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[audience cheering]
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[backing vocalists] ♪ Baby! ♪
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[upbeat music playing]
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[audience cheering]
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♪ I was just a boy ♪
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♪ Everybody told me ♪
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♪ What I should do, who I should be ♪
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♪ Ain't never understood
The kinda man I am ♪
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♪ I do my own thinking ♪
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- ♪ Got a lot of big plans, stand back ♪
- ♪ Stand back ♪
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♪ I'm a man running wild ♪
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♪ Heading for the top ♪
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♪ Never slowing down
And I'm never gonna stop ♪
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♪ Along the way you're gonna see
A lot of men drop ♪
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♪ Baby, watch them drop ♪
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♪ Baby, baby ♪
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♪ Headed for the top, stand back ♪
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♪ Stand back ♪
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♪ Stand back ♪
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♪ Stand back! ♪
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- Woo!
- [crowd cheering and applauding]
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[applause fades]
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- [bell ringing]
- [crowd cheering]
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[Gorilla Monsoon]
Every man for himself in there!
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And the Hulkster at this moment
cleaning house on The Honky Tonk Man!
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Look at him!
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Professional wrestling.
It's always been popular,
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but lately it's been emerging
from second-rate arenas
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to attract a whole new generation of fans.
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[crowd cheering]
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[Dave Meltzer] '84 and '85
was a very pivotal year in wrestling.
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Things were changing rapidly.
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WrestleMania I was very, very successful.
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Vince was ahead of everyone when it came
to understanding how to market
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{\an8}and had the more modern product,
and he had the bigger stars.
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{\an8}[reporter] This once-scorned pastime
has grown so trendy
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{\an8}that NBC will soon begin
a regular late-night television program
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{\an8}combining rock, comedy, and wrestling.
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[upbeat music playing]
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[McMahon] Saturday Night's Main Event
was on NBC late night
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whenever Saturday Night Live
takes a break,
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And had a big impact
on the perception of the business.
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That was a real big deal
to be on network television.
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My love, my life, wrestling,
is on network television.
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- [commentator 1] Look at that!
- [commentator 2] My goodness!
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- [screams]
- Oh my God.
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That was crazy.
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[Gorilla Monsoon] Oh yeah!
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Hogan scoops him up!
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[exclaiming]
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[Prichard] When you look
at pivotal moments in our industry,
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Saturday Night's Main Event
was a huge coup.
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[crowd cheering]
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So, WrestleMania is this huge success,
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and they start doing more TV shows,
more live shows.
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Now they're out there every night,
touring the country.
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But you're doing all of this
on the backs of the wrestlers,
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who have to work twice as hard
to make the business grow.
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We wrestled seven days a week.
I don't know if people knew that.
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We had no time off.
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[Jimmy Hart] It was seven days a week,
52 weeks a year,
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and so it was a pretty hard grind.
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- [Gorilla] No, he's not going to--
- [Gene Okerlund] Over the top rope!
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I wish they'd given me, uh,
a few more days off a year.
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[Meltzer] They could have been better
at managing the schedule,
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especially in the late '80s,
when it was just a disaster.
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...do the video package.
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[Meltzer] The schedule now,
I don't think it's that bad.
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They're on guaranteed contracts,
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so they're not under the same pressure
to perform while hurt.
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In the '80s,
if you were hurt and didn't wrestle,
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you were not paid.
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Because of that,
you wrestled hurt all the time,
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and the injuries got worse and worse
and worse, and you used painkillers.
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It was brutal.
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But at that time, it was about capturing
the most amount of money,
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and that is how they did it.
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Wrestlers, as a group,
were often exploited.
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These wrestlers were not unionized.
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They didn't have medical protection.
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There was definitely a need
for a union in wrestling.
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That's what Jesse Ventura
was trying to do.
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Please welcome Jesse "The Body" Ventura.
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[applause]
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[Terry Bollea]
Right before WrestleMania 2,
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Jesse was trying to start a union
and undermine Vince.
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{\an8}I'm here to make sure
that Vince McMahon tells it like it is...
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{\an8}[Bollea] I was
on Vince McMahon's team all the way,
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so I went straight to Vince,
said, "Jesse's stirring shit up, man."
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"You know,
he's trying to start a union here,
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and you're gonna have bunch of wrestlers
walk out on you at Madison Square Garden."
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"Just letting you know what's up."
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Hulk Hogan double-crossed Jesse
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and ratted on all the guys
that were trying to get a union going.
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Hulk Hogan stooged him out.
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Hogan ratted him out.
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The whole thing was a sham,
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something, uh, he pulled out of the air,
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mostly like, I don't know,
"We should get together."
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And quite frankly,
no one in the locker room
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would ever get behind Jesse.
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So what Vince would do,
he called each wrestler, one by one.
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He's like, "I know about the meeting."
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"Everybody that shows up for this
will not have a job in the morning."
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So nobody showed up.
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It was almost always acknowledged
that these guys will never go for it.
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These guys will never stick together.
And the wrestlers would tell me that too.
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"We say 'boycott WrestleMania'
all together,
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and half the guys are gonna
go back and do it and undercut us."
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Unionizing never happened.
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And I think it's less likely to happen now
than it was right before WrestleMania 2.
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[announcer] WrestleMania 2.
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What the world has come to.
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[McMahon] WrestleMania I was such
a success, so what do you do to top this?
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Oh. I know.
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We'll have an event from New York,
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{\an8}we'll have one from Chicago,
and we're gonna have one from LA.
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Three shows in one day?
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Okay. It's kind of impressive.
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WrestleMania 2 and the three cities,
that was a disaster.
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{\an8}To try to send a signal
from three different cities?
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It felt like we weren't in control.
Vince could not be in all three places.
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Beg your pardon?
We have technical problems.
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I just remember after that, Vince goes,
"We'll never do that again!" You know?
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[indistinct]
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[Shoemaker] WrestleMania 2
was a success in that it made money
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and that it wasn't a total catastrophe.
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[commentator] Beautiful...
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[Shoemaker] But even if it was
a commercial success,
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it wasn't a spectacle
on the level of WrestleMania I.
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So WrestleMania III, then,
was like. "Hmm."
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"What am I gonna do?"
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I knew there was a very large stadium
in Pontiac, Michigan.
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It seats 93,000 people
or something like that.
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It was almost like,
"Wow, could you really do that?" [laughs]
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I thought,
"With the right attraction we could."
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{\an8}That involved Andre the Giant.
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{\an8}[Gorilla] Andre the Giant,
ladies and gentlemen,
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is the only undefeated superstar
in professional wrestling.
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Hogan versus Andre.
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[commentator] Another headbutt,
and Hogan is in trouble.
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{\an8}[McMahon] Even though they had met
many times in the past,
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in order to sell tickets,
we would sell it as if they had never met.
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But I had to convince Andre
to come back to the business.
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[Bollea] At the time,
Andre's health was failing him.
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He needed crazy back surgery, as I recall.
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{\an8}[McMahon] Andre did a film in the UK...
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Were you burned by acid?
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...and was gonna cash his chips in.
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"Done as much as I can in the business.
I'm hurting. I can't move. I'm in pain."
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So I went over in the middle of that film,
said, "Andre, here's what I want to do."
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"I want you to get the operation
that you refuse to get,
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and I want you to come back
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and draw the largest crowd
that's ever been drawn."
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"How many seats, boss?" "93,000."
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[mimics Andre's laughter]
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He laughs.
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I said, "No, Andre, I'm serious."
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"You versus Hogan with the way
we can present this, you as the heel."
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Because he'd never been a heel, a bad guy.
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He was always a babyface.
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So he thought about it, and...
"Okay. I'll get the operation."
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[Andre] I'm here for one reason.
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To challenge you
for a world championship match
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in the WrestleMania.
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[crowd cheering]
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Are you or are you not
gonna fight him in WrestleMania III?
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Yes or no?!
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Yeah!
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[cheering]
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It was such a huge promotion.
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They're talking about it
all over the world.
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Heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan
to defend his crown
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against challenger Andre the Giant.
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[reporter 1] So great is the lure
that WrestleMania III
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will draw the largest audience
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ever to witness an indoor sporting
or entertainment event
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in the history of the world.
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We sold 93,000 seats.
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[reporter 2] We're expecting fans from
France, Germany, Africa, South America,
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the Orient, all over the world.
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[bell ringing]
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Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the magnificent Silverdome...
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[crowd cheering]
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...and welcome to WrestleMania III!
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[cheering intensifies]
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And now, the Queen of Soul,
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Ms. Aretha Franklin!
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[crowd cheering]
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[playing "America the Beautiful"]
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♪ Oh, beautiful... ♪
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[Gorilla] Take a look, Jesse, it's unreal.
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History will be made here this afternoon
at the Pontiac Silverdome.
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Little Beaver just gave Bundy
a shot in the boiler.
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Rowdy Roddy with a sleeper.
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From behind with a cane!
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- Bombs away!
- [Ventura] He got him!
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Oh! He broke his guitar!
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[Gorilla] And Alice Cooper is inside.
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[Ventura] He keeps holding pythons!
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[Gorilla] The Stars and Stripes
pinned on the end of that equalizer.
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♪ ...shining sea ♪
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[crowd cheering]
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[McMahon] There were
a lot of great attractions
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underneath this huge main event,
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but it was Hogan and Andre
that drew that house.
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Sooner or later, you gotta live and die,
and you gotta face the truth.
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And for you, Andre the Giant,
it's time to face the truth, brother.
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[Okerlund] Hulk Hogan has never met a man
bigger than him, stronger than him,
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and with a burning will inside,
more than Andre the Giant.
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[McMahon] Andre never told Hogan
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whether or not
he would allow Hogan to win the match.
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And Hulk kept coming to me,
"Did you talk to Andre?"
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I said, "I did." "Well, what did he say?"
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I said,
"There's not gonna be any problem."
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You couldn't force him to do anything.
Come on. He's a giant.
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[Bollea] I sat
in the locker room with Andre.
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I would say, "Hey, boss, any idea what
we're doing out there?" "Don't worry."
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Finally got a hold of Vince,
I said, "What's gonna happen?"
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"What am I doing out there?
Am I winning or losing?"
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He goes, "Andre will do the right thing.
Don't worry." What does that mean?
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[crowd cheering]
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[Gorilla] This is
the main event of the evening.
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He weighs 520 pounds.
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Andre the Giant!
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And now, his opponent, Hulk Hogan!
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[Bollea] When I walked out
to the Silverdome,
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I just couldn't believe how full it was.
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I said, "This is either gonna be
the easiest thing I've ever done,
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or this is gonna be a total disaster.
There's no in between."
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[Ventura] This is the biggest match
in the history of professional wrestling.
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[Gorilla] The irresistible force
meeting the immovable object.
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[Ventura] Look at the size of the giant!
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Up!
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[McMahon] We had this giant, and we had
this individual with so much charisma,
236
00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:54,422
who was almost a superhero. [chuckles]
237
00:11:55,172 --> 00:11:58,801
And the two of them colliding,
it was awesome.
238
00:11:58,801 --> 00:12:01,679
- [crowd cheering]
- [Gorilla speaking indistinctly]
239
00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:06,058
During the match, it was the first time
I realized how bad his back really was.
240
00:12:06,642 --> 00:12:09,478
I told him in the ring,
"Boss, stay close to the ropes,"
241
00:12:09,478 --> 00:12:12,523
because I knew
he couldn't get back up on his own.
242
00:12:12,523 --> 00:12:16,944
But we got through the match,
and then out of nowhere, he goes, "Slam!"
243
00:12:17,695 --> 00:12:21,449
And I went, "What?"
And when I said, "What?" he came at me.
244
00:12:21,449 --> 00:12:22,450
[thud]
245
00:12:23,284 --> 00:12:26,287
[Bollea] After I slammed him,
I dropped the leg and covered him.
246
00:12:26,287 --> 00:12:28,664
I didn't know if this was gonna be
a one-two kickout.
247
00:12:28,664 --> 00:12:31,500
I had no idea
if I was gonna win or lose the match.
248
00:12:31,500 --> 00:12:32,877
[interviewer] Until when?
249
00:12:34,003 --> 00:12:35,880
[Bollea] Until Andre didn't kick out.
250
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,798
[Gorilla] It's over! It's over!
251
00:12:38,924 --> 00:12:43,846
[Ventura] Unbelievable! I never thought
it could be done, Gorilla Monsoon.
252
00:12:44,555 --> 00:12:49,643
That moment in time,
it's just something very, very special.
253
00:12:50,227 --> 00:12:56,942
[Gorilla] World Wrestling Entertainment
heavyweight champion, Hulk Hogan!
254
00:12:56,942 --> 00:12:59,069
[Ventura] Listen to the emotion!
255
00:12:59,069 --> 00:13:00,863
[crowd cheering]
256
00:13:02,198 --> 00:13:05,409
[McMahon] That's probably
the greatest attraction we've ever had.
257
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,621
That's something
I'm very, very proud of today.
258
00:13:10,456 --> 00:13:15,586
WrestleMania III is a key part
of the WWE and Vince McMahon mythology
259
00:13:15,586 --> 00:13:17,379
and story of wrestling,
260
00:13:17,379 --> 00:13:20,216
that Andre the Giant
passed the torch to Hogan.
261
00:13:20,216 --> 00:13:23,511
The reality is Hogan was a bigger star
than Andre before that match happened.
262
00:13:23,511 --> 00:13:27,556
[Gorilla] Hulk Hogan,
electrifying this capacity crowd!
263
00:13:27,556 --> 00:13:29,016
" Andre had never lost."
264
00:13:29,016 --> 00:13:33,521
[Ventura] The first time in 15 years
Andre the Giant had ever been defeated.
265
00:13:33,521 --> 00:13:34,688
Nah, Andre lost.
266
00:13:34,688 --> 00:13:38,609
- [Ventura] Andre is out!
- [Gorilla] He's out! I can't believe it!
267
00:13:38,609 --> 00:13:39,944
"Andre had never been slammed."
268
00:13:39,944 --> 00:13:42,321
Been slammed probably
25 times before that. Maybe more.
269
00:13:42,321 --> 00:13:43,906
[Gorilla] Oh! Look at that!
270
00:13:43,906 --> 00:13:45,032
[thud]
271
00:13:45,032 --> 00:13:48,035
They've said 93,000 for so many years,
they probably believe it.
272
00:13:48,035 --> 00:13:49,495
93,000 people.
273
00:13:49,495 --> 00:13:51,497
93,173 people.
274
00:13:51,497 --> 00:13:55,626
We held the record
for 93,000 in that building.
275
00:13:55,626 --> 00:13:58,504
Yeah, it was actually
78,000 in the building.
276
00:14:00,172 --> 00:14:02,842
[Shoemaker] I don't know why
this is one of the greatest controversies
277
00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:04,426
in pro wrestling history.
278
00:14:05,052 --> 00:14:07,471
I think the truth is probably
somewhere in the middle,
279
00:14:07,471 --> 00:14:09,974
and I'm not sure that it matters at all.
280
00:14:09,974 --> 00:14:11,392
Nothing that any wrestler,
281
00:14:11,392 --> 00:14:14,979
that anybody involved in wrestling
tells you, should be regarded as fact.
282
00:14:15,896 --> 00:14:18,774
But regardless
of the real attendance figure,
283
00:14:18,774 --> 00:14:21,277
WrestleMania III was an enormous success.
284
00:14:21,277 --> 00:14:22,570
[upbeat music playing]
285
00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:26,031
[Gorilla] History is made here
in the Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan,
286
00:14:26,031 --> 00:14:30,369
and that guy right there
has made history all over the world.
287
00:14:30,369 --> 00:14:32,705
[McMahon] A victory for Hogan at that time
288
00:14:32,705 --> 00:14:34,874
would build him greater as an entertainer
289
00:14:34,874 --> 00:14:38,335
and an athlete
and representation of our brand,
290
00:14:38,919 --> 00:14:41,505
but of course,
the brand comes up that way too.
291
00:14:41,505 --> 00:14:45,509
♪ I am a real American ♪
292
00:14:45,509 --> 00:14:47,094
♪ Fight for the rights... ♪
293
00:14:47,094 --> 00:14:53,309
WrestleMania III changed the business,
and it launched me into superstar stratus.
294
00:14:53,309 --> 00:14:56,312
["Real American"
by Rick Derringer playing]
295
00:14:56,896 --> 00:14:58,272
[Robin Leach] He is the most famous
296
00:14:58,272 --> 00:15:00,691
and successful professional wrestler
the world has ever seen.
297
00:15:00,691 --> 00:15:03,944
His name alone can generate
millions of dollars of revenue,
298
00:15:03,944 --> 00:15:05,821
and when he performs at indoor arenas,
299
00:15:05,821 --> 00:15:09,241
he has attracted bigger crowds
than the Rolling Stones and even the Pope.
300
00:15:09,241 --> 00:15:11,035
[White] When Hulkamania was running wild,
301
00:15:11,619 --> 00:15:13,913
he gotta be
the most popular person in the world.
302
00:15:14,580 --> 00:15:18,250
You book Hogan on the card,
the building sold out. That was it.
303
00:15:19,168 --> 00:15:22,171
♪ I am a real American... ♪
304
00:15:22,171 --> 00:15:24,840
[Bob Costas] He was a figure
of national fame.
305
00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:29,428
You didn't even really have to be
someone who regularly watched wrestling.
306
00:15:29,428 --> 00:15:31,889
Hulk Hogan had broken through.
307
00:15:31,889 --> 00:15:33,724
[crowd cheering]
308
00:15:33,724 --> 00:15:35,517
[Stephanie] At that time, Hulk Hogan--
309
00:15:35,517 --> 00:15:37,770
That's all anybody talked about
was Hulk Hogan,
310
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:42,816
so I do remember feeling
a little bit of resentment as a kid,
311
00:15:42,816 --> 00:15:45,069
because my dad never got the credit
312
00:15:45,069 --> 00:15:48,781
that he deserved for creating all of this.
313
00:15:48,781 --> 00:15:49,823
After...
314
00:15:49,823 --> 00:15:52,868
[White] Every word that came out
of Hogan's mouth was Vince talking.
315
00:15:53,452 --> 00:15:55,079
[McMahon] Better stock 'em
on your shelves.
316
00:15:55,079 --> 00:15:58,624
Make sure you've got plenty of 'em
right on your shelves.
317
00:15:58,624 --> 00:16:03,253
Hogan and Vince were like one person.
Vince came up with the idea, Hogan did it.
318
00:16:04,463 --> 00:16:06,423
[Bollea] Every single thing was Vince.
319
00:16:07,007 --> 00:16:10,719
When he would tell me stuff,
I'd be, "Eh, I don't know, man,"
320
00:16:10,719 --> 00:16:12,096
but I'd do it anyway,
321
00:16:12,096 --> 00:16:15,099
because everything he did turned to gold.
322
00:16:15,099 --> 00:16:16,850
[announcer] With wrestling superstars...
323
00:16:16,850 --> 00:16:19,853
It's like having a real match
right in your own home.
324
00:16:19,853 --> 00:16:22,606
[McMahon] This huge swell of fans
and what have you
325
00:16:22,606 --> 00:16:24,858
that we now had, middle-class America,
326
00:16:24,858 --> 00:16:28,028
it's like, "Let's bring this together
and let's sell it."
327
00:16:28,028 --> 00:16:31,865
You can start by getting in shape
with a Hulkamania workout set.
328
00:16:31,865 --> 00:16:34,159
[announcer] 1-900-454-HULK.
329
00:16:34,159 --> 00:16:35,744
[all] Yay!
330
00:16:35,744 --> 00:16:38,122
{\an8}[reporter] One of the most
remarkable success stories
331
00:16:38,122 --> 00:16:39,456
has been written by the WWE,
332
00:16:39,456 --> 00:16:43,085
as marketing merchandise
grossed over 200 million last year alone.
333
00:16:43,085 --> 00:16:44,378
I'm Vince McMahon...
334
00:16:44,378 --> 00:16:46,714
[reporter] The man behind the magic,
the man behind the mic
335
00:16:46,714 --> 00:16:48,257
is Vince McMahon, Jr.
336
00:16:48,841 --> 00:16:50,509
[White] Vince never stopped.
337
00:16:50,509 --> 00:16:52,511
He didn't complain
about the hours he worked.
338
00:16:52,511 --> 00:16:54,304
He's a workaholic.
339
00:16:54,304 --> 00:16:58,267
As Hogan was out
doing the shows and drawing the money,
340
00:16:59,059 --> 00:17:01,395
Vince was out setting up other stuff.
341
00:17:02,563 --> 00:17:05,691
[McMahon] At that time,
because of the success that we had,
342
00:17:05,691 --> 00:17:07,818
Hogan wanted to be part of Hollywood.
343
00:17:08,610 --> 00:17:12,322
And I'm going, "Kill myself.
I'm gonna lose Hogan to Hollywood now."
344
00:17:12,322 --> 00:17:16,535
And I said, "Terry, you're going
to do a film, I'll do one with you."
345
00:17:16,535 --> 00:17:18,370
I knew nothing about filmmaking.
346
00:17:19,121 --> 00:17:23,459
So Terry and I decided,
"Well, all right, we'll go write a movie."
347
00:17:23,459 --> 00:17:27,629
It was basically Vince and I spending two,
two and a half days, in a hotel room
348
00:17:27,629 --> 00:17:29,256
writing the whole script.
349
00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,843
Didn't know what the hell we were doing.
We were just having fun.
350
00:17:32,843 --> 00:17:36,638
[announcer] The movie! The Hulkster
as you've never seen before!
351
00:17:36,638 --> 00:17:38,432
No Holds Barred!
352
00:17:38,432 --> 00:17:41,310
- [yelling]
- [clattering]
353
00:17:42,936 --> 00:17:44,813
It's not the world's worst movie...
354
00:17:44,813 --> 00:17:47,316
[groaning]
355
00:17:47,316 --> 00:17:50,527
...but uh, it wasn't great.
356
00:17:50,527 --> 00:17:52,738
What's that smell?
357
00:17:52,738 --> 00:17:54,990
Dookie.
358
00:17:54,990 --> 00:17:56,700
[Prichard] It was pretty hokey.
359
00:17:56,700 --> 00:17:58,035
Dookie?
360
00:17:58,035 --> 00:18:02,081
I thought, "I'll do this great movie,
and everyone's gonna wanna see it."
361
00:18:02,664 --> 00:18:04,500
Not exactly the way it worked out.
362
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:05,667
[sobbing]
363
00:18:05,667 --> 00:18:09,338
[McMahon] It didn't prevent Hogan
from then going to Hollywood,
364
00:18:09,338 --> 00:18:11,215
but it delayed it for a while.
365
00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:15,302
[interviewer] When did you notice
Hulkamania was starting to fade?
366
00:18:16,095 --> 00:18:20,933
You know, I go back,
and I look at WrestleMania VI.
367
00:18:20,933 --> 00:18:23,685
[Gorilla] The Hulkster
putting his title on the line
368
00:18:23,685 --> 00:18:25,646
against the Ultimate Warrior...
369
00:18:25,646 --> 00:18:30,901
At that time, for Hogan, his star
may have been fading a little bit.
370
00:18:31,485 --> 00:18:33,612
Do you want to live forever?
371
00:18:33,612 --> 00:18:36,448
[McMahon] You can't stay on top
every day, every year.
372
00:18:36,448 --> 00:18:40,202
It was probably time for Hogan
to be on the bench for a while.
373
00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:43,539
Hulk's getting older,
and you need something new.
374
00:18:43,539 --> 00:18:47,084
[Gorilla] The Ultimate Warrior!
375
00:18:47,084 --> 00:18:50,587
[Prichard] And Warrior
had a groundswell of popularity.
376
00:18:50,587 --> 00:18:54,174
[Gorilla] Listen to the ovation, Jess,
for the Ultimate Warrior!
377
00:18:54,174 --> 00:18:56,927
[Bollea] The Ultimate Warrior
was built better than me,
378
00:18:56,927 --> 00:18:58,887
and his colors were brighter than me.
379
00:18:59,972 --> 00:19:04,184
The only problem he had
was he wasn't in love with this business.
380
00:19:05,018 --> 00:19:08,355
It was a situation, behind that
shiny object, there wasn't much go.
381
00:19:09,106 --> 00:19:12,276
But I did what Andre did for me.
I passed the torch to him.
382
00:19:12,276 --> 00:19:14,736
[Gorilla] He's impervious to those moves!
383
00:19:14,736 --> 00:19:18,157
[Ventura] Unbelievable!
Hogan has never had anyone do that!
384
00:19:18,157 --> 00:19:19,575
[crowd cheering]
385
00:19:19,575 --> 00:19:21,535
[Gorilla] Look out! The big splash win!
386
00:19:21,535 --> 00:19:25,289
[Ventura] Two! And out! He got him!
387
00:19:26,206 --> 00:19:31,295
[Prichard] Warrior became the champion
and was very popular with the audience.
388
00:19:31,295 --> 00:19:33,338
As popular as Hulk? No.
389
00:19:33,338 --> 00:19:35,215
[crowd cheering]
390
00:19:35,215 --> 00:19:39,595
[Prichard] As time went on, Warrior wasn't
all that we had hoped he would be,
391
00:19:39,595 --> 00:19:43,015
and he was not a popular person backstage,
392
00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:48,562
so immediately you look at,
"Oh my God, we need to move back to Hulk."
393
00:19:49,146 --> 00:19:52,733
We had this storyline, uh,
in which Sergeant Slaughter,
394
00:19:52,733 --> 00:19:55,194
who was a big, huge fan favorite...
395
00:19:55,194 --> 00:19:56,778
[man] Sergeant Slaughter
396
00:19:56,778 --> 00:19:59,364
[McMahon] ...he was
a Marine Corps drill sergeant
397
00:19:59,364 --> 00:20:00,616
and a great American,
398
00:20:00,616 --> 00:20:06,163
so he, as a babyface, a good guy
in the parlance of our business,
399
00:20:06,163 --> 00:20:08,457
was turning into a bad guy.
400
00:20:09,166 --> 00:20:12,002
And, like any good organization,
you're always like,
401
00:20:12,002 --> 00:20:14,922
{\an8}"What can I take from pop culture?
What's happening out in the world,
402
00:20:14,922 --> 00:20:17,257
and how can we present it
in a different fashion?"
403
00:20:17,257 --> 00:20:22,262
So, there was a lot of heat,
as we call it, with Iraq and USA.
404
00:20:22,262 --> 00:20:24,681
Troops and civilians
on edge in the Middle East.
405
00:20:24,681 --> 00:20:28,685
So, okay, good.
Then we can capitalize on that.
406
00:20:28,685 --> 00:20:31,313
[Sergeant Slaughter] Atten-hut!
407
00:20:31,313 --> 00:20:33,649
[Okerlund] My guest this week,
ladies and gentlemen,
408
00:20:33,649 --> 00:20:38,695
is the former United States military man,
Sergeant Slaughter.
409
00:20:38,695 --> 00:20:41,823
[Ventura] Yeah, Sergeant "DD."
Dishonorable Discharge.
410
00:20:42,366 --> 00:20:44,868
[McMahon] Sergeant Slaughter
sort of was drafted
411
00:20:44,868 --> 00:20:47,829
into the Iraqi culture, so to speak,
412
00:20:47,829 --> 00:20:50,791
and now he wanted to represent Iraq.
413
00:20:50,791 --> 00:20:53,919
I will take the flag
414
00:20:53,919 --> 00:20:58,715
of the brave Iraqi country
415
00:20:58,715 --> 00:21:01,176
and raise it high in the air!
416
00:21:01,802 --> 00:21:05,847
[McMahon] We had this big storyline going
with Hogan versus Sergeant Slaughter,
417
00:21:05,847 --> 00:21:09,017
USA versus Iraq, and it was working.
418
00:21:09,017 --> 00:21:10,936
It was working really well.
419
00:21:10,936 --> 00:21:15,065
And then all of a sudden,
from a reality standpoint...
420
00:21:15,065 --> 00:21:16,608
ta-ta-ta-dum.
421
00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:20,946
Iraq invades Kuwait. We have Desert Storm.
422
00:21:20,946 --> 00:21:22,948
As I report to you,
423
00:21:22,948 --> 00:21:27,452
air attacks are underway
against military targets in Iraq.
424
00:21:27,452 --> 00:21:30,205
[Prichard] Having Sarge
as an Iraqi sympathizer,
425
00:21:30,872 --> 00:21:35,043
it was way too fresh,
way too new and in the now.
426
00:21:35,043 --> 00:21:38,297
It was like, "Wait a minute.
I've got a relative over there,
427
00:21:38,297 --> 00:21:42,217
or a niece, or something like that,
that's serving our country."
428
00:21:44,136 --> 00:21:46,138
The audience didn't want to see it.
429
00:21:46,805 --> 00:21:48,307
[Bollea] We got to the point where
430
00:21:48,307 --> 00:21:50,809
Sergeant Slaughter
was getting death threats at home,
431
00:21:50,809 --> 00:21:53,020
they wanted to kill his wife and his kids,
432
00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:56,106
so as far as telling a wrestling story,
it worked awesome.
433
00:21:56,106 --> 00:21:59,526
I just thought that,
"Phew, boy, this was a risky move here."
434
00:21:59,526 --> 00:22:01,611
Americans could die in this thing,
435
00:22:01,611 --> 00:22:05,574
{\an8}so change it up,
back off with the story line a little bit,
436
00:22:05,574 --> 00:22:07,534
but still have the match.
437
00:22:07,534 --> 00:22:10,162
[Gorilla] Once again,
the largest pay-per-view audience
438
00:22:10,162 --> 00:22:12,581
in the history of pay-per-view.
439
00:22:12,581 --> 00:22:15,709
Aw, no! Give me a break here!
440
00:22:16,793 --> 00:22:18,170
It's not over yet!
441
00:22:19,421 --> 00:22:21,423
Hulkster tearing it to pieces!
442
00:22:21,423 --> 00:22:24,301
You're not gonna do that
to the United States of America.
443
00:22:24,301 --> 00:22:26,094
It's over!
444
00:22:26,094 --> 00:22:27,471
[crowd cheering]
445
00:22:27,471 --> 00:22:29,681
[Gorilla] He got him! He got him!
446
00:22:29,681 --> 00:22:32,351
At the end of the day,
the great American won.
447
00:22:33,018 --> 00:22:35,729
[Gorilla] He did it for
World Wrestling Entertainment
448
00:22:35,729 --> 00:22:38,231
and for the United States of America!
449
00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:43,945
The wrestling of the early to mid-'80s,
I liked it a lot.
450
00:22:44,946 --> 00:22:46,615
I was very amused by it.
451
00:22:47,949 --> 00:22:52,788
But it took a nastier turn
somewhere down the line,
452
00:22:53,789 --> 00:22:56,833
and at some point,
it ceased to be something
453
00:22:56,833 --> 00:22:59,127
that I was comfortable
being involved with.
454
00:23:01,046 --> 00:23:02,464
[McMahon] You learn from everything,
455
00:23:02,464 --> 00:23:06,802
and since you have no control
over world events,
456
00:23:07,386 --> 00:23:10,555
you have to be very careful
associating yourself with events
457
00:23:10,555 --> 00:23:12,099
in the real world.
458
00:23:12,099 --> 00:23:15,477
Anything can happen, so don't go there.
459
00:23:16,728 --> 00:23:21,733
[Prichard] So we move back to Hulk,
and there wasn't, "Thank God Hulk's back."
460
00:23:21,733 --> 00:23:25,529
The audience was tired of Hulk,
461
00:23:25,529 --> 00:23:30,659
at least Hulk in that role
of being the All-American, being the hero.
462
00:23:31,368 --> 00:23:32,702
They were sick of him.
463
00:23:33,662 --> 00:23:36,164
And on top of that,
464
00:23:36,164 --> 00:23:41,795
there started being
the whispers of the Dr. Zahorian trial
465
00:23:41,795 --> 00:23:43,630
and whispers of all this other stuff.
466
00:23:43,630 --> 00:23:46,133
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania next Monday,
467
00:23:46,133 --> 00:23:50,429
a doctor will go on trial
charged with prescribing anabolic steroids
468
00:23:50,429 --> 00:23:52,264
to several professional wrestlers.
469
00:23:52,264 --> 00:23:55,892
[reporter] Dr. George Zahorian
has been indicted by a federal grand jury
470
00:23:55,892 --> 00:23:59,312
on 15 counts
of distributing muscle-building steroids.
471
00:23:59,896 --> 00:24:02,983
To my right, Dr. George Zahorian.
Thank you for joining us this week...
472
00:24:02,983 --> 00:24:04,734
[McMahon] Dr. George Zahorian
was appointed
473
00:24:04,734 --> 00:24:06,987
by the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Commission
474
00:24:06,987 --> 00:24:09,948
as the doctor of note for WWE.
475
00:24:09,948 --> 00:24:12,492
We had nothing to do
with who was appointed.
476
00:24:13,368 --> 00:24:15,454
His role was
to make sure that all the laws
477
00:24:15,454 --> 00:24:17,956
of the state athletic commission
were followed.
478
00:24:17,956 --> 00:24:20,292
He would be in our locker rooms
and things of that nature,
479
00:24:21,042 --> 00:24:25,088
and he began
to sell steroids to our talent.
480
00:24:25,589 --> 00:24:29,968
At that time,
steroids were part of the culture
481
00:24:29,968 --> 00:24:34,764
because all the stars during
that time period had the perfect bodies,
482
00:24:34,764 --> 00:24:36,641
and so it was the norm.
483
00:24:36,641 --> 00:24:39,603
You know? Like people
go to Starbucks before work,
484
00:24:39,603 --> 00:24:42,814
people took steroids
because they were wrestlers or actors
485
00:24:42,814 --> 00:24:45,692
or baseball players
or hockey players or football players.
486
00:24:46,776 --> 00:24:50,864
[Costas] It was an era where steroid use
in sports ran amok.
487
00:24:51,990 --> 00:24:54,534
If you just looked
at the wrestlers themselves,
488
00:24:54,534 --> 00:24:59,915
they went from, you know, a burly guy
who could plausibly be introduced
489
00:24:59,915 --> 00:25:03,460
as having come off
his grandpa's farm in Iowa,
490
00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:06,421
built his muscles
from hoisting bales of hay,
491
00:25:06,421 --> 00:25:09,007
to these guys who were like cyborgs.
492
00:25:09,966 --> 00:25:13,345
The WWE reeked of steroids.
493
00:25:13,929 --> 00:25:14,763
It's obvious.
494
00:25:14,763 --> 00:25:17,224
[Okerlund] Now you tell me
he ain't ripped.
495
00:25:18,016 --> 00:25:23,313
Dr. George Zahorian would come,
and he would have steroids and painkillers
496
00:25:23,313 --> 00:25:25,607
and sleeping pills and different things
497
00:25:25,607 --> 00:25:30,362
that he would then prescribe
and sell to the talent.
498
00:25:30,362 --> 00:25:34,533
He would check you for your match.
Blood pressure, pulse rate, and all that.
499
00:25:34,533 --> 00:25:36,826
And it's like,
"I need a few other things,"
500
00:25:36,826 --> 00:25:40,038
and then you'd negotiate
for your steroids and your pills.
501
00:25:40,872 --> 00:25:44,918
[McMahon] It wasn't illegal
to buy steroids from a physician.
502
00:25:44,918 --> 00:25:46,753
I bought some from him.
503
00:25:46,753 --> 00:25:51,049
But it was illegal
to prescribe them just to sell them.
504
00:25:51,633 --> 00:25:54,886
[Prichard] Steroids, early on,
they were legal.
505
00:25:54,886 --> 00:25:58,431
However, when they became illegal,
that's when it became an issue.
506
00:25:59,140 --> 00:26:01,393
[Shane McMahon] Following Reagan's era
of the war on drugs...
507
00:26:01,393 --> 00:26:03,103
[Reagan] Just say no.
508
00:26:03,687 --> 00:26:06,106
[Shane] ...the laws started changing,
509
00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:07,274
and at some point,
510
00:26:07,274 --> 00:26:10,569
steroids were categorized
as a Class III substance.
511
00:26:11,945 --> 00:26:14,322
[Prichard] The feeling was that
doctors were prescribing them
512
00:26:14,322 --> 00:26:17,284
not for the purpose
that they were intended for.
513
00:26:17,951 --> 00:26:21,788
[McMahon] So George Zahorian was arrested
by the federal government.
514
00:26:21,788 --> 00:26:24,791
The government came down hard on him
and sent him to jail.
515
00:26:24,791 --> 00:26:27,002
It's hard to believe
what's occurred today.
516
00:26:28,378 --> 00:26:31,131
All of the media hoopla
behind the steroid trial
517
00:26:32,257 --> 00:26:35,343
definitely came
at a really bad time for Vince.
518
00:26:36,303 --> 00:26:40,307
We had just started the WBF,
the World Bodybuilding Federation.
519
00:26:40,307 --> 00:26:43,351
Here comes
the World Bodybuilding Federation.
520
00:26:44,102 --> 00:26:46,688
I've always enjoyed
bodybuilding and physiques,
521
00:26:47,772 --> 00:26:50,233
so I thought maybe
I could get these bodybuilders
522
00:26:50,233 --> 00:26:52,152
to perform various routines
523
00:26:52,152 --> 00:26:54,738
and add a lot
of entertainment value to it.
524
00:26:55,238 --> 00:26:57,616
Turned out not a good time to do that,
525
00:26:58,533 --> 00:27:02,537
because bodybuilders,
all they do is take steroids.
526
00:27:02,537 --> 00:27:06,499
So, the writing's on the wall.
This is not gonna work.
527
00:27:06,499 --> 00:27:09,961
I decided, "Well, let's fold this."
528
00:27:11,004 --> 00:27:13,423
At that time, there was a lot of heat,
529
00:27:13,423 --> 00:27:16,885
and I felt like,
boy, I'm getting hit from all sides.
530
00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:20,430
Most of us think of professional wrestling
as harmless entertainment
531
00:27:20,430 --> 00:27:22,724
and Hulk Hogan as the King of the Ring.
532
00:27:22,724 --> 00:27:25,727
But was there a sinister side
to his success?
533
00:27:25,727 --> 00:27:29,606
[reporter] Dr. Zahorian testified
he had treated Hulk Hogan
534
00:27:29,606 --> 00:27:32,067
for a serious steroid abuse problem.
535
00:27:32,067 --> 00:27:36,404
After the Zahorian trial, Vince ended up
being pressured by the media
536
00:27:36,404 --> 00:27:38,073
to start steroid testing.
537
00:27:38,073 --> 00:27:40,325
When you see this symbol,
538
00:27:40,325 --> 00:27:45,080
you can be assured
of drug-free sports entertainment
539
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,875
that you and your entire family
can be proud of.
540
00:27:50,502 --> 00:27:54,381
I held a press conference and said,
"Hey, look, I took steroids."
541
00:27:54,381 --> 00:27:55,757
"Not anymore."
542
00:27:55,757 --> 00:27:58,510
"We're gonna establish
protocols and procedures
543
00:27:58,510 --> 00:28:01,054
to make certain
that none of our performers do either."
544
00:28:01,054 --> 00:28:04,808
World Wrestling Entertainment
will be the standard-bearer
545
00:28:04,808 --> 00:28:07,602
for drug-free sports and entertainment.
546
00:28:08,645 --> 00:28:09,938
[upbeat music playing]
547
00:28:09,938 --> 00:28:14,109
[McMahon] The same day,
Hulk Hogan went on The Arsenio Hall Show.
548
00:28:14,109 --> 00:28:19,572
Your name came up recently
when a doctor got himself into trouble.
549
00:28:19,572 --> 00:28:22,158
- Have you heard about this?
- Yeah, I've heard about it.
550
00:28:22,158 --> 00:28:25,328
I remember talking with Vince
about going on Arsenio Hall.
551
00:28:25,328 --> 00:28:27,163
He thought it was a bad idea.
552
00:28:27,163 --> 00:28:30,041
My suggestion to him is to come clean.
553
00:28:31,084 --> 00:28:32,293
That's not what happened.
554
00:28:33,128 --> 00:28:36,756
I'm not a steroid abuser,
and I do not use steroids.
555
00:28:37,340 --> 00:28:41,845
It was like, "Oh God, please. You know.
Just tell the truth. It's so much easier."
556
00:28:42,679 --> 00:28:44,806
[reporter] Hulk Hogan
went on The Arsenio Hall Show
557
00:28:44,806 --> 00:28:48,226
and told everybody
that he only took steroids three times.
558
00:28:48,226 --> 00:28:49,936
He lied like a dog.
559
00:28:49,936 --> 00:28:52,522
I myself injected him personally.
560
00:28:52,522 --> 00:28:55,108
I injected Hogan with steroids many times.
561
00:28:55,608 --> 00:28:58,445
I self-destructed my own self, you know.
562
00:28:58,445 --> 00:29:02,407
That was one of the worst decisions
I ever made was not listening to Vince.
563
00:29:02,907 --> 00:29:05,785
When you do stuff like that,
uh, and don't tell the truth,
564
00:29:05,785 --> 00:29:09,122
then it's an open door
for people to come get you,
565
00:29:09,122 --> 00:29:13,168
and, unfortunately, we were
caught in the crosshairs of that as well.
566
00:29:18,006 --> 00:29:20,717
I was never assigned to cover wrestling,
567
00:29:20,717 --> 00:29:25,388
but pro wrestling was so highly rated
on TV it was hard to ignore,
568
00:29:25,388 --> 00:29:28,475
and I slowly began
to feed it into my column.
569
00:29:29,601 --> 00:29:33,563
There was a newspaper columnist,
Phil Mushnick, with The New York Post.
570
00:29:33,563 --> 00:29:36,566
Try to be nice here,
but there's nothing nice to say about him.
571
00:29:37,358 --> 00:29:40,445
He seemed to be
on a vendetta against the company
572
00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:41,946
and Vince in particular.
573
00:29:42,447 --> 00:29:45,200
Phil Mushnick was digging
for anything he could.
574
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:49,204
{\an8}I don't know why he has a vendetta,
still does, against our company,
575
00:29:49,204 --> 00:29:50,955
{\an8}against our form of entertainment.
576
00:29:51,539 --> 00:29:53,041
Against me. I don't know why.
577
00:29:53,041 --> 00:29:55,043
'Cause he's a dirtbag.
578
00:29:55,043 --> 00:29:58,087
[tense music playing]
579
00:29:58,087 --> 00:30:00,423
[Mushnick] What Vince had
by running wrestling
580
00:30:00,423 --> 00:30:01,716
is that it's wrestling.
581
00:30:01,716 --> 00:30:04,093
So the real reporters, for the most part,
582
00:30:04,093 --> 00:30:06,888
"It's wrestling. We don't wanna
waste our time covering it."
583
00:30:07,472 --> 00:30:10,600
And Phil Mushnick
was the one guy to cover it,
584
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:15,355
and he wrote very strongly against Vince.
Stronger than I would write.
585
00:30:18,024 --> 00:30:22,529
Back then, no one had seen
anything written critical of pro wrestling
586
00:30:22,529 --> 00:30:23,988
in mainstream media.
587
00:30:24,572 --> 00:30:30,036
And when I first wrote this stuff,
my mailbox was stuffed with messages,
588
00:30:30,620 --> 00:30:32,956
and they essentially all read the same.
589
00:30:33,540 --> 00:30:35,834
"You don't know the half of it."
590
00:30:35,834 --> 00:30:39,087
"You don't know
how truly bad it is within the ring
591
00:30:39,087 --> 00:30:40,630
and within the locker rooms."
592
00:30:41,214 --> 00:30:45,844
And I returned some calls,
and it was mind-blowing.
593
00:30:46,803 --> 00:30:48,930
[Shoemaker] You know,
as wrestling becomes more popular,
594
00:30:48,930 --> 00:30:52,183
naturally,
people are interested in the stories
595
00:30:52,183 --> 00:30:54,686
of what's going on behind the scenes.
596
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:57,856
And pulling back the curtain
in the pro wrestling world
597
00:30:57,856 --> 00:30:59,399
can be pretty shocking.
598
00:30:59,399 --> 00:31:03,528
You know, the stories of depravity,
of sex, of violence, of drug use...
599
00:31:03,528 --> 00:31:06,489
We would have been looked upon,
in today's society,
600
00:31:06,489 --> 00:31:09,284
as some of the worst human beings
walking the face of the Earth.
601
00:31:09,993 --> 00:31:12,537
I mean, we abused the hell out of women.
602
00:31:13,121 --> 00:31:14,372
All of us did.
603
00:31:14,372 --> 00:31:16,833
You know, they was like a toy for us.
604
00:31:17,417 --> 00:31:20,879
You don't have to do a lot of research
to understand
605
00:31:21,462 --> 00:31:23,548
that being a woman in or around
606
00:31:23,548 --> 00:31:26,092
the pro wrestling world
at this point in history
607
00:31:26,092 --> 00:31:29,178
was not necessarily a safe place to be.
608
00:31:30,013 --> 00:31:32,849
I hear some horrible stuff
about women in wrestling.
609
00:31:32,849 --> 00:31:33,766
Horrible.
610
00:31:33,766 --> 00:31:38,021
With us now, ladies and gentlemen,
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.
611
00:31:38,021 --> 00:31:40,315
[White] For example,
the Jimmy Snuka thing.
612
00:31:40,982 --> 00:31:42,817
When that girl got killed.
613
00:31:43,610 --> 00:31:45,904
In 1983, Jimmy Snuka...
614
00:31:45,904 --> 00:31:46,905
[crowd cheering]
615
00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:49,532
...was the most popular wrestler
in the company at the time.
616
00:31:50,116 --> 00:31:53,286
Something happened in a hotel room
in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
617
00:31:54,829 --> 00:31:57,707
His girlfriend hit her head and died.
618
00:31:58,499 --> 00:32:02,128
The forensic pathologist who investigated
thought it was a homicide,
619
00:32:02,128 --> 00:32:05,131
but, at the time,
no charges were ever filed.
620
00:32:05,131 --> 00:32:07,634
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.
621
00:32:08,217 --> 00:32:10,428
Was the power of Vince involved in that?
622
00:32:10,929 --> 00:32:13,640
I think that Vince had a hand
in making it go away.
623
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:15,850
I mean, exactly what, I don't know.
624
00:32:15,850 --> 00:32:18,394
And hell, brother, is gonna be hot.
625
00:32:19,062 --> 00:32:20,146
Hot, brother.
626
00:32:22,565 --> 00:32:23,733
No doubt.
627
00:32:23,733 --> 00:32:29,155
At this point, most fans didn't know about
these darker stories about pro wrestling.
628
00:32:30,239 --> 00:32:32,116
Phil Mushnick was one of the first people
629
00:32:32,116 --> 00:32:34,619
to really bring this out
into the public's face.
630
00:32:37,372 --> 00:32:40,249
[Meltzer] Phil Mushnick
was vigilant against Vince.
631
00:32:40,249 --> 00:32:42,502
He had told me once, and he said,
632
00:32:42,502 --> 00:32:45,880
"I've got a story. The day I write it,
they may have to close the doors."
633
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:50,677
A battle royale in professional wrestling
over new allegations of sexual harassment
634
00:32:50,677 --> 00:32:52,595
by top officials in the sport.
635
00:32:52,595 --> 00:32:55,890
This growing scandal
could put wrestling down for the count.
636
00:32:57,100 --> 00:32:59,519
There was so much going on at the time,
637
00:32:59,519 --> 00:33:02,689
and one accusation
is that someone from our organization
638
00:33:02,689 --> 00:33:04,899
was coming on to someone on the ring crew.
639
00:33:06,150 --> 00:33:10,321
[Mushnick] The ring boy scandal began
with a fellow named Mel Phillips,
640
00:33:11,155 --> 00:33:13,741
who was what they called a ring boss.
641
00:33:13,741 --> 00:33:17,286
He would bring with him ring boys.
642
00:33:17,286 --> 00:33:20,707
In too many cases,
643
00:33:20,707 --> 00:33:27,338
these ring boys were underage,
and they were being sexually abused.
644
00:33:27,338 --> 00:33:29,173
[reporter] Former ring boy Tom Cole
645
00:33:29,173 --> 00:33:34,262
says that top WWE executives
sexually harassed and abused ring boys,
646
00:33:34,262 --> 00:33:38,016
the teenagers hired to put up
and take down rings at matches.
647
00:33:38,641 --> 00:33:42,854
Mel Phillips was a total pedophile
that preyed on young boys,
648
00:33:42,854 --> 00:33:49,610
and if these young boys weren't complying
with their requests for sexual favors,
649
00:33:49,610 --> 00:33:50,695
they weren't hired.
650
00:33:50,695 --> 00:33:55,908
And then I learned
there were others involved.
651
00:33:56,659 --> 00:33:59,787
Terry Garvin, an executive in Connecticut,
652
00:33:59,787 --> 00:34:03,916
and Pat Patterson,
one of McMahon's top executives.
653
00:34:03,916 --> 00:34:07,545
Here at ringside, Vince McMahon
along with wrestling great Pat Patterson...
654
00:34:07,545 --> 00:34:11,257
[Prichard] In a business
that was very homophobic,
655
00:34:11,257 --> 00:34:14,427
Pat was gay, and openly gay.
656
00:34:15,511 --> 00:34:20,933
But Pat prospered
and became a top guy everywhere he went.
657
00:34:21,434 --> 00:34:24,645
{\an8}I was grabbed on numerous occasions
on my testicles, on my buttocks
658
00:34:24,645 --> 00:34:27,815
{\an8}by Pat Patterson
of World Wrestling Entertainment,
659
00:34:27,815 --> 00:34:30,568
and Terry Garvin propositioned me
when I was 16,
660
00:34:30,568 --> 00:34:33,821
offered me cocaine and all kinds of drugs
to have sex with him.
661
00:34:33,821 --> 00:34:36,616
When I refused, I was let go
from the company when I was 16.
662
00:34:37,492 --> 00:34:43,706
I think, uh, Vince is guilty of aiding
and abetting the ring boy scandal.
663
00:34:43,706 --> 00:34:48,169
At best, he's guilty of rank neglect.
664
00:34:49,295 --> 00:34:52,006
[McMahon] Phil Mushnick
was trying to build this whole case
665
00:34:52,006 --> 00:34:54,217
of how rotten the company was.
666
00:34:54,217 --> 00:34:55,635
He didn't care how he did it.
667
00:34:55,635 --> 00:34:58,930
He didn't care whether
he hurt the people that were involved
668
00:34:58,930 --> 00:35:00,473
on one side or the other.
669
00:35:00,473 --> 00:35:04,727
He just wanted to write
this salacious piece about WWE.
670
00:35:04,727 --> 00:35:06,354
It was a pedophile ring!
671
00:35:06,354 --> 00:35:09,065
Three of these guys were all in on it.
672
00:35:09,649 --> 00:35:14,153
These were real kids
being sexually abused on McMahon's watch.
673
00:35:14,695 --> 00:35:17,865
I do think
there was a lot of turning a blind eye
674
00:35:17,865 --> 00:35:21,369
to some of the things that were
going on, but I don't think anybody...
675
00:35:22,495 --> 00:35:25,206
could ever prove anything.
It was like, how do you prove it?
676
00:35:26,207 --> 00:35:29,001
[Meltzer] And eventually
Vince settled with Tom Cole.
677
00:35:30,837 --> 00:35:32,505
Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin,
678
00:35:32,505 --> 00:35:35,133
they were let go
and never worked there again.
679
00:35:36,342 --> 00:35:38,094
Pat Patterson resigned,
680
00:35:38,094 --> 00:35:41,013
but during that period,
Vince and I talked.
681
00:35:41,013 --> 00:35:43,391
He goes, "One of the three was innocent."
682
00:35:43,391 --> 00:35:45,768
And I go, "Who?"
And he goes, "Pat Patterson."
683
00:35:45,768 --> 00:35:48,479
And I go,
"Why is he gone if he's innocent?"
684
00:35:48,479 --> 00:35:50,982
He goes, "You don't understand
running this business."
685
00:35:50,982 --> 00:35:54,527
"It's a gay witch hunt, and he had to go."
686
00:35:55,778 --> 00:35:58,281
Most people in wrestling that were around
687
00:35:58,281 --> 00:36:01,367
believe that Patterson
never acted unprofessionally,
688
00:36:01,951 --> 00:36:04,996
and, uh, months later, Patterson was back.
689
00:36:06,038 --> 00:36:09,041
In regards to the allegations
made against Pat,
690
00:36:09,667 --> 00:36:13,796
nothing has ever been substantiated,
and I just don't believe them.
691
00:36:13,796 --> 00:36:17,300
- Please, not me.
- He's doing home movies, Patrick.
692
00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:20,011
None of it rings true. The others?
693
00:36:21,345 --> 00:36:22,513
No comment.
694
00:36:24,098 --> 00:36:26,475
[White] We all knew
Pat was doing this stuff.
695
00:36:26,475 --> 00:36:30,146
I didn't like Pat because he kept
grabbing my pecker in the locker room.
696
00:36:30,146 --> 00:36:32,440
- [interviewer] He what?
- He would grab my pecker.
697
00:36:33,608 --> 00:36:34,567
Yeah.
698
00:36:34,567 --> 00:36:36,152
[interviewer] Did you guys complain?
699
00:36:36,152 --> 00:36:38,613
To who? He's the booker.
700
00:36:38,613 --> 00:36:41,866
He's the number two guy in the office.
To whom?
701
00:36:41,866 --> 00:36:43,910
- [interviewer] Vince.
- [chuckles]
702
00:36:44,702 --> 00:36:46,204
[laughs]
703
00:36:46,204 --> 00:36:48,789
You know nothing
about the wrestling business, don't ya?
704
00:36:48,789 --> 00:36:51,167
[chuckling] There's nobody to go to, son.
705
00:36:52,168 --> 00:36:56,964
You either take it, or you're going home.
Who are you going to complain to?
706
00:36:58,132 --> 00:36:59,133
[interviewer] Vince.
707
00:36:59,133 --> 00:37:01,469
For what? To get fired?
708
00:37:02,678 --> 00:37:05,139
He needed Pat more than he needed me.
709
00:37:06,140 --> 00:37:09,352
[Meltzer] Pat was like the savant
of professional wrestling,
710
00:37:09,352 --> 00:37:12,730
and he was Vince's right-hand man
when it came to booking
711
00:37:12,730 --> 00:37:15,441
and was very,
very valuable in the company.
712
00:37:17,276 --> 00:37:19,070
[interviewer] Did Vince protect Pat?
713
00:37:20,071 --> 00:37:22,198
[White] I wouldn't say he protected him.
714
00:37:22,198 --> 00:37:25,785
I would say... he protected the business.
715
00:37:27,411 --> 00:37:30,581
These allegations are absolutely absurd
that have been raised.
716
00:37:30,581 --> 00:37:35,253
[reporter] McMahon insists it's all just
a conspiracy to wreck his business.
717
00:37:35,253 --> 00:37:38,256
It seems as though
they're all ganging up on us,
718
00:37:38,256 --> 00:37:39,340
all at one time.
719
00:37:39,340 --> 00:37:42,218
[reporter] There's no sign
the charges have done any harm.
720
00:37:42,218 --> 00:37:45,930
No, wrestling, or whatever this is,
has survived scandals before,
721
00:37:45,930 --> 00:37:49,141
and there is no reason to believe
this one too won't be drowned out
722
00:37:49,141 --> 00:37:51,852
by all those fans who couldn't care less.
723
00:37:52,895 --> 00:37:57,358
[Mushnick] What reaction there was
was meager from legitimate media.
724
00:37:57,358 --> 00:38:00,695
Those who seemed to eat it up
were the scandal shows,
725
00:38:00,695 --> 00:38:04,115
like the Phil Donahue kind of show.
726
00:38:04,115 --> 00:38:07,118
[Donahue] Here you are being accused,
Mr. McMahon,
727
00:38:07,118 --> 00:38:10,246
of presiding over an organization
that looked the other way
728
00:38:10,246 --> 00:38:12,999
while sex harassment activity
was taking place.
729
00:38:13,624 --> 00:38:16,085
I'm one of the few people
who enjoys confrontation.
730
00:38:16,836 --> 00:38:19,130
If there is a situation like Donahue,
731
00:38:19,130 --> 00:38:22,550
I have no problem confronting someone,
especially when they're lying.
732
00:38:22,550 --> 00:38:26,137
{\an8}You did a horrible job.
That's the only reason why you were fired.
733
00:38:26,137 --> 00:38:29,974
Donahue was an opportunity
to stand up for himself.
734
00:38:29,974 --> 00:38:32,268
I don't think
it went the way he wanted it to.
735
00:38:32,268 --> 00:38:34,812
[Hodgson] Sexual harassment
is running rampant...
736
00:38:34,812 --> 00:38:36,647
[Donahue] Where were you all these years?
737
00:38:36,647 --> 00:38:38,649
[Graham] His father blackballed me.
738
00:38:38,649 --> 00:38:41,610
[Hodgson] I didn't sleep with your VP.
Two weeks later, I'm fired.
739
00:38:41,610 --> 00:38:43,154
I don't know that that happened.
740
00:38:43,154 --> 00:38:45,698
Whether it was a good decision
or a bad decision
741
00:38:45,698 --> 00:38:47,241
at that time, at this time...
742
00:38:48,284 --> 00:38:49,118
I did it.
743
00:38:49,118 --> 00:38:53,497
[Meltzer] I was sitting right next
to Vince. He was not comfortable.
744
00:38:53,497 --> 00:38:56,834
At one point, he whispers to me,
"This is the longest hour of my life."
745
00:38:56,834 --> 00:38:58,252
- It's not the truth.
- Okay.
746
00:38:58,252 --> 00:39:00,796
- You lie about this to children!
- You're finished.
747
00:39:00,796 --> 00:39:01,964
I don't buy it.
748
00:39:01,964 --> 00:39:03,632
- [applause]
- Got it. Well...
749
00:39:03,632 --> 00:39:05,051
[clears throat]
750
00:39:07,011 --> 00:39:09,430
[Prichard] I think that this
was one point in his life
751
00:39:09,430 --> 00:39:12,350
that everything
was kind of coming down at once.
752
00:39:12,350 --> 00:39:15,519
There was a bit of frustration
in what he couldn't control.
753
00:39:15,519 --> 00:39:18,314
Oh my gosh.
There was so many scandals going on
754
00:39:18,314 --> 00:39:21,150
with who was dating who,
who was sleeping with whom.
755
00:39:21,776 --> 00:39:23,444
[interviewer] Do you remember
any of those?
756
00:39:23,444 --> 00:39:25,196
[sighs] Well, you know...
757
00:39:26,364 --> 00:39:30,201
You know what? I'm trying to be
really cautious on doing this.
758
00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:32,578
I don't know
what they want out in the open or not.
759
00:39:33,996 --> 00:39:37,583
I know there was some girl
that I think was a referee, girl referee,
760
00:39:38,376 --> 00:39:42,004
{\an8}that had claimed that
Vince had, uh, sexually assaulted her.
761
00:39:42,004 --> 00:39:46,717
{\an8}[announcer] For the first time ever,
a lady referee.
762
00:39:46,717 --> 00:39:48,594
{\an8}[Meltzer] I remember
Rita Marie the referee,
763
00:39:48,594 --> 00:39:52,932
{\an8}because there was only one female referee
in wrestling at that point in time,
764
00:39:52,932 --> 00:39:54,183
and it was her.
765
00:39:54,183 --> 00:39:58,187
Vince was definitely trying to push her
as the hot blonde woman ref
766
00:39:58,187 --> 00:40:00,856
as a character in his soap opera.
767
00:40:00,856 --> 00:40:02,566
[McMahon] Rita Marie,
ladies and gentlemen,
768
00:40:02,566 --> 00:40:06,487
the very first ever lady referee
in World Wrestling Entertainment.
769
00:40:06,487 --> 00:40:09,240
Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of her
in time to come.
770
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:11,826
When you're accused of this,
accused of that,
771
00:40:11,826 --> 00:40:14,703
and there's this deluge of things,
"You're this, you're that,"
772
00:40:15,204 --> 00:40:18,791
one of the things was an alleged rape,
uh, that never happened.
773
00:40:22,378 --> 00:40:27,550
I was forced into oral sex
with Vince McMahon.
774
00:40:28,342 --> 00:40:31,303
When I couldn't complete his desires,
775
00:40:32,263 --> 00:40:33,722
he got really angry.
776
00:40:34,723 --> 00:40:36,767
Started ripping off my jeans.
777
00:40:38,436 --> 00:40:42,148
Pulled me on top of him
and told me, again,
778
00:40:43,441 --> 00:40:45,776
if I wanted
a half-a-million-dollar-a-year contract,
779
00:40:45,776 --> 00:40:47,361
I had to satisfy him.
780
00:40:47,361 --> 00:40:50,239
And if I didn't satisfy him,
I was blackballed.
781
00:40:50,823 --> 00:40:52,116
I was scared.
782
00:40:52,116 --> 00:40:54,118
My wrist was all black and blue.
783
00:40:54,702 --> 00:40:56,328
He just didn't stop.
784
00:40:57,246 --> 00:41:00,374
[McMahon] Once you're accused of rape,
you're a rapist,
785
00:41:00,958 --> 00:41:06,380
but it was consensual, and actually,
had it been a rape, um,
786
00:41:07,131 --> 00:41:09,508
the statute of limitations had run out.
787
00:41:09,508 --> 00:41:13,304
So it's all kind of crap like that
that people are digging up
788
00:41:13,304 --> 00:41:15,222
and trying to find something on you.
789
00:41:16,682 --> 00:41:21,228
[Meltzer] Vince did sue her over it,
and he sued Geraldo Rivera,
790
00:41:21,228 --> 00:41:25,858
but the general public, I think
they just thought that it was all sleazy.
791
00:41:25,858 --> 00:41:27,693
People looked the other way.
792
00:41:28,486 --> 00:41:30,362
God, I just hope somebody listens.
793
00:41:30,362 --> 00:41:33,657
They just thought it was a woman
making up a story on a rich guy.
794
00:41:33,657 --> 00:41:36,660
Rita, what do you expect to get now?
I mean, what do you want?
795
00:41:36,660 --> 00:41:38,579
Did you just wanna come on Geraldo?
796
00:41:38,579 --> 00:41:40,831
They were very, very negative on her.
797
00:41:41,665 --> 00:41:45,169
[Mushnick] It just
didn't resonate with a public
798
00:41:45,169 --> 00:41:48,506
that it should have resonated with.
799
00:41:48,506 --> 00:41:51,217
This was the biggest guy in cable TV.
800
00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:53,886
Nobody wanted to look a little deeper.
801
00:41:54,762 --> 00:41:57,473
They didn't wanna look.
They didn't wanna know.
802
00:41:58,766 --> 00:42:01,894
[Meltzer] Most newspapers
ran away from it or wouldn't touch it
803
00:42:01,894 --> 00:42:07,608
because it's wrestling, it's beneath us,
but Phil was not, um, dissuaded by Vince.
804
00:42:07,608 --> 00:42:09,109
He kept going and going.
805
00:42:10,277 --> 00:42:15,157
And I do think that
the negative headlines and attention,
806
00:42:15,157 --> 00:42:18,536
that did lead to the indictment,
it did lead to the trial.
807
00:42:18,536 --> 00:42:21,664
The Justice Department
has indicted the most powerful man
808
00:42:21,664 --> 00:42:24,166
in professional wrestling in this country.
Not a wrestler,
809
00:42:24,166 --> 00:42:27,127
but the man who runs
World Wrestling Entertainment.
810
00:42:27,127 --> 00:42:30,714
The charge,
illegal distribution of steroids.
811
00:42:30,714 --> 00:42:34,301
[interviewer] Do you know what triggered
the federal government to look into you?
812
00:42:34,301 --> 00:42:37,846
Well, I think Phil Mushnick,
uh, triggered all of this,
813
00:42:37,846 --> 00:42:42,309
and whether he had any connections
to the federal government, I don't know.
814
00:42:42,309 --> 00:42:45,771
But again,
that's where it seemed to, uh, to begin.
815
00:42:45,771 --> 00:42:48,857
I was an FBI informant.
I admit to that. You know why?
816
00:42:48,857 --> 00:42:52,861
The FBI would read what I wrote
and then act on it.
817
00:42:53,904 --> 00:42:55,322
[Meltzer] When the indictments came,
818
00:42:55,322 --> 00:42:58,200
there were no indictments or anything
on the ring boy story
819
00:42:58,200 --> 00:42:59,952
or Rita Chatterton.
820
00:42:59,952 --> 00:43:01,745
There were steroid indictments.
821
00:43:01,745 --> 00:43:04,373
[reporter 1] The three-count indictment
charges that he conspired
822
00:43:04,373 --> 00:43:05,666
to defraud the government
823
00:43:05,666 --> 00:43:09,378
by possessing and distributing steroids
through Dr. George Zaharion.
824
00:43:09,378 --> 00:43:11,088
- Morning, guys.
- [reporter 2] Mr. McMahon.
825
00:43:11,088 --> 00:43:12,673
{\an8}[reporter 3] It was not a good morning
826
00:43:12,673 --> 00:43:15,426
{\an8}for World Wrestling Entertainment
owner Vincent McMahon.
827
00:43:15,426 --> 00:43:17,261
On this day, he was in federal court
828
00:43:17,261 --> 00:43:18,971
entering a plea of not guilty
829
00:43:18,971 --> 00:43:22,016
to charges that he bulked up
his wrestlers with steroids.
830
00:43:22,016 --> 00:43:26,270
{\an8}[reporter 4] Prosecutors say McMahon,
who admits being a former steroids user,
831
00:43:26,270 --> 00:43:28,230
is a corporate drug pusher.
832
00:43:28,230 --> 00:43:30,024
McMahon's lawyers, on the other hand,
833
00:43:30,024 --> 00:43:33,193
say the wrestling mogul
is the victim of a government witch hunt.
834
00:43:33,193 --> 00:43:35,446
{\an8}Sometimes life isn't fair,
835
00:43:35,988 --> 00:43:40,117
and, unfortunately, for me,
I believe this is one of those instances.
836
00:43:40,868 --> 00:43:43,370
The federal government
and the Justice Department
837
00:43:43,370 --> 00:43:45,581
can be the biggest bullies.
838
00:43:45,581 --> 00:43:48,167
They have unlimited resources.
839
00:43:48,167 --> 00:43:52,254
The average person can't afford
to buck the government. They just can't.
840
00:43:52,838 --> 00:43:55,257
So that's why so many people cop a plea.
841
00:43:55,257 --> 00:43:57,718
They wanted me to cop a plea.
842
00:43:58,218 --> 00:44:01,805
[Prichard] He would have
to plead guilty to some charge,
843
00:44:01,805 --> 00:44:04,808
but he would pay a fine
and everything goes away.
844
00:44:05,392 --> 00:44:07,645
I wouldn't do it.
I wasn't guilty of anything.
845
00:44:07,645 --> 00:44:10,022
I said, "Fuck yourself."
846
00:44:11,273 --> 00:44:14,610
[reporter 4] If convicted,
McMahon could face up to 11 years in jail
847
00:44:14,610 --> 00:44:17,237
and $500,000 in fines on each count.
848
00:44:17,821 --> 00:44:20,407
Right before the trial,
Vince had neck surgery,
849
00:44:20,407 --> 00:44:23,827
so he goes into the trial,
and he's wearing a neck brace.
850
00:44:24,578 --> 00:44:26,872
My impression was
that it was not an operation
851
00:44:26,872 --> 00:44:29,083
that he needed to do at that moment.
852
00:44:29,875 --> 00:44:32,294
[McMahon] A lot of people thought,
"He's wearing this thing
853
00:44:32,294 --> 00:44:35,547
because he's trying
to invoke some sort of sympathy,
854
00:44:35,547 --> 00:44:37,257
you know, from the jury."
855
00:44:37,257 --> 00:44:38,884
[chuckling] That was not the case.
856
00:44:39,843 --> 00:44:41,428
[Shoemaker] It's impossible to not think
857
00:44:41,428 --> 00:44:45,140
there was some sort
of storytelling contrivance behind it.
858
00:44:45,724 --> 00:44:49,812
I mean, in pro wrestling,
bad guys would wear those neck braces
859
00:44:49,812 --> 00:44:53,941
because they knew the crowd would boo them
for like, being overly dramatic.
860
00:44:53,941 --> 00:44:57,444
It's not a facade. I'm-- I'm not well.
861
00:44:57,444 --> 00:44:59,780
With Vince, everything is a show,
862
00:45:00,406 --> 00:45:04,159
even in the midst
of this very serious trial.
863
00:45:04,159 --> 00:45:06,370
I mean, there's a lot at stake here.
864
00:45:06,912 --> 00:45:08,455
[Kay Koplovitz] It was a tense time.
865
00:45:09,665 --> 00:45:11,458
If he was proven guilty,
866
00:45:11,458 --> 00:45:15,295
that would have been a problem for us,
and they would be off the air.
867
00:45:16,046 --> 00:45:18,799
[Bollea] During that time,
there was a lot of turbulence
868
00:45:18,799 --> 00:45:22,094
and instead of people cheering me nonstop,
869
00:45:22,094 --> 00:45:23,971
I'd hear a couple boos here.
870
00:45:23,971 --> 00:45:27,182
Instead of, "We love Hulk Hogan"
or "Hulkamania Live Forever,"
871
00:45:27,182 --> 00:45:30,060
I'd see a sign up that said,
"Did you take your shot today?"
872
00:45:30,060 --> 00:45:32,020
[crowd clamoring]
873
00:45:32,020 --> 00:45:36,358
[Bollea] And so I didn't feel like I was
in control of the crowds anymore.
874
00:45:36,942 --> 00:45:39,403
And that's when I told Vince
I needed to go.
875
00:45:39,403 --> 00:45:41,864
And it was not an easy conversation.
876
00:45:43,157 --> 00:45:45,492
[McMahon] And whether or not
this is your last match,
877
00:45:45,492 --> 00:45:49,580
I'd like to say that
on behalf of all of us, your Hulkamaniacs,
878
00:45:50,414 --> 00:45:54,752
thank you for the memories,
and thank you for Hulkamania.
879
00:45:56,253 --> 00:45:57,087
Thank you.
880
00:45:58,881 --> 00:46:04,011
I don't think people fully appreciate
how dire things were looking.
881
00:46:05,679 --> 00:46:08,849
All the scandals
were all piled on at the same time,
882
00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:13,437
and it was a great opportunity
for our competition to make a move.
883
00:46:13,979 --> 00:46:15,355
[bell ringing]
884
00:46:15,981 --> 00:46:19,985
[McMahon] At that time,
Ted Turner, who owned WCW,
885
00:46:19,985 --> 00:46:21,570
he was my biggest competitor.
886
00:46:21,570 --> 00:46:23,489
I've been involved
with the wrestling business
887
00:46:23,489 --> 00:46:27,284
since we started televising it
back in, I think, '73.
888
00:46:29,244 --> 00:46:32,706
[Shoemaker] Ted Turner is one
of the pioneers of cable television.
889
00:46:32,706 --> 00:46:36,627
Obviously founded TV networks
like CNN, TBS, TNT.
890
00:46:37,461 --> 00:46:39,213
And he was one of the first people
891
00:46:39,213 --> 00:46:41,965
to broadcast
professional wrestling nationwide.
892
00:46:43,091 --> 00:46:45,761
[Bischoff] We were the number two
wrestling promotion in the world.
893
00:46:45,761 --> 00:46:48,514
{\an8}Good morning, America, and welcome to WCW...
894
00:46:48,514 --> 00:46:51,391
{\an8}We might as well have been number 202.
895
00:46:51,892 --> 00:46:54,728
{\an8}That's the distance between WWE and WCW.
896
00:46:54,728 --> 00:46:55,979
[indistinct]
897
00:46:56,563 --> 00:46:59,441
[Bischoff] The type of program
and the content that WCW was producing
898
00:46:59,441 --> 00:47:02,778
{\an8}prior to me being hired
as executive producer
899
00:47:02,778 --> 00:47:06,740
was just a really bad imitation
900
00:47:06,740 --> 00:47:09,910
of what WWE was successful at.
901
00:47:09,910 --> 00:47:12,788
There was no vision.
There was no strategy.
902
00:47:13,372 --> 00:47:16,166
There was just
throwing things up against the wall
903
00:47:16,166 --> 00:47:18,293
and hoping something would work
904
00:47:18,293 --> 00:47:22,130
as long as it looked
something like what WWE was doing.
905
00:47:23,507 --> 00:47:25,843
I had been following the steroid trials
906
00:47:25,843 --> 00:47:28,637
and the controversy and everything
that went on as a result of that.
907
00:47:29,388 --> 00:47:32,933
I was very well aware
that Hulk had left WWE
908
00:47:32,933 --> 00:47:36,019
and was going to pursue
television and movies.
909
00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:41,024
And, coincidentally,
I was down at Disney-MGM Studios
910
00:47:41,024 --> 00:47:43,443
shooting my show for WCW
911
00:47:44,027 --> 00:47:47,698
{\an8}while Hulk Hogan was at Disney-MGM Studios
912
00:47:47,698 --> 00:47:50,784
shooting a show
called Thunder in Paradise.
913
00:47:51,368 --> 00:47:54,329
[Bollea] Here comes Eric Bischoff
wandering over to the set,
914
00:47:54,329 --> 00:47:57,875
and he said,
"We really would love to have you
915
00:47:57,875 --> 00:47:59,918
consider coming back to wrestling."
916
00:47:59,918 --> 00:48:01,962
"We know you're filming the TV series."
917
00:48:01,962 --> 00:48:05,716
"Even if part-time--" I said,
"Let's talk." You know? Let's talk."
918
00:48:06,383 --> 00:48:11,805
I was not happy with the acting and being
locked up in a trailer most of the day.
919
00:48:11,805 --> 00:48:13,307
Just wasn't me.
920
00:48:14,141 --> 00:48:16,894
[Bischoff] Hulk was torn,
because he loved wrestling,
921
00:48:16,894 --> 00:48:17,853
he missed it,
922
00:48:17,853 --> 00:48:21,356
but he also had
two very, very young kids at home,
923
00:48:21,940 --> 00:48:26,987
and it was really important to him
to not be on the road 300 days a year,
924
00:48:27,487 --> 00:48:32,075
and WCW provided Hulk
an opportunity to do both.
925
00:48:32,075 --> 00:48:34,286
The nature of our contract was,
926
00:48:34,286 --> 00:48:37,831
you may have a total
of 30 appearances a year
927
00:48:37,831 --> 00:48:39,541
as opposed to 300.
928
00:48:39,541 --> 00:48:42,044
Ted Turner was giving these guarantees.
929
00:48:42,044 --> 00:48:44,087
"We'll give you a million dollars a year."
930
00:48:44,087 --> 00:48:46,381
"How many days do you work?"
"How many you want?"
931
00:48:46,381 --> 00:48:49,760
"I wanna work, uh, 100 days."
"Okay. You got it."
932
00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:55,140
Where at WWE, I know when we were there,
it was seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
933
00:48:55,140 --> 00:48:58,268
I just looked at it as,
"I have this amazing opportunity."
934
00:48:58,268 --> 00:49:02,439
"I'm gonna put my salesman hat on
and get this guy to join WCW."
935
00:49:03,273 --> 00:49:05,359
[Bollea] When I left
and I had the meeting with Vince,
936
00:49:05,359 --> 00:49:06,902
and it was an emotional meeting,
937
00:49:06,902 --> 00:49:09,988
I actually told Vince,
"I will never run against you."
938
00:49:09,988 --> 00:49:11,531
Because that was a concern.
939
00:49:12,115 --> 00:49:15,160
[McMahon] He said, "I'm gonna go off
and do movies and things like that,
940
00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:16,536
but I do want my release."
941
00:49:16,536 --> 00:49:18,914
"But you're not gonna compete?
You know? You aren't gonna..."
942
00:49:18,914 --> 00:49:20,540
"No. Absolutely not."
943
00:49:20,540 --> 00:49:23,418
So, um, it was one of those things
where I gave him his release,
944
00:49:23,418 --> 00:49:26,630
and next thing you know,
he's with the other guys.
945
00:49:26,630 --> 00:49:31,176
WCW is about to dominate the globe
in professional wrestling.
946
00:49:31,176 --> 00:49:32,970
That's why we're here today,
947
00:49:32,970 --> 00:49:34,721
to sign the contract for a match
948
00:49:34,721 --> 00:49:37,224
between two of wrestling's
biggest superstars,
949
00:49:37,224 --> 00:49:39,726
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
950
00:49:39,726 --> 00:49:42,437
[McMahon] We had a very close
personal relationship.
951
00:49:43,522 --> 00:49:46,441
I took him, and of course,
and made this huge star out of him.
952
00:49:46,441 --> 00:49:49,861
And then from there, he decides
he wants to flip to our competition
953
00:49:50,654 --> 00:49:52,364
and no longer be associated with you.
954
00:49:52,364 --> 00:49:55,742
So, sure, emotionally, it hurt.
955
00:49:55,742 --> 00:49:58,870
It broke my heart, you know. I mean, damn.
956
00:50:00,539 --> 00:50:06,044
[Shane] Hulk Hogan's defection to WCW,
right there in the middle of the trial,
957
00:50:06,753 --> 00:50:09,131
that was an enormous slap in the face.
958
00:50:09,756 --> 00:50:11,258
Even to this day.
959
00:50:12,259 --> 00:50:14,094
That was taboo in my book.
960
00:50:14,678 --> 00:50:17,139
[Prichard] Vince viewed Hulk as a lifer,
961
00:50:17,723 --> 00:50:20,392
but Hulk was offered
a better deal with Ted Turner,
962
00:50:20,392 --> 00:50:22,269
offered guaranteed money with Turner.
963
00:50:23,103 --> 00:50:25,564
"Money talks,"
as the expression goes, I guess.
964
00:50:26,148 --> 00:50:28,275
[Prichard] Hulk's looking at it also like,
965
00:50:28,275 --> 00:50:31,903
"Man, I don't know if Vince
is gonna be there after the trial."
966
00:50:31,903 --> 00:50:35,282
"I don't know if there's even
gonna be a company there to work for."
967
00:50:35,282 --> 00:50:36,950
[reporter] It's another day in court
968
00:50:36,950 --> 00:50:39,453
for World Wrestling Entertainment founder
Vince McMahon.
969
00:50:39,453 --> 00:50:44,291
Vince McMahon was charged with
conspiring to beef up his brawny wrestlers
970
00:50:44,291 --> 00:50:45,876
with anabolic steroids.
971
00:50:45,876 --> 00:50:48,587
This case should go on for several days,
972
00:50:48,587 --> 00:50:50,589
and interest is expected to peak
973
00:50:50,589 --> 00:50:53,925
when a pro wrestler
by the name of Terry Bollea testifies.
974
00:50:53,925 --> 00:50:56,261
Of course,
he goes by the name of Hulk Hogan.
975
00:50:56,845 --> 00:51:00,515
Wrestling insiders say that Hogan
will be the government's star witness
976
00:51:00,515 --> 00:51:04,561
and testify against McMahon
at his trial in May.
977
00:51:04,561 --> 00:51:06,480
[Bollea] After I left the WWE,
978
00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:09,524
the government wanted me
to be their star witness.
979
00:51:09,524 --> 00:51:13,695
I was told that if I didn't say
what they wanted to hear,
980
00:51:13,695 --> 00:51:16,281
the target of the investigation
would be directed to me,
981
00:51:16,281 --> 00:51:17,783
and I might do 17 years.
982
00:51:18,658 --> 00:51:21,453
[Meltzer] Hogan didn't want to testify
against Vince. They forced him to.
983
00:51:21,453 --> 00:51:24,915
They basically had something on Hogan
and they wanted Vince,
984
00:51:24,915 --> 00:51:26,416
and so Hogan had to.
985
00:51:26,416 --> 00:51:29,461
The conviction rate
in cases like that was very, very high,
986
00:51:30,045 --> 00:51:33,340
so at that point, it was like,
"God, the odds look against Vince."
987
00:51:33,340 --> 00:51:36,009
I think a lot of the stuff in there
is evidence
988
00:51:36,009 --> 00:51:38,720
of what I believed all along
has proven to be true...
989
00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:43,558
I was there for two weeks, and I could
tell that Vince was scared to death.
990
00:51:43,558 --> 00:51:46,895
Vince was in serious,
serious problems at that point.
991
00:51:47,938 --> 00:51:50,190
[McMahon] I truly believe
in the law of the jungle.
992
00:51:50,190 --> 00:51:54,361
Something's weakened,
then you want to pile on it and kill it.
993
00:51:54,361 --> 00:51:57,697
So, at that time,
it was coming from everywhere.
994
00:51:57,697 --> 00:52:01,451
How could I possibly
stand up to that and hold up, you know?
995
00:52:02,077 --> 00:52:04,121
The law of the jungle. I get it.
996
00:52:05,497 --> 00:52:07,541
[Bollea] I was granted immunity,
997
00:52:07,541 --> 00:52:12,420
and I said, "Well... cool.
I got it. I know what I'm gonna say."
998
00:52:12,420 --> 00:52:13,463
[intense music builds]
999
00:52:13,463 --> 00:52:15,549
[music fades]
1000
00:52:35,235 --> 00:52:38,238
[closing theme music playing]