:45:42,448
It was a big gamble...
752
00:45:45,576 --> 00:45:46,577
Nose to nose.
753
00:45:47,536 --> 00:45:50,414
...but so much went right that night.
754
00:45:50,998 --> 00:45:52,875
It was a great success.
755
00:45:54,209 --> 00:45:57,504
From Vince's perspective
it was a huge success.
756
00:45:58,255 --> 00:46:01,383
It was the sum of its parts.
757
00:46:01,925 --> 00:46:03,469
At WrestleMania I...
758
00:46:03,552 --> 00:46:07,139
I wanted to make a statement
about what our profession actually is.
759
00:46:07,222 --> 00:46:10,559
We wanted all shapes
of entertainment together.
760
00:46:11,685 --> 00:46:17,107
If you have special people out
different forms of entertainment...
761
00:46:17,649 --> 00:46:19,777
then that is sports entertainment.
That's us.
762
00:46:21,236 --> 00:46:23,989
All circumstances came together perfectly.
763
00:46:24,072 --> 00:46:29,245
Vince was excited and happy.
You could tell he was overjoyed.
764
00:46:29,328 --> 00:46:31,955
He was over the moon.
He knew he had succeeded.
765
00:46:33,248 --> 00:46:36,460
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T
in a tag team revenge match?
766
00:46:36,543 --> 00:46:38,254
They called it WrestleMania.
767
00:46:38,337 --> 00:46:41,632
The biggest event in pro wrestling
since Gorgeous George.
768
00:46:41,715 --> 00:46:44,719
Everyone at Madison Square Garden
and all over the world...
769
00:46:44,802 --> 00:46:46,804
now you know what it's all about.
770
00:46:46,887 --> 00:46:50,307
Just before the first WrestleMania
the industry was doing well.
771
00:46:51,058 --> 00:46:55,103
Vince was the strongest,
but all departments were still running.
772
00:46:55,896 --> 00:46:58,441
After WrestleMania I, no one knew...
773
00:46:58,524 --> 00:47:01,568
neither do the other promoters,
but Vince won the war with that.
774
00:47:02,778 --> 00:47:05,030
I don't know
whether it was good for the industry.
775
00:47:05,113 --> 00:47:08,450
Well for me and my organization.
That's all I cared about.
776
00:47:09,993 --> 00:47:16,208
After WrestleMania there were
more cameras in the buildings in every city.
777
00:47:16,291 --> 00:47:18,335
People wanted to interview us.
778
00:47:18,418 --> 00:47:22,047
It was such a success
that the company grew rapidly.
779
00:47:22,756 --> 00:47:26,886
With that momentum changed
the wrestling industry...
780
00:47:26,969 --> 00:47:30,222
of cigar smokers and beer drinkers
who wanted to see violence...
781
00:47:30,806 --> 00:47:34,393
in families in the front row
who wanted to buy merchandise.
782
00:47:34,476 --> 00:47:38,730
It made wrestling so mainstream...
783
00:47:39,481 --> 00:47:42,234
that we became a keeper.
784
00:47:47,155 --> 00:47:49,408
WrestleMania I was a huge success.
785
00:47:50,158 --> 00:47:54,413
It achieved more than Vince
could ever have dreamed of for his company.
786
00:47:55,372 --> 00:47:58,333
But tall trees catch a lot of wind.
787
00:47:59,459 --> 00:48:01,295
And Vince became a target.
788
00:48:02,129 --> 00:48:04,923
That expression
'There is no such thing as bad publicity...'
789
00:48:05,924 --> 00:48:07,551
is nonsense. It does exist.
790
00:48:08,677 --> 00:48:13,682
Accusations emerge
that will make wrestling fans furious.
791
00:48:13,765 --> 00:48:17,228
A lawsuit is looming
for the head of the WWE.
792
00:48:17,311 --> 00:48:19,605
The scandal threatens him
to throw out of the ring.
793
00:48:20,397 --> 00:48:22,691
After that great success...
794
00:48:23,233 --> 00:48:26,654
Vince got tangled up
in a series of scandals...
795
00:48:26,737 --> 00:48:29,114
who turned his world upside down
threaten to put.
796
00:48:37,706 --> 00:48:42,461
IN 1987, JOHN STOSSEL SETTLED HIS LAW
AGAINST DAVID SCHULTZ AND TITAN SPORTS (WWE)
797
00:48:42,544 --> 00:48:43,754
FOR $425,000.
798
00:48:43,837 --> 00:48:48,008
IN 1990, RICHARD BELZER SETTLEMENT
HIS TRIAL AGAINST VINCE McMAHON,
799
00:48:48,091 --> 00:48:52,179
HULK HOGAN AND TITAN SPORTS (WWE)
FOR AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT.
800
00:50:54,634 --> 00:50:59,639
Translation: Jolanda Jongedijk