1 00:00:24,357 --> 00:00:26,943 Take one, common mark. 2 00:00:28,361 --> 00:00:30,113 - Am I addressing to you? - Yeah. 3 00:00:30,196 --> 00:00:31,031 Okay. 4 00:00:32,490 --> 00:00:34,492 I think it's gotta go that way. 5 00:00:36,619 --> 00:00:37,912 The lighting's super. 6 00:00:37,996 --> 00:00:39,247 Okay. 7 00:00:39,330 --> 00:00:40,707 No stray pieces. 8 00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:43,460 - Thank you, everybody. - Yeah, that sounds good. 9 00:00:59,184 --> 00:01:01,269 - You good? - I'm good, I guess. 10 00:01:01,352 --> 00:01:03,104 Where are we? What are we doing? 11 00:01:03,188 --> 00:01:07,692 Uh, well, I'm talking about me, which I have never done before. 12 00:01:07,776 --> 00:01:09,527 I don't like talking about me. 13 00:01:09,611 --> 00:01:11,946 You know, um, talking about everybody else, I'm cool with. 14 00:01:12,030 --> 00:01:14,532 I can go perform, but this is, like... 15 00:01:14,616 --> 00:01:17,494 pretty strange, a little different, me talking about me. 16 00:01:18,703 --> 00:01:20,663 So, I'll do the best I can. 17 00:01:21,664 --> 00:01:23,958 Larger than life, Vince McMahon, 18 00:01:24,042 --> 00:01:27,545 more famous than some of the wrestling stars he helped create. 19 00:01:27,629 --> 00:01:30,548 McMahon has been called the P.T. Barnum of wrestling, 20 00:01:30,632 --> 00:01:34,427 building WWE into an international billion-dollar business. 21 00:01:34,511 --> 00:01:36,304 He's also an on-screen presence 22 00:01:36,387 --> 00:01:38,473 as the billionaire bad guy boss. 23 00:01:38,556 --> 00:01:39,891 Where the hell have you been? 24 00:01:42,811 --> 00:01:46,606 For a long period of time, people wondered who I really am. 25 00:01:47,190 --> 00:01:49,275 The portrayal of me is I'm a bad guy. 26 00:01:50,401 --> 00:01:52,570 But no one really knows me, 27 00:01:52,654 --> 00:01:55,782 and it's been a while for me to try and figure out myself. 28 00:01:55,865 --> 00:01:57,992 I still haven't quite figured out who I am. 29 00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:00,370 Do I know Vince McMahon? 30 00:02:01,454 --> 00:02:03,581 I don't think anybody knows Vince McMahon. 31 00:02:04,290 --> 00:02:07,836 Please welcome Mr. McMahon! 32 00:02:07,919 --> 00:02:13,299 People know who he is, but they really don't know who he is. 33 00:02:13,967 --> 00:02:15,718 The person he puts out there, 34 00:02:15,802 --> 00:02:18,555 the larger-than-life promoter, 35 00:02:18,638 --> 00:02:20,306 a lot of that is a character. 36 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:22,851 When it comes to him personally, 37 00:02:22,934 --> 00:02:25,520 he's going to show you what he wants you to see. 38 00:02:26,646 --> 00:02:29,315 Very few people are in control of a world. 39 00:02:29,399 --> 00:02:30,692 Vince McMahon was. 40 00:02:31,442 --> 00:02:35,405 He has built something so powerful, 41 00:02:35,488 --> 00:02:39,200 so big, and so ingrained in people generationally. 42 00:02:39,284 --> 00:02:42,745 He did things that no one thought were possible. 43 00:02:42,829 --> 00:02:44,747 And he took no prisoners in the process. 44 00:02:45,331 --> 00:02:48,293 With Vince McMahon, he comes as advertised. 45 00:02:48,376 --> 00:02:51,296 And what you expect, that's exactly what you're gonna get. 46 00:02:52,130 --> 00:02:54,883 I love Vince, and I have a lot of respect for him. 47 00:02:54,966 --> 00:02:59,012 But he was a guy that often lied to me and let me down with his lies. 48 00:02:59,095 --> 00:03:01,222 Do you think your dad gets a bad rap? 49 00:03:01,306 --> 00:03:05,143 Mm, I think my dad gets the rap that he wants. 50 00:03:12,609 --> 00:03:14,861 Breaking news that was just brought to me. 51 00:03:14,944 --> 00:03:17,280 {\an8}Vince McMahon, the legendary CEO and chairman 52 00:03:17,363 --> 00:03:19,991 {\an8}of Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment, is stepping aside. 53 00:03:20,074 --> 00:03:23,536 The Wall Street Journal reports that WWE is investigating 54 00:03:23,620 --> 00:03:26,289 a secret $3 million settlement 55 00:03:26,372 --> 00:03:29,375 that Vince McMahon agreed to pay a now former employee 56 00:03:29,459 --> 00:03:32,420 who McMahon is accused of having a consensual affair with. 57 00:03:32,503 --> 00:03:33,796 It started with a tip, 58 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:38,676 and the tip was that the board of WWE had received an anonymous email. 59 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,263 {\an8}The emailer was accusing McMahon of having taken advantage of an employee 60 00:03:42,347 --> 00:03:43,598 {\an8}and then covered it up. 61 00:03:43,681 --> 00:03:45,058 {\an8}Another thing we heard was, 62 00:03:45,141 --> 00:03:48,353 "You're only scratching the surface, and there's a lot more here." 63 00:03:48,436 --> 00:03:51,272 That first story in June 2022 64 00:03:52,315 --> 00:03:56,819 touched off a series of events that included us reporting on other NDAs. 65 00:03:57,570 --> 00:03:59,280 Government investigations, 66 00:04:00,281 --> 00:04:01,741 Vince stepping down, 67 00:04:02,367 --> 00:04:05,745 Vince McMahon returning and then selling the company, 68 00:04:06,454 --> 00:04:08,957 and then a lawsuit against him 69 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,085 that contained some of the most graphic details imaginable. 70 00:04:12,168 --> 00:04:14,879 {\an8}A WWE mogul resigning on Friday 71 00:04:14,963 --> 00:04:17,423 {\an8}after a former employee filed a lawsuit 72 00:04:17,507 --> 00:04:19,509 {\an8}accusing him of subjecting her to 73 00:04:19,592 --> 00:04:23,054 {\an8}"countless depraved and humiliating acts." 74 00:04:32,647 --> 00:04:36,276 I wish I could tell you the real stories. Holy shit. 75 00:04:38,820 --> 00:04:40,697 - All right, give us one. - No. 76 00:04:40,780 --> 00:04:42,448 - Why? - That's what I'm saying. 77 00:04:42,532 --> 00:04:44,575 I don't wanna tell you these stories. 78 00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:47,912 I'll give you enough that it's semi-interesting. 79 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:51,249 I don't want anybody to really know me. 80 00:04:55,420 --> 00:04:57,922 He's as polarizing as he is entertaining. 81 00:04:58,006 --> 00:05:02,593 Vince McMahon is part renegade, part mogul, and all showman. 82 00:05:02,677 --> 00:05:05,638 Over decades, McMahon turned the WWE 83 00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:07,682 into a billion-dollar juggernaut. 84 00:05:08,349 --> 00:05:11,144 Throw in one part athletics, one part theatrics, 85 00:05:11,227 --> 00:05:13,730 and more than a dash of violence, and what do you get? 86 00:05:13,813 --> 00:05:15,565 One of America's favorite pastimes. 87 00:05:15,648 --> 00:05:18,109 One hundred percent, Grade-A Americana. 88 00:05:18,693 --> 00:05:21,321 The Justice Department announced the indictment of a man 89 00:05:21,404 --> 00:05:23,489 who runs World Wrestling Entertainment. 90 00:05:23,573 --> 00:05:26,617 This is about crime. This is about breaking the law. 91 00:05:27,618 --> 00:05:30,371 This was a tyrant, a head of this organization, 92 00:05:30,455 --> 00:05:31,831 that ruled by fear. 93 00:05:31,914 --> 00:05:35,626 What did he know? What did he do? And what did he try to hide? 94 00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:38,212 This goes beyond business. It's a family matter as well. 95 00:05:38,296 --> 00:05:40,673 This is like Succession in a wrestling ring. 96 00:05:41,549 --> 00:05:44,761 Another corporate leader mired in a sex scandal. 97 00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:47,055 We're not talking about garden-variety misconduct. 98 00:05:47,138 --> 00:05:48,848 We're talking about some real awful things. 99 00:05:49,515 --> 00:05:52,727 A lot of Vince McMahon, his ability to get away with stuff, 100 00:05:52,810 --> 00:05:54,937 was because he was also this character. 101 00:05:55,021 --> 00:05:57,857 Where does the line between Vince McMahon and "Mr. McMahon" end? 102 00:05:57,940 --> 00:06:00,651 You're...FIRED! 103 00:06:12,455 --> 00:06:14,832 Well, the first thing I need to tell you is... 104 00:06:17,043 --> 00:06:19,420 ...you're not going to totally understand 105 00:06:20,588 --> 00:06:22,799 what happened or what is, 106 00:06:22,882 --> 00:06:26,260 because you'd have to live it to comprehend it. 107 00:06:26,344 --> 00:06:29,138 You're only going to know what they tell you. 108 00:06:29,222 --> 00:06:33,226 I just know wrestlers and promoters and know this business, 109 00:06:33,810 --> 00:06:38,439 so you're not going to get, you know, the whole enchilada. 110 00:06:40,024 --> 00:06:42,235 To explain what pro wrestling is, 111 00:06:43,694 --> 00:06:47,782 it's turning fantasy into reality. 112 00:06:50,159 --> 00:06:51,244 Go! 113 00:06:53,538 --> 00:06:55,665 Kane's on fire! 114 00:06:55,748 --> 00:06:56,874 I remember guys going, 115 00:06:56,958 --> 00:06:59,419 "Why do you watch that bullshit wrestling? None of it is real." 116 00:06:59,502 --> 00:07:01,838 "Who cares? It's just phony wrestling." 117 00:07:02,713 --> 00:07:05,925 And it's like... "You're wrong." 118 00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:09,387 I look at what I did. That's an art form. 119 00:07:10,221 --> 00:07:12,265 Just watch the beauty of it. 120 00:07:13,182 --> 00:07:15,393 Wrestling's this curious phenomenon 121 00:07:15,476 --> 00:07:17,270 that allows people to let out their aggression 122 00:07:17,353 --> 00:07:18,938 while watching a morality play. 123 00:07:20,273 --> 00:07:23,109 Most people when they're driving home, they go, "Ah, it was all a show." 124 00:07:23,192 --> 00:07:25,027 "Son, none of that was real." 125 00:07:26,154 --> 00:07:29,824 But when they're there in the building, you wanna believe it's real. 126 00:07:31,868 --> 00:07:33,244 I was a true artist. 127 00:07:36,706 --> 00:07:39,167 People that weren't fans would say, 128 00:07:39,250 --> 00:07:43,087 "It's all fans that are too stupid to realize that it's not real." 129 00:07:43,171 --> 00:07:47,258 No, it's all people that are smart enough to accept the fact that it's a show 130 00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:51,220 and buy into characters and the storylines 131 00:07:51,304 --> 00:07:53,264 and engage in it in that matter. 132 00:07:53,347 --> 00:07:56,601 Pro wrestling has always been a soap opera, 133 00:07:57,268 --> 00:07:59,395 just in broad primary colors. 134 00:07:59,979 --> 00:08:04,192 Here's your hero. Here's your villain. Here's your damsel in distress. 135 00:08:04,275 --> 00:08:07,236 We give you an opportunity to feel. 136 00:08:07,820 --> 00:08:11,157 When you see everything that we do, it's about emotion. 137 00:08:11,991 --> 00:08:14,827 - And it's about grandeur. - Woo! 138 00:08:14,911 --> 00:08:18,122 That's what America is. It's larger-than-life. 139 00:08:18,956 --> 00:08:20,416 It's great stories. 140 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,586 Our form of entertainment is American culture. 141 00:08:24,212 --> 00:08:26,422 Professional wrestling matters 142 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:30,134 in that it's so much a part of American culture, 143 00:08:30,218 --> 00:08:33,262 and nobody talks about it as mattering. 144 00:08:34,222 --> 00:08:40,019 Vince McMahon's influence and impact is largely ignored, 145 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,440 but it is affecting the way the world around us is working. 146 00:08:53,616 --> 00:08:58,120 From there, we have to swing down to Phoenix to do some PR for March 31st. 147 00:08:58,204 --> 00:09:00,581 This is 39-year-old Vince McMahon, 148 00:09:00,665 --> 00:09:03,584 a third-generation wrestling promoter, sometime announcer, 149 00:09:03,668 --> 00:09:06,003 and the force behind WWF. 150 00:09:06,087 --> 00:09:08,839 One day, we hope to be recognized as 151 00:09:10,091 --> 00:09:11,342 the premier source 152 00:09:11,425 --> 00:09:13,844 of sports entertainment in the world today. 153 00:09:16,556 --> 00:09:19,934 {\an8}I got my start in the business because of my dad. 154 00:09:21,435 --> 00:09:25,189 My dad was considered best promoter in the business. 155 00:09:25,273 --> 00:09:28,568 I first met Vince McMahon Sr. in Madison Square Garden 156 00:09:28,651 --> 00:09:31,028 when I was 15 years old. 157 00:09:31,779 --> 00:09:36,951 He looked and presented himself like the Pope of Madison Square Garden. 158 00:09:37,743 --> 00:09:39,370 When I was growing up, 159 00:09:39,453 --> 00:09:42,832 I didn't know my last name was McMahon until I met Dad when I was 12 years old. 160 00:09:44,500 --> 00:09:47,503 Before that, I grew up in a trailer park with my mom 161 00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:50,131 and this certain stepfather who was abusive. 162 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,135 I got the crap beat out of me on almost a daily basis. 163 00:09:55,511 --> 00:09:57,972 You just live with it until you get out of it. 164 00:09:59,473 --> 00:10:02,351 When all that physical abuse and everything was happening, 165 00:10:02,435 --> 00:10:04,645 never heard a word from my dad. 166 00:10:05,354 --> 00:10:07,690 I saw my dad for the first time... 167 00:10:09,442 --> 00:10:11,777 It's almost like my dad had a glow about him. 168 00:10:12,820 --> 00:10:15,906 I ran up to him, open arms, expecting to have this big hug. 169 00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:21,245 And I got a... You know, on the back, like, "Hey, boy." 170 00:10:21,329 --> 00:10:22,997 "Mm. That was a little bit different." 171 00:10:24,081 --> 00:10:26,709 But nonetheless, I fell in love with him right away. 172 00:10:27,251 --> 00:10:29,754 You could feel he had, at his heart, 173 00:10:29,837 --> 00:10:32,632 the way that you wanted him to be... somewhat. 174 00:10:32,715 --> 00:10:36,427 Or maybe I was just bullshitting myself. I don't know. 175 00:10:37,428 --> 00:10:39,555 My dad and I never had the conversation 176 00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:43,851 about why he wasn't in my life during all those formative years. 177 00:10:44,518 --> 00:10:47,563 Even when I became much older, we never talked about that. 178 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:52,818 One thing that's indisputably true about Vince McMahon 179 00:10:52,902 --> 00:10:55,529 is that he came from basically nothing. 180 00:10:56,739 --> 00:10:58,824 But once his father came into his life, 181 00:10:58,908 --> 00:11:03,120 whatever dreams of escape Vince had went from the abstract to the concrete. 182 00:11:04,246 --> 00:11:06,707 He could point at his dad and say, 183 00:11:06,791 --> 00:11:11,003 "That's what I aspire to, and that's gonna be my way out of this." 184 00:11:13,923 --> 00:11:17,635 I never saw much wrestling on television until I met my dad, 185 00:11:17,718 --> 00:11:20,721 and then, "Oh, this is what he does." 186 00:11:20,805 --> 00:11:21,972 "Mm." 187 00:11:22,056 --> 00:11:24,850 "Look at these big charismatic individuals, larger than life, 188 00:11:24,934 --> 00:11:26,769 and they have problems with each other, 189 00:11:26,852 --> 00:11:29,772 and the resolution is physical, and they fight." 190 00:11:30,606 --> 00:11:31,941 "I like that." 191 00:11:33,275 --> 00:11:37,154 At that time, I had sort of a strange relationship with my dad. 192 00:11:37,697 --> 00:11:41,075 We didn't play ball together or... There was no camaraderie that way. 193 00:11:41,659 --> 00:11:44,412 We'd talk business, even at that age. 194 00:11:44,495 --> 00:11:49,291 That was sort of what we had in common, other than the fact that we were blood. 195 00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:53,754 Vince and I met when I was 13 and he was 16. 196 00:11:53,838 --> 00:11:57,508 I don't think I ever heard him talk about doing anything else 197 00:11:57,591 --> 00:12:03,180 other than wanting to be involved in the business of professional wrestling. 198 00:12:03,264 --> 00:12:05,307 I knew I wanted to be in my dad's business. 199 00:12:05,391 --> 00:12:06,892 "Come on. There's gotta be something." 200 00:12:06,976 --> 00:12:10,020 That's when he allowed me to go to Bangor, Maine. 201 00:12:11,522 --> 00:12:15,609 It's the furthest northern outpost in my dad's territory. 202 00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:18,112 Bangor was a success, 203 00:12:18,195 --> 00:12:21,741 and my dad was thinking, "Ah, kid did pretty well." 204 00:12:22,825 --> 00:12:26,245 Then, one day, I'm with my dad, he's doing a television show, 205 00:12:26,328 --> 00:12:29,457 and our television announcer kept asking for more money. 206 00:12:29,540 --> 00:12:31,333 The show's about ready to begin, 207 00:12:31,417 --> 00:12:35,296 and he said, "Well, if you don't pay me what I want, I'm walking out." 208 00:12:35,379 --> 00:12:37,715 And my dad a lot of times had these quarters, 209 00:12:37,798 --> 00:12:41,427 and he would click these quarters in his hand as he was thinking. 210 00:12:41,510 --> 00:12:43,971 So I see him off like this, and he's thinking. 211 00:12:44,847 --> 00:12:46,974 I said, "Pop, what are you gonna do?" 212 00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:50,936 "Go announce. You're the announcer." 213 00:12:51,645 --> 00:12:53,939 Show number one recording of All-Star Wrestling 214 00:12:54,023 --> 00:12:56,609 in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Is this quick enough for you, Pop? 215 00:12:56,692 --> 00:12:59,487 Slated to, uh, play, or just roll it, Daddy. 216 00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:01,489 Hello, everybody. My name is Vince McMahon... 217 00:13:01,572 --> 00:13:05,367 So I start trying to BS my way through as an announcer. 218 00:13:06,076 --> 00:13:08,704 Bobo, look at those neck muscles. Big biceps. 219 00:13:08,788 --> 00:13:11,749 A great athlete, and really a deep... Not to belabor a point, 220 00:13:11,832 --> 00:13:15,461 but it is indeed nice to have him back here this... this week. 221 00:13:15,544 --> 00:13:18,589 Vince was a horrible commentator. 222 00:13:19,298 --> 00:13:22,551 But one thing that Vince had was emotion. 223 00:13:23,135 --> 00:13:25,137 And Vince told stories. 224 00:13:25,221 --> 00:13:27,765 I realized that I'm the conduit. 225 00:13:28,390 --> 00:13:32,019 {\an8}I have to translate to the audience what's going on in the ring. 226 00:13:32,102 --> 00:13:34,063 "Here's the story that's being told." 227 00:13:34,146 --> 00:13:36,106 Zbyszko is facing a legend. 228 00:13:36,190 --> 00:13:39,985 Our business is no different than a play, a movie, books. 229 00:13:40,069 --> 00:13:41,070 It's all the same. 230 00:13:41,153 --> 00:13:44,490 Okay, you have an environment, so we establish what the environment is. 231 00:13:44,573 --> 00:13:46,116 They've jam-packed this arena... 232 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,703 Next thing you have to do is create some very interesting characters. 233 00:13:49,787 --> 00:13:53,791 Zbyszko, of course, the only individual to have been trained by Bruno Sammartino. 234 00:13:53,874 --> 00:13:55,000 The good and the bad. 235 00:13:55,084 --> 00:13:57,253 A "babyface," which meant a good guy, 236 00:13:57,336 --> 00:13:59,797 and the other was a "heel," which meant a bad guy. 237 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,925 And Sammartino holds the rope open for Zbyszko. 238 00:14:03,008 --> 00:14:03,926 Too much... 239 00:14:04,009 --> 00:14:04,969 Uh oh. 240 00:14:05,052 --> 00:14:06,262 Oh... Look out! 241 00:14:06,345 --> 00:14:07,847 You introduce another character. 242 00:14:07,930 --> 00:14:09,807 Sends the referee flying out. 243 00:14:09,890 --> 00:14:11,267 Always this big finish. 244 00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:15,521 Zbyszko striking Sammartino, and he really let him have it! 245 00:14:15,604 --> 00:14:17,398 Zbyszko couldn't take it! 246 00:14:18,148 --> 00:14:19,817 The formula is simple, 247 00:14:20,734 --> 00:14:23,737 but... not that easy to do. 248 00:14:23,821 --> 00:14:27,992 Sammartino laying in a pool of blood! 249 00:14:28,075 --> 00:14:29,076 Next week... 250 00:14:29,159 --> 00:14:31,912 Kept that job announcing for my dad. 251 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,667 It wasn't long after that that my dad wanted to get out of the business. 252 00:14:36,750 --> 00:14:38,252 He wanted to sell to someone. 253 00:14:38,919 --> 00:14:42,047 And when he was going to sell to someone, he wasn't thinking about me. 254 00:14:42,131 --> 00:14:42,965 On behalf of... 255 00:14:43,048 --> 00:14:45,968 Matter of fact, he was going to sell it to Gorilla Monsoon, 256 00:14:46,051 --> 00:14:47,553 who was a partner at that time. 257 00:14:48,137 --> 00:14:50,472 {\an8}Monsoon with another little jab there. 258 00:14:50,556 --> 00:14:52,600 Ali's not finding his bark at all. 259 00:14:52,683 --> 00:14:56,395 When I joined the company, Gorilla Monsoon was the heir apparent, 260 00:14:56,478 --> 00:14:58,981 and I could feel the tension right away. 261 00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:01,901 Gorilla Monsoon thinks I'm competition. 262 00:15:03,235 --> 00:15:04,486 Boy, was he right. 263 00:15:05,446 --> 00:15:08,908 When I proposed to buy my dad's business, he made a deal with me. 264 00:15:08,991 --> 00:15:11,493 I'll give you x-number of dollars here, 265 00:15:11,577 --> 00:15:13,829 three months later this, three months later that, 266 00:15:13,913 --> 00:15:15,706 and then the final payment. 267 00:15:15,789 --> 00:15:17,625 And if I miss a payment, 268 00:15:17,708 --> 00:15:20,377 then you get the business back and keep the money. 269 00:15:20,461 --> 00:15:23,672 That appealed to my dad, and appealed to his other stockholders, 270 00:15:23,756 --> 00:15:26,383 because they were thinking, "This kid's not gonna make it." 271 00:15:27,384 --> 00:15:30,137 We took over Vince's father's company. 272 00:15:30,721 --> 00:15:34,725 We actually were paying with money that they would have been generating 273 00:15:34,808 --> 00:15:37,394 should they have stayed in the business. 274 00:15:37,478 --> 00:15:40,147 It was robbing Peter to pay Paul. 275 00:15:40,230 --> 00:15:43,150 Made the last payment, and no one could believe it. 276 00:15:43,859 --> 00:15:45,778 My dad was really, really surprised. 277 00:15:46,403 --> 00:15:49,073 Do you think your dad wanted you to succeed? 278 00:15:49,990 --> 00:15:52,910 I think my dad wanted me to succeed, 279 00:15:52,993 --> 00:15:55,079 but, then again, sometimes I think he didn't. 280 00:15:56,163 --> 00:16:00,417 I honestly thought that he didn't want to make it easy for Vince, 281 00:16:00,918 --> 00:16:04,463 that he really wanted to let him know what it was like to struggle. 282 00:16:04,546 --> 00:16:07,299 But it was strange because when I bought the business, 283 00:16:08,092 --> 00:16:09,802 there was some friction there, 284 00:16:09,885 --> 00:16:13,013 because my dad, he then worked for me, 285 00:16:13,097 --> 00:16:15,474 and I knew he didn't want what I wanted. 286 00:16:15,557 --> 00:16:17,601 Hello, everyone. Welcome to All-American Wrestling... 287 00:16:17,685 --> 00:16:20,229 My vision was to upgrade the product. 288 00:16:20,312 --> 00:16:22,982 My vision was to make this mainstream, 289 00:16:23,732 --> 00:16:27,111 not the lower-class that everyone thought it was. 290 00:16:28,278 --> 00:16:31,740 I didn't want to be "pro wrestling." I don't like that term today. 291 00:16:32,449 --> 00:16:34,785 {\an8}I wanted to be something beyond pro wrestling. 292 00:16:34,868 --> 00:16:37,162 {\an8}I wanted us to grow and compete 293 00:16:37,246 --> 00:16:40,040 {\an8}against all these other promoters all over the country. 294 00:16:40,124 --> 00:16:44,086 During this point in time, the wrestling industry was regional 295 00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:46,672 and operated in what was called the "territory system." 296 00:16:47,339 --> 00:16:49,967 There were separate wrestling companies around the country, 297 00:16:50,050 --> 00:16:52,011 {\an8}and they each ran shows 298 00:16:52,094 --> 00:16:56,056 {\an8}both live and on TV within their own territories. 299 00:16:56,765 --> 00:16:59,059 So, you had Florida, you had Georgia, 300 00:16:59,143 --> 00:17:01,145 you had the Mid-Atlantic, the Carolinas. 301 00:17:01,228 --> 00:17:04,398 There was San Francisco, Portland, Seattle. 302 00:17:04,481 --> 00:17:09,486 Vince's dad had the WWE, which was then known as WWF, 303 00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:11,739 in the Northeast territory. 304 00:17:11,822 --> 00:17:16,326 And there were these imaginary lines that no one crossed. 305 00:17:16,952 --> 00:17:18,495 It was a good ol' boy system. 306 00:17:18,579 --> 00:17:22,082 People had agreements, and you didn't break those agreements. 307 00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:27,046 As soon as I closed the deal, I knew right what I wanted to do. 308 00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:29,131 Go right into their territories. 309 00:17:29,214 --> 00:17:32,926 One of the great World Wrestling Entertainment cities, 310 00:17:33,010 --> 00:17:35,054 St. Louis, Missouri, and indeed... 311 00:17:35,137 --> 00:17:37,347 Vince started promoting his own shows 312 00:17:37,431 --> 00:17:42,311 in what would traditionally be someone else's "territory." 313 00:17:42,394 --> 00:17:44,605 And that ruffled a lot of feathers. 314 00:17:44,688 --> 00:17:49,693 Whether it's in St. Louis, Los Angeles, Hoboken, New Jersey, or wherever, 315 00:17:49,777 --> 00:17:53,238 no doubt World Wrestling Entertainment will be there. 316 00:17:53,822 --> 00:17:55,866 My dad was very much against that. 317 00:17:56,617 --> 00:17:59,453 He said, "Take it easy, Vinnie. Don't rock the boat." 318 00:17:59,536 --> 00:18:03,332 It hurt my dad, but at the same time, I'm in business. 319 00:18:04,249 --> 00:18:06,585 Other promoters started threatening my dad. 320 00:18:06,668 --> 00:18:10,089 "You know, your kid, Vince, is going to wind up at the bottom of a river." 321 00:18:10,172 --> 00:18:12,633 I don't know what it is. These promoters, I guess, 322 00:18:12,716 --> 00:18:15,469 love the bottoms of rivers. 323 00:18:16,178 --> 00:18:19,056 Whenever I was threatened, I didn't care, 324 00:18:19,139 --> 00:18:21,850 'cause you didn't own anything. 325 00:18:21,934 --> 00:18:23,977 I'm competing with you. 326 00:18:24,061 --> 00:18:25,938 Back with you here on All-Star Wrestling, 327 00:18:26,021 --> 00:18:29,525 {\an8}and joining me now, former nine-time Heavyweight Champion of the World, 328 00:18:29,608 --> 00:18:30,442 Verne Gagne... 329 00:18:30,526 --> 00:18:32,361 I worked for Verne Gagne in the AWA, 330 00:18:32,444 --> 00:18:35,197 {\an8}which was one of the strongest territories. 331 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,033 And as far as Verne Gagne was concerned, 332 00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:40,119 Vince was Satan. 333 00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:43,580 He was the devil. He came and ruined all the territories. 334 00:18:43,664 --> 00:18:45,707 In a moment, we'll take you to Tampa, Florida... 335 00:18:45,791 --> 00:18:50,295 Once they made their national expansion and started shattering the territory mold, 336 00:18:51,088 --> 00:18:54,925 so many of the top talent who were really fixtures in other territories 337 00:18:55,008 --> 00:18:59,471 decided to take a better opportunity with Vince McMahon and the WWE. 338 00:19:00,305 --> 00:19:01,974 Our talent was making so much money, 339 00:19:02,558 --> 00:19:04,810 which attracted other talents. 340 00:19:04,893 --> 00:19:09,690 It's a virtual flood of wrestling talent into World Wrestling Entertainment, 341 00:19:09,773 --> 00:19:11,692 the likes of which we've never seen before. 342 00:19:12,276 --> 00:19:15,863 If you really look at what he did, he was quite cutthroat. 343 00:19:15,946 --> 00:19:17,990 He basically went into almost every territory 344 00:19:18,073 --> 00:19:19,491 and bought out their top guys, 345 00:19:19,575 --> 00:19:22,619 then he'd go back to their town with the three or four guys 346 00:19:22,703 --> 00:19:24,705 that he stole from there. 347 00:19:24,788 --> 00:19:26,707 There was nothing anybody could do about it. 348 00:19:26,790 --> 00:19:29,042 We understand that you're attempting to invade 349 00:19:29,126 --> 00:19:31,503 almost every area in the United States. 350 00:19:31,587 --> 00:19:32,421 That's right... 351 00:19:32,504 --> 00:19:35,382 Most wrestlers that worked for Vince came from somewhere else, 352 00:19:35,465 --> 00:19:39,136 and somebody else did the hard work to make that person who they were. 353 00:19:39,887 --> 00:19:41,388 And one phone call, 354 00:19:41,471 --> 00:19:45,309 they ran and left that guy standing in the dust. 355 00:19:45,392 --> 00:19:49,021 Just like he did with me. "I can make you more money here." 356 00:19:49,104 --> 00:19:53,567 It's a dog-eat-dog world, and you have to get your bite out of it. 357 00:19:54,610 --> 00:19:57,946 It was one of those things where I'm not taking anything away from anyone. 358 00:19:58,030 --> 00:19:59,615 I'm building. 359 00:19:59,698 --> 00:20:03,410 And if you can't compete with me, it's America. 360 00:20:04,745 --> 00:20:05,579 Tough. 361 00:20:06,705 --> 00:20:10,042 There's no doubt that the popularity of World Wrestling Entertainment 362 00:20:10,125 --> 00:20:12,628 continues by leaps and bounds... 363 00:20:12,711 --> 00:20:16,131 At that time, I'm competing with all these promoters successfully, 364 00:20:16,215 --> 00:20:19,801 so I then said, "Okay, now I can do things my way." 365 00:20:21,345 --> 00:20:23,847 My dad chose Bob Backlund as a champion. 366 00:20:23,931 --> 00:20:26,767 I love to travel. I love the fans. I love wrestling. 367 00:20:26,850 --> 00:20:28,810 Every minute of my life is a pleasure. 368 00:20:28,894 --> 00:20:30,062 All right, we appreciate... 369 00:20:30,145 --> 00:20:33,607 He was the All-American boy, but a little too milquetoast. 370 00:20:33,690 --> 00:20:36,360 I was looking for someone that had more charisma. 371 00:20:36,443 --> 00:20:39,738 Look at that. Are you kidding me? Look at this. 372 00:20:39,821 --> 00:20:42,616 The Dream just pummeling this man now. 373 00:20:42,699 --> 00:20:43,617 Oh no. 374 00:20:43,700 --> 00:20:45,869 Okay, there was Dusty Rhodes as a possibility. 375 00:20:45,953 --> 00:20:49,414 You can look up in this building in a matter of few hours, when it's full, 376 00:20:49,498 --> 00:20:52,000 and you can see a Black man and a white man 377 00:20:52,084 --> 00:20:54,920 eating out of the same popcorn box! Whoo! 378 00:20:55,963 --> 00:20:58,715 That's funky. That's the American dream. 379 00:20:59,299 --> 00:21:03,679 I had only ever been told by my father that he just didn't believe in it. 380 00:21:04,388 --> 00:21:06,682 It seemed too large of an endeavor. 381 00:21:08,225 --> 00:21:11,144 Dusty could not take advantage of the opportunity, 382 00:21:11,228 --> 00:21:14,189 and so I kept looking for someone that would charm you, 383 00:21:14,273 --> 00:21:17,651 someone that would excite you, someone that was larger than life. 384 00:21:18,986 --> 00:21:23,198 {\an8}This man is not a television illusion. 385 00:21:24,741 --> 00:21:26,493 The first time I met Hulk Hogan, 386 00:21:27,202 --> 00:21:29,788 it was years before I bought my dad's business. 387 00:21:29,871 --> 00:21:32,291 Wow, what a physical specimen. 388 00:21:32,374 --> 00:21:35,127 And he was Sterling Golden. 389 00:21:35,210 --> 00:21:37,421 Sterling Golden... 390 00:21:37,504 --> 00:21:40,590 And my dad saw him and said, "Nah, nah, that's not your name," 391 00:21:40,674 --> 00:21:42,426 and he changed it to "Hulk Hogan." 392 00:21:43,010 --> 00:21:47,264 The Incredible Hulk Hogan! 393 00:21:47,347 --> 00:21:49,975 When they brought me up, they needed somebody 394 00:21:50,058 --> 00:21:53,270 that the people thought could beat Andre the Giant, 395 00:21:53,353 --> 00:21:54,896 who's one of their big stars. 396 00:21:56,064 --> 00:21:56,898 Hogan! 397 00:21:58,191 --> 00:21:59,401 Come here! 398 00:21:59,985 --> 00:22:03,488 Andre the Giant is sports entertainment's first attraction. 399 00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:06,950 You could advertise Andre the Giant, 400 00:22:07,034 --> 00:22:08,243 draw a house. 401 00:22:08,327 --> 00:22:10,454 Hulk Hogan going for the... 402 00:22:10,537 --> 00:22:13,498 I was kind of like Andre's other half. 403 00:22:13,582 --> 00:22:14,958 We'd wrestled everywhere. 404 00:22:15,542 --> 00:22:18,420 Shea Stadium was sold out with me and Andre the Giant, 405 00:22:18,503 --> 00:22:20,630 so I was pretty well established. 406 00:22:20,714 --> 00:22:25,135 One of the ways I would get established was to have these so-called "TV matches." 407 00:22:26,094 --> 00:22:29,806 During those matches, I would wrestle two guys. 408 00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:32,934 Sylvester Stallone saw that, 409 00:22:33,018 --> 00:22:36,730 so that's how I ended up getting offered the part in the Rocky movie. 410 00:22:38,065 --> 00:22:40,984 I was talking with Vince Sr. about doing Rocky III, 411 00:22:41,068 --> 00:22:43,403 and Vince Sr. says, "You're not doing that." 412 00:22:43,487 --> 00:22:47,866 "You're a wrestler." You know? "You don't act, you don't do TV stuff." 413 00:22:47,949 --> 00:22:50,494 He asked my dad, and my dad said, "No, no." 414 00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:55,499 Because my dad had invested a lot in Hogan and wanted to get his money out of it. 415 00:22:55,999 --> 00:22:59,961 He goes, "If you do that, you're fired, and you'll never work here again." 416 00:23:00,045 --> 00:23:01,505 I said, "Okay, cool." 417 00:23:04,132 --> 00:23:05,008 Yeah! 418 00:23:05,092 --> 00:23:08,261 When I did the Rocky movie, I knew it was gonna be big. 419 00:23:09,137 --> 00:23:11,056 I'm coming after you, Balboa. 420 00:23:11,139 --> 00:23:12,641 Say hello to my little friend! 421 00:23:12,724 --> 00:23:15,310 If you took Scarface, if you took The Godfather, 422 00:23:15,936 --> 00:23:18,980 the Rocky franchise was bigger than all that. 423 00:23:19,064 --> 00:23:20,941 It was Americana. 424 00:23:21,691 --> 00:23:23,860 I knew it was going to put me on the map. 425 00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:26,571 It just went crazy. 426 00:23:26,655 --> 00:23:28,907 Would you welcome Hulk Hogan. 427 00:23:30,325 --> 00:23:32,035 You are one good-sized person. 428 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:33,328 Thank you, thank you. 429 00:23:34,162 --> 00:23:35,330 One big man... 430 00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:37,999 In the middle of this, Verne Gagne got a hold of me, 431 00:23:38,083 --> 00:23:40,210 he goes, "How quick can you get to Minnesota?" 432 00:23:41,128 --> 00:23:44,381 Hulk Hogan, back in the AWA, and I cannot believe... 433 00:23:44,464 --> 00:23:47,884 When I went to the AWA, I started the Hulkamania stuff. 434 00:23:47,968 --> 00:23:49,553 I started ripping my shirt off. 435 00:23:50,137 --> 00:23:53,432 And it was growing and becoming dominant. 436 00:23:54,015 --> 00:23:58,854 I followed his career, and he was really honing in on his talents. 437 00:23:58,937 --> 00:24:02,190 Here comes Hogan! Here is the leg smash! 438 00:24:02,274 --> 00:24:04,609 I am the champion! This is your belt! 439 00:24:04,693 --> 00:24:08,822 Vince came to me and said, "I want to take over all the territories, 440 00:24:08,905 --> 00:24:12,784 and I want to do it with you." And I went, "Let's go, brother." 441 00:24:13,368 --> 00:24:17,372 Hulk knew where the business was going, and he... he knew Vince was the direction. 442 00:24:17,456 --> 00:24:19,916 It was an easy decision. Some guy's gonna push you 443 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,919 and make you the biggest star and you're gonna go national, 444 00:24:23,003 --> 00:24:26,465 the other guy just wants to promote Minneapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. 445 00:24:26,548 --> 00:24:29,759 I'd been dreaming my whole career about going back, 446 00:24:29,843 --> 00:24:32,429 and when Vince said what he was gonna do with me, 447 00:24:32,512 --> 00:24:34,931 I knew what was going to happen. 448 00:24:35,015 --> 00:24:37,100 - Oh! - Gotta be kidding! 449 00:24:37,184 --> 00:24:38,894 Hulk Hogan! 450 00:24:38,977 --> 00:24:42,731 I would like to thank the WWE for bringing the Hulkster back... 451 00:24:42,814 --> 00:24:45,984 So somehow I had to transfer the title from Bob Backlund 452 00:24:46,067 --> 00:24:47,152 to get to Hogan. 453 00:24:47,235 --> 00:24:50,030 I couldn't make that match. They were two "babyfaces." 454 00:24:50,113 --> 00:24:52,699 So I used the Iron Sheik. 455 00:24:52,782 --> 00:24:54,075 Bob Backlund! 456 00:24:57,454 --> 00:24:59,706 The Iron Sheik from Iran 457 00:24:59,789 --> 00:25:05,420 was one of the most disliked individuals we've ever had as a heel in our company. 458 00:25:07,631 --> 00:25:11,843 Now, there was lot of nationalism then. A lot of "rah, rah, America." 459 00:25:12,427 --> 00:25:14,554 And for years, we had problems with Iran. 460 00:25:14,638 --> 00:25:17,599 The President met with the National Security Council in Washington 461 00:25:17,682 --> 00:25:19,768 about the fast-breaking developments in Iran. 462 00:25:20,435 --> 00:25:23,688 There was American hostages that are being held in Iran. 463 00:25:23,772 --> 00:25:27,067 It's front-page news. There's talk about it every single day. 464 00:25:28,151 --> 00:25:30,445 So when the Iron Sheik would be in the ring, 465 00:25:30,529 --> 00:25:32,030 waving the Iranian flag and all that... 466 00:25:32,113 --> 00:25:33,990 Iran number one! 467 00:25:34,074 --> 00:25:36,368 ...that got a negative reaction. 468 00:25:37,035 --> 00:25:41,498 You look at what is happening, and you try and tell a story off of that 469 00:25:41,581 --> 00:25:44,417 and have people be able to react in a way 470 00:25:44,501 --> 00:25:46,920 they couldn't necessarily react in real life. 471 00:25:47,003 --> 00:25:49,548 Again, a lot of people do not like the Iron Sheik. 472 00:25:49,631 --> 00:25:53,134 You can't find an Iranian sheik walking down the street 473 00:25:53,218 --> 00:25:57,013 that you can boo and hiss at and see him get beat up, 474 00:25:57,097 --> 00:26:00,058 but you could go to the wrestling matches and see it. 475 00:26:00,141 --> 00:26:01,268 Iran sucks! 476 00:26:01,351 --> 00:26:03,770 What are they chanting? "Iran" what? 477 00:26:03,853 --> 00:26:06,314 I don't wanna say, Vince. 478 00:26:06,398 --> 00:26:10,193 It doesn't always age well, but you look at the movies. 479 00:26:11,027 --> 00:26:15,615 Movies depicted Japan as the evil empire attacking America. 480 00:26:15,699 --> 00:26:18,868 Anybody from Japan was not to be trusted. 481 00:26:18,952 --> 00:26:19,786 Germany. 482 00:26:19,869 --> 00:26:20,787 You are a liar! 483 00:26:21,913 --> 00:26:22,789 Russians. 484 00:26:22,872 --> 00:26:25,125 If he dies, he dies. 485 00:26:25,917 --> 00:26:28,587 You were taught at an early age... 486 00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:36,886 these people, foreigners, they were the bad guys. 487 00:26:36,970 --> 00:26:38,138 From Russia... 488 00:26:38,221 --> 00:26:39,723 Right, wrong, indifferent, 489 00:26:39,806 --> 00:26:43,727 {\an8}in that time, your bad guy was the Russian bad guy, 490 00:26:44,311 --> 00:26:46,771 the German bad guy, the Japanese bad guy. 491 00:26:47,522 --> 00:26:50,191 And it was easy to understand for people. 492 00:26:50,734 --> 00:26:52,152 Banzai! 493 00:26:52,235 --> 00:26:55,322 Wrestling is an imitation of the world. 494 00:26:55,405 --> 00:26:58,366 If you want to know what America is like, watch wrestling. 495 00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:00,201 We show you yourself. 496 00:27:00,285 --> 00:27:02,162 Tell me a wrestler you don't like. 497 00:27:02,245 --> 00:27:03,788 The Sheik, man, the Sheik. 498 00:27:03,872 --> 00:27:05,832 - Sheik. - The Iron Sheik. 499 00:27:06,416 --> 00:27:09,210 -How come you don't like him? -He's from another country, man. 500 00:27:09,294 --> 00:27:10,503 He's from another country. 501 00:27:10,587 --> 00:27:13,757 Vince sees what's going on. He followed the river. 502 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,344 That's how he became rich. He never swam upstream. 503 00:27:20,013 --> 00:27:24,768 You can look back on anything and say, "Oh, I bet you regret that." 504 00:27:24,851 --> 00:27:29,230 Well, you know, look back on ten years, twenty years, five years ago, 505 00:27:29,314 --> 00:27:30,940 life was different then. 506 00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:33,234 Things were different, values were different, 507 00:27:33,318 --> 00:27:35,570 and you can't take the values of today 508 00:27:35,654 --> 00:27:38,615 and look back and say, "The same values apply to that." 509 00:27:38,698 --> 00:27:41,910 It was a different time, different life, different set of values then. 510 00:27:41,993 --> 00:27:45,664 If it were done today? Wow. That would be a problem. 511 00:27:45,747 --> 00:27:49,167 But then? I didn't think it was a real big deal. 512 00:27:49,668 --> 00:27:52,253 {\an8}The Iron Sheik! 513 00:27:55,048 --> 00:27:59,135 So, I wanted to transfer the title from Backlund to the Iron Sheik, 514 00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:04,933 and then of course, setting us up for this big, blond-haired, All-American 515 00:28:05,016 --> 00:28:07,894 to come in and beat the Iron Sheik from Iran. 516 00:28:09,938 --> 00:28:11,856 Hulk Hogan needed the ultimate opponent, 517 00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:13,316 and the timing was impeccable. 518 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,820 It's the All-American hero versus this evil Iranian. 519 00:28:17,404 --> 00:28:21,783 The "Eye of the Tiger" as Hulk Hogan enters the squared circle! 520 00:28:22,409 --> 00:28:23,785 {\an8}Back then, 521 00:28:23,868 --> 00:28:27,163 {\an8}Vince made the decision if I was gonna win or lose the match, 522 00:28:27,247 --> 00:28:29,833 {\an8}but what we physically did in the ring, 523 00:28:29,916 --> 00:28:32,502 I called in the ring on the spot. 524 00:28:32,585 --> 00:28:34,045 We didn't rehearse anything. 525 00:28:34,129 --> 00:28:36,172 That's the art form of wrestling. 526 00:28:38,591 --> 00:28:41,886 I jumped in before the bell rang. Didn't tell him I was gonna do it. 527 00:28:41,970 --> 00:28:43,513 Felt like the right thing to do. 528 00:28:43,596 --> 00:28:47,600 Hulk has the Sheik's robe, and he clotheslined him with it! 529 00:28:47,684 --> 00:28:50,478 I didn't tell him I was gonna clothesline him and choke him out. 530 00:28:50,562 --> 00:28:52,188 It just all happens. 531 00:28:52,272 --> 00:28:53,857 The Hulk now is in trouble. 532 00:28:53,940 --> 00:28:55,442 You have listen to the crowd. 533 00:28:55,525 --> 00:28:57,318 And the noise is deafening! 534 00:28:57,402 --> 00:28:59,779 You kind of feel it, you listen, you think. 535 00:28:59,863 --> 00:29:02,115 Hulk Hogan drops the big leg on him! 536 00:29:02,699 --> 00:29:05,034 One, two... He's done it! 537 00:29:06,119 --> 00:29:09,497 It was a really huge response from Madison Square Garden. 538 00:29:10,749 --> 00:29:13,334 Hulkamania is here. 539 00:29:13,418 --> 00:29:17,130 And of course everyone knows of Hulk Hogan to this day. 540 00:29:17,213 --> 00:29:20,967 All I asked was for the whole WWE to stand behind the Hulkster, 541 00:29:21,050 --> 00:29:23,428 and I told them I'd bring it home for the USA! 542 00:29:23,511 --> 00:29:25,305 Hulkamania is running worldwide! 543 00:29:26,639 --> 00:29:27,474 What a... 544 00:29:27,557 --> 00:29:29,684 To put the belt on the Iron Sheik, 545 00:29:29,768 --> 00:29:32,979 {\an8}and then have the business direction that the belt's coming to me 546 00:29:33,062 --> 00:29:36,816 because we need a guy to be the hood ornament to take over the world, 547 00:29:36,900 --> 00:29:40,737 that was a business decision that Vince had to execute creatively, 548 00:29:41,821 --> 00:29:43,656 and it worked. 549 00:29:43,740 --> 00:29:45,784 Many fans feel that Hulk Hogan is perhaps 550 00:29:45,867 --> 00:29:48,703 the most exciting pro wrestling champion ever. 551 00:29:48,787 --> 00:29:53,792 You can't overemphasize the importance of Hulk Hogan. 552 00:29:53,875 --> 00:29:56,085 You take Hulk Hogan out of the equation, I think, uh... 553 00:29:56,169 --> 00:29:57,712 I think Vince fails in his expansion. 554 00:29:57,796 --> 00:29:59,839 I'm relatively certain he fails in his expansion. 555 00:30:00,882 --> 00:30:03,009 Pro wrestling is a star-driven business, 556 00:30:03,092 --> 00:30:06,221 and the ability to make stars is what makes you popular. 557 00:30:06,805 --> 00:30:10,266 Vince was much better at making stars than all of these other promoters 558 00:30:10,350 --> 00:30:11,518 because his father was. 559 00:30:12,185 --> 00:30:16,064 Vince McMahon Sr. was really good at making the top guys 560 00:30:16,147 --> 00:30:17,524 come across like stars, 561 00:30:17,607 --> 00:30:20,318 which was more important than having good wrestling matches. 562 00:30:20,401 --> 00:30:23,238 That was Vince's strength because it was his father's strength. 563 00:30:23,863 --> 00:30:27,200 There is a point when my dad told me he was proud of me. 564 00:30:27,826 --> 00:30:28,993 He said, "You know, Vinnie, 565 00:30:29,077 --> 00:30:30,995 all these friends of mine aren't really friends." 566 00:30:31,079 --> 00:30:33,790 "These promoters I've worked with all these years in their territories, 567 00:30:33,873 --> 00:30:35,375 you know, fuck them." 568 00:30:35,458 --> 00:30:37,377 "You're beating all of them." 569 00:30:37,460 --> 00:30:39,712 "I'm proud of you for what you've done. Fuck them all." 570 00:30:39,796 --> 00:30:42,507 And I thought... "Wow." 571 00:30:43,049 --> 00:30:46,219 First time my dad ever said anything like that, that he was on my side. 572 00:30:47,345 --> 00:30:50,473 Of course, he waited until I was a success. 573 00:30:50,557 --> 00:30:53,893 And maybe he felt that way all along, but he never told me. 574 00:30:53,977 --> 00:30:56,729 That was one of the biggest moments of my life. 575 00:30:59,607 --> 00:31:01,025 Until... 576 00:31:04,821 --> 00:31:09,033 We'd like to have you all rise in a moment of silence 577 00:31:09,117 --> 00:31:12,829 for Mr. Vincent J. McMahon. 578 00:31:13,329 --> 00:31:17,667 The day before he died was the only time that he told me that he loved me, 579 00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:20,461 but, wow. He told me. Before he died. 580 00:31:21,838 --> 00:31:23,089 God, it felt so good. 581 00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:27,552 Whether or not they care for you or not, 582 00:31:27,635 --> 00:31:30,597 it's so wonderful in life to have someone that you care for. 583 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:33,850 And I had that opportunity to really care about my dad 584 00:31:33,933 --> 00:31:35,435 and to love my dad. 585 00:31:38,271 --> 00:31:41,900 I don't think he liked his father, to be honest with you. 586 00:31:42,817 --> 00:31:45,069 Why do you say that? 587 00:31:46,946 --> 00:31:48,364 When Jr. came along, 588 00:31:48,448 --> 00:31:51,075 he had a vision that wrestling is going to change. 589 00:31:51,159 --> 00:31:53,119 It can't remain the same. 590 00:31:53,202 --> 00:31:58,124 And every idea that came out of his head drove his father up the roof. 591 00:31:58,207 --> 00:31:59,709 Drove the wrestlers up the roof. 592 00:31:59,792 --> 00:32:02,837 I remember guys in the dressing room talking about how nutty he was. 593 00:32:03,421 --> 00:32:08,843 When Vince became the owner of the company and he and his father started to clash. 594 00:32:09,969 --> 00:32:16,601 The clashes were mostly because of Vince Sr.'s lack of willingness 595 00:32:16,684 --> 00:32:20,647 to accept where the industry and the business was headed. 596 00:32:22,523 --> 00:32:26,486 Vince come along with these ideas that we thought were crazy. 597 00:32:27,111 --> 00:32:29,447 It was just... It was not wrestling. 598 00:32:30,031 --> 00:32:34,494 Vince had ideas about programming to a younger audience, 599 00:32:35,078 --> 00:32:39,582 and not shying away from the fact that this was scripted entertainment. 600 00:32:39,666 --> 00:32:42,877 Vince really wanted to grow and expand. 601 00:32:42,961 --> 00:32:45,838 While everybody else was looking at the territories, 602 00:32:46,506 --> 00:32:49,926 Vince understood that national cable was the future. 603 00:32:50,009 --> 00:32:52,553 It was clear to me from the very beginning 604 00:32:52,637 --> 00:32:55,682 that Vince was looking at a bigger distribution. 605 00:32:55,765 --> 00:33:00,687 USA Network became the marketing channel for WWE. 606 00:33:01,270 --> 00:33:05,108 {\an8}Vince always wanted to promote something new that they were doing. 607 00:33:05,191 --> 00:33:06,484 Be careful! 608 00:33:06,567 --> 00:33:08,987 Vince was never in the wrestling business. 609 00:33:09,070 --> 00:33:11,197 He was always in the entertainment business. 610 00:33:13,074 --> 00:33:16,703 Like, for example, when he first came in and took over, 611 00:33:16,786 --> 00:33:21,040 he made that talk show, and we thought he was off his deep end. 612 00:33:21,124 --> 00:33:23,209 Thank you and welcome to TNT... 613 00:33:23,292 --> 00:33:25,962 It was so much fun. 614 00:33:26,546 --> 00:33:27,588 That's right! 615 00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:31,092 It was the Wild West in a talk show format, 616 00:33:32,051 --> 00:33:33,011 It was a riot. 617 00:33:33,094 --> 00:33:34,387 Whoa! 618 00:33:34,470 --> 00:33:35,930 You stupid idiot! 619 00:33:36,014 --> 00:33:39,183 Vince was experimenting with different kinds of ways 620 00:33:39,267 --> 00:33:42,145 to expose the talent to different audiences. 621 00:33:42,228 --> 00:33:44,272 I'm in favor of that, for sure. 622 00:33:44,355 --> 00:33:49,277 He always wanted to use wrestling as a stepping stone into other stuff. 623 00:33:50,194 --> 00:33:54,073 Our company was growing, and things just started opening up. 624 00:33:54,157 --> 00:33:57,285 And it's like, "Yeah, let's do this. Let's do that." 625 00:33:57,869 --> 00:34:02,415 The voice of World Wrestling Entertainment and host of TNT, Mr. Vince McMahon. 626 00:34:04,333 --> 00:34:08,755 {\an8}Dave, as you know, um, there are lots of mothers in New York City... 627 00:34:08,838 --> 00:34:11,841 {\an8}There was an overlap that you and Vince had early on. 628 00:34:11,924 --> 00:34:14,260 Oh! Yeah, yeah. 629 00:34:14,343 --> 00:34:17,430 {\an8}It was Letterman's third anniversary show, 630 00:34:17,513 --> 00:34:21,601 and they decide if a baby was born during the show, 631 00:34:21,684 --> 00:34:25,063 then that baby would become the "Late Night Baby." 632 00:34:25,146 --> 00:34:29,942 And so they sent Vince McMahon to one maternity ward, and me to another. 633 00:34:30,026 --> 00:34:32,653 -Vince, I have a question for you. -Yes, David. 634 00:34:32,737 --> 00:34:34,155 Is that your tuxedo? 635 00:34:34,238 --> 00:34:36,240 -Uh, no, actually, it's not. -Okay. 636 00:34:38,326 --> 00:34:41,079 I think Vince enjoyed being on David Letterman. 637 00:34:41,162 --> 00:34:44,248 It was as culturally hip a show as you could find. 638 00:34:44,957 --> 00:34:46,834 It was a mark of credibility 639 00:34:46,918 --> 00:34:49,712 if David Letterman gave you a figurative thumbs up. 640 00:34:49,796 --> 00:34:52,215 Question, Larry. Is that your tux? 641 00:34:52,298 --> 00:34:55,051 -No, it's not. -All right. Back to you! 642 00:34:55,676 --> 00:34:57,678 Vince always looked at 643 00:34:57,762 --> 00:35:02,433 how could he connect different aspects of the world of entertainment. 644 00:35:02,517 --> 00:35:04,393 How can we co-brand with something 645 00:35:04,477 --> 00:35:07,563 and make both of our brands bigger and stronger? 646 00:35:10,024 --> 00:35:14,278 Hi! You're listening to MTV, Music Television, 647 00:35:14,362 --> 00:35:16,114 and I'm Cyndi Lauper. 648 00:35:16,197 --> 00:35:21,577 Cyndi Lauper was on MTV at that time, and she was a huge star. 649 00:35:21,661 --> 00:35:25,581 ♪ Oh, girls just wanna have fun... ♪ 650 00:35:25,665 --> 00:35:28,000 For the uninitiated, this is Cyndi Lauper, 651 00:35:28,084 --> 00:35:32,547 whose debut album, She's So Unusual, placed four singles in the top five. 652 00:35:32,630 --> 00:35:35,341 On the video for one of them, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," 653 00:35:35,424 --> 00:35:38,302 Captain Lou Albano appeared as Cyndi's father. 654 00:35:38,386 --> 00:35:41,597 Cyndi Lauper met Captain Lou Albano on a plane... 655 00:35:41,681 --> 00:35:43,349 Let me in! I wanna see Cyndi Lauper! 656 00:35:43,432 --> 00:35:46,060 ...and felt that there could be some connection. 657 00:35:46,144 --> 00:35:48,271 - Heavy metal wrestling goes. - Heavy metal... 658 00:35:48,354 --> 00:35:52,191 And there's an opportunity to grow our businesses. Both of us. 659 00:35:52,859 --> 00:35:56,237 Cyndi, tell all these people out here how I made you a superstar. 660 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,031 Tell them how you came off my reputation, Cyndi! 661 00:35:59,115 --> 00:36:01,576 -How all women are nothing, Cyndi! -What?! 662 00:36:03,494 --> 00:36:07,623 Cyndi was associated with us, and that made MTV think, 663 00:36:07,707 --> 00:36:10,668 "Here's Cyndi, she's going into this other genre." 664 00:36:10,751 --> 00:36:13,045 "Let's work with this other genre as well." 665 00:36:13,129 --> 00:36:15,882 This week on MTV. The Brawl, Sunday... 666 00:36:15,965 --> 00:36:18,342 We did two television shows on MTV. 667 00:36:18,426 --> 00:36:22,388 Got great ratings for MTV, and it was a great storyline. 668 00:36:22,471 --> 00:36:24,974 I challenge you, you fat bag of wind! 669 00:36:25,057 --> 00:36:27,894 At that time, women's wrestling was... 670 00:36:29,729 --> 00:36:32,398 ...déclassé in a déclassé business. 671 00:36:32,481 --> 00:36:33,649 Let me tell you something... 672 00:36:33,733 --> 00:36:34,859 So I thought, 673 00:36:34,942 --> 00:36:37,528 "I'll have Cyndi connect with one of our female performers." 674 00:36:37,612 --> 00:36:39,572 "That'll make that division mean more." 675 00:36:41,073 --> 00:36:42,950 -Yeah! -Moolah's going down! 676 00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:44,952 That's right! 677 00:36:45,036 --> 00:36:48,080 Wendi Richter was the choice to represent Cyndi. 678 00:36:48,664 --> 00:36:51,167 I just got a call from her out of the blue 679 00:36:51,250 --> 00:36:54,670 asking if I could represent her in the ring. 680 00:36:54,754 --> 00:36:57,131 And I said, "Sure." 681 00:36:57,215 --> 00:37:02,470 Managing the challenger, Cyndi Lauper! 682 00:37:04,472 --> 00:37:09,352 There was a buzz in the arena, and it was because of her involvement. 683 00:37:09,435 --> 00:37:11,437 This crowd is on their feet! 684 00:37:12,396 --> 00:37:16,108 At this point, many of my friends, we were wrestling fans. 685 00:37:16,192 --> 00:37:19,654 We liked the whole tongue-in-cheek aspect of it. 686 00:37:19,737 --> 00:37:23,908 Like, here's a mainstream sports guy, and now he's lending his voice 687 00:37:23,991 --> 00:37:27,578 to introducing Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, 688 00:37:27,662 --> 00:37:29,121 and he's doing it straight. 689 00:37:29,205 --> 00:37:31,666 Thank you, Howard. This is indeed an honor. 690 00:37:31,749 --> 00:37:33,834 It was funny. I loved it. 691 00:37:33,918 --> 00:37:35,169 Oh, they're at it! 692 00:37:37,755 --> 00:37:39,465 Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection! 693 00:37:39,548 --> 00:37:41,133 - Wow! - Oh! 694 00:37:41,217 --> 00:37:43,135 - Look out! - Oh! 695 00:37:43,219 --> 00:37:46,931 You've gotta be kidding me! Here comes Mr. T, ladies and gentlemen! 696 00:37:47,014 --> 00:37:51,769 I had made friends with Mr. T, and Mr. T was white-hot at the time, 697 00:37:51,852 --> 00:37:53,396 {\an8}just really on fire. 698 00:37:53,479 --> 00:37:54,313 ♪ Mr. T... ♪ 699 00:37:54,397 --> 00:37:57,066 So you bring the celebrity into our world. 700 00:37:58,150 --> 00:38:01,195 We've got a madhouse. What is going on? Ladies and gentlemen... 701 00:38:01,279 --> 00:38:02,405 Pandemonium! 702 00:38:04,782 --> 00:38:07,451 To have this partnership with MTV, 703 00:38:07,535 --> 00:38:10,621 it was quite a step up from what we had been doing. 704 00:38:10,705 --> 00:38:12,540 MTV was red-hot back then, 705 00:38:12,623 --> 00:38:16,210 so this product that Vince McMahon put together 706 00:38:16,294 --> 00:38:19,505 just wasn't in the back rooms for people that smoke cigars. 707 00:38:19,588 --> 00:38:21,590 I mean, this was getting to be mainstream. 708 00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,051 It changed wrestling. 709 00:38:24,135 --> 00:38:27,888 Now, it's... it's okay for people to say, "I watch wrestling." 710 00:38:27,972 --> 00:38:32,059 Andy Warhol, your impressions of what took place earlier on here. 711 00:38:32,143 --> 00:38:33,436 I'm speechless. 712 00:38:33,519 --> 00:38:36,897 Uh, it's just so exciting. I just don't know what to say. 713 00:38:36,981 --> 00:38:38,399 I don't think it's over. 714 00:38:38,482 --> 00:38:42,194 I think we have just seen the tip of the iceberg. 715 00:38:43,821 --> 00:38:47,325 At that time, the business was growing leaps and bounds 716 00:38:47,408 --> 00:38:49,327 and I enjoyed putting in the work. 717 00:38:49,410 --> 00:38:52,872 But my wife, finally, "You need a vacation." 718 00:38:52,955 --> 00:38:56,375 So I went to the Caribbean someplace for two days. 719 00:38:57,043 --> 00:39:00,588 I came back the next day and announced, "We're gonna have one big event a year, 720 00:39:00,671 --> 00:39:04,133 just like the Super Bowl, and we're gonna call it WrestleMania." 721 00:39:04,216 --> 00:39:06,510 She turned to me and she said, 722 00:39:06,594 --> 00:39:08,679 "You weren't relaxing or enjoying any of that." 723 00:39:08,763 --> 00:39:10,723 "You were thinking about business." 724 00:39:11,432 --> 00:39:14,727 On Sunday afternoon, March 31st, it's WrestleMania. 725 00:39:14,810 --> 00:39:17,063 Mr. T risks it all wrestling for the first time, 726 00:39:17,146 --> 00:39:19,023 teaming up with champion Hulk Hogan... 727 00:39:19,106 --> 00:39:23,694 You will see the greatest production of wrestling ever in the world. 728 00:39:23,778 --> 00:39:25,446 Wrestling history will be made. 729 00:39:25,529 --> 00:39:27,615 The Woodstock of professional wrestling. 730 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:31,327 WrestleMania was obviously just, again, common sense. 731 00:39:31,952 --> 00:39:33,037 There was a Super Bowl 732 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,040 and other big culminations of sports and things of that nature, 733 00:39:36,123 --> 00:39:40,961 so why wouldn't we have one big end-of-the-season type deal? 734 00:39:41,045 --> 00:39:42,505 -WrestleMania. -WrestleMania. 735 00:39:42,588 --> 00:39:43,464 WrestleMania. 736 00:39:43,547 --> 00:39:46,133 Maybe we could take this one huge event 737 00:39:46,217 --> 00:39:48,969 and put it on what was known as "closed-circuit." 738 00:39:49,053 --> 00:39:52,348 There will be over a million people watching on closed-circuit television 739 00:39:52,431 --> 00:39:54,266 all over the, uh, United States. 740 00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:57,603 Closed-circuit was simply a very large projector 741 00:39:57,686 --> 00:40:01,607 projecting on a screen in an arena what you were presenting. 742 00:40:01,690 --> 00:40:05,569 And you paid money, as if it were a live event, to come in and watch. 743 00:40:05,653 --> 00:40:09,824 That concept today sounds ridiculous, but that's the way it was then. 744 00:40:10,408 --> 00:40:14,620 Closed-circuit television, every major city in the United States. 745 00:40:14,703 --> 00:40:15,704 Not only that, Jack. 746 00:40:15,788 --> 00:40:20,543 but it's going to 24 foreign countries on big screen. 747 00:40:20,626 --> 00:40:23,170 The hype worked so well that Hulk Hogan and Mr. T 748 00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:25,214 have been granted the ultimate yuppie honor: 749 00:40:25,297 --> 00:40:27,049 co-hosting Saturday Night Live. 750 00:40:27,133 --> 00:40:31,387 Mr. T and Hulk Hogan! 751 00:40:31,470 --> 00:40:33,097 We got a big match coming up. 752 00:40:33,180 --> 00:40:36,267 Madison Square Garden. WrestleMania, that is. Hulk Hogan... 753 00:40:36,350 --> 00:40:38,227 In terms of publicity for WrestleMania, 754 00:40:38,310 --> 00:40:41,814 you wanted to invite the media as much as you possibly could. 755 00:40:43,023 --> 00:40:44,984 We had an event in Madison Square Garden. 756 00:40:45,067 --> 00:40:47,695 {\an8}This isn't really wrestling. This is wrassling. 757 00:40:47,778 --> 00:40:50,281 {\an8}And John Stossel, from one of the networks, 758 00:40:50,364 --> 00:40:52,491 wanted to interview some of our performers. 759 00:40:53,117 --> 00:40:55,369 John Stossel's there under the premise 760 00:40:55,453 --> 00:40:58,080 that he wants to find out if Hulk Hogan's really as popular 761 00:40:58,164 --> 00:40:59,415 as the New York Times said. 762 00:40:59,498 --> 00:41:03,627 And as we're walking, he goes, "Do you guys use razor blades to bleed?" 763 00:41:03,711 --> 00:41:06,422 And I said, "Are you kidding me? Isn't that kind of masochistic?" 764 00:41:06,505 --> 00:41:09,800 My head was already carved up from the last couple weeks, you know? 765 00:41:09,884 --> 00:41:12,261 Man, I make a beeline to Vince. 766 00:41:12,344 --> 00:41:17,766 I say, "Vince, this guy is not here to find out how popular Hulk Hogan is, 767 00:41:17,850 --> 00:41:19,810 he's here to expose the wrestling business." 768 00:41:20,394 --> 00:41:22,730 And Vince come into the dressing room, 769 00:41:22,813 --> 00:41:26,150 and he said there was a reporter here that run around asking wrestlers, 770 00:41:26,233 --> 00:41:27,276 "Is wrestling fake?" 771 00:41:27,860 --> 00:41:31,447 Fans, I'm afraid I have to tell you, it is fake. 772 00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:34,492 He said, "I wish somebody'd do something with that guy." 773 00:41:35,159 --> 00:41:40,039 I did not hear Vince McMahon say anything about putting him in his place. 774 00:41:40,122 --> 00:41:41,499 That's verbiage I never heard. 775 00:41:42,082 --> 00:41:44,210 He didn't tell us to do it, 776 00:41:44,293 --> 00:41:48,589 but he said, "I wish someone would take care of that guy," 777 00:41:48,672 --> 00:41:50,424 and walked out of the dressing room. 778 00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:53,552 There was a wrestler by the name of David Schultz, 779 00:41:53,636 --> 00:41:55,971 decided he would step into the shot. 780 00:41:56,055 --> 00:41:58,140 - I think this is fake. - You think it's fake? 781 00:41:59,475 --> 00:42:03,938 Out of nowhere, David Schultz just slaps the crap out of Stossel. 782 00:42:04,021 --> 00:42:05,898 You think it's fake? Come... 783 00:42:06,857 --> 00:42:08,776 - Cut! - Huh? What do you mean? 784 00:42:08,859 --> 00:42:12,988 Do you remember Vince's reaction to John getting hit? 785 00:42:13,072 --> 00:42:14,573 We all celebrated. 786 00:42:15,074 --> 00:42:16,450 Not just Vince, everybody. 787 00:42:16,534 --> 00:42:19,495 David was getting pats on the back, people was buying him drinks. 788 00:42:20,079 --> 00:42:23,499 Well, at the time, we were very protective of the business, 789 00:42:23,582 --> 00:42:27,795 because wrestling is not fake. It's predetermined, it's exhibition, 790 00:42:27,878 --> 00:42:31,674 but I can tell you, in the last 10 years, I've had 23 surgeries. 791 00:42:31,757 --> 00:42:32,675 In 10 years. 792 00:42:32,758 --> 00:42:35,678 So if that's fake, please explain it to me. 793 00:42:35,761 --> 00:42:36,929 I didn't get the memo. 794 00:42:37,012 --> 00:42:41,225 At the time, you gotta realize, you know, they were protecting the business. 795 00:42:41,308 --> 00:42:42,643 We loved it. 796 00:42:43,143 --> 00:42:46,522 Until the lawsuit came down. That's when the shit hit the fan. 797 00:42:46,605 --> 00:42:47,982 How is it, physically? 798 00:42:48,566 --> 00:42:51,735 A doctor now says I have ear damage that's probably permanent... 799 00:42:51,819 --> 00:42:54,863 Mainstream culture was coming to pro wrestling. 800 00:42:54,947 --> 00:42:58,450 But pro wrestling wasn't quite ready for prime time. 801 00:42:58,534 --> 00:43:00,953 You see a similar thing on The Richard Belzer Show, 802 00:43:01,745 --> 00:43:05,207 when Hulk Hogan, who's the most media ready 803 00:43:05,291 --> 00:43:06,834 of anybody in that crew, 804 00:43:06,917 --> 00:43:11,505 finds himself in this incredibly bizarre and unfortunate situation. 805 00:43:11,589 --> 00:43:13,382 Apparently, you don't know what's going on. 806 00:43:13,465 --> 00:43:15,467 - You must've been in a log cabin. - I know... 807 00:43:15,551 --> 00:43:17,011 I'll lay it out for you, little dude. 808 00:43:17,094 --> 00:43:18,637 -Let me tell you how it is. -Okay. 809 00:43:18,721 --> 00:43:19,555 You know, Mr. T... 810 00:43:19,638 --> 00:43:22,308 It's tough when people try to undermine our business. 811 00:43:22,391 --> 00:43:24,393 The thing is, I fear no man. 812 00:43:24,476 --> 00:43:25,894 - I believe you. - You dig it? 813 00:43:25,978 --> 00:43:27,354 -I can dig it twice. -Are you a man? 814 00:43:27,438 --> 00:43:28,981 -What do you think? -I really don't know. 815 00:43:29,064 --> 00:43:30,733 You wanna step outside? 816 00:43:30,816 --> 00:43:32,901 Like when Richard Belzer says, 817 00:43:32,985 --> 00:43:35,237 "Hey, put one of those wrestling moves on me." 818 00:43:35,321 --> 00:43:37,740 Tell me, brother, when you want him to quit squealing. 819 00:43:37,823 --> 00:43:38,824 All right. 820 00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:41,702 Brought him over, hooked him in a front chin lock. 821 00:43:42,703 --> 00:43:45,372 - How about it, T? - Keep it like that for a while. 822 00:43:46,665 --> 00:43:49,084 And when I let him go, he fell and hit his head. 823 00:43:51,420 --> 00:43:56,717 Belzer just flopped, and Hulk thought it was a pratfall. 824 00:43:57,301 --> 00:43:59,887 - In actuality... - ...he was hurt. 825 00:44:01,513 --> 00:44:03,265 - Your head is bleed... - We'll be back. 826 00:44:03,349 --> 00:44:05,768 He hit his head when he fell, and it was bleeding. 827 00:44:05,851 --> 00:44:07,394 This was not good. 828 00:44:07,478 --> 00:44:11,607 I sued Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment... 829 00:44:11,690 --> 00:44:12,650 I sued them all. 830 00:44:12,733 --> 00:44:14,985 Yeah. Vince wasn't real happy with me. 831 00:44:15,069 --> 00:44:19,740 We were at a very, very vulnerable stage with WrestleMania I 832 00:44:19,823 --> 00:44:22,785 for me to be going around choking people out and stuff. 833 00:44:22,868 --> 00:44:24,578 WrestleMania was a big risk. 834 00:44:25,329 --> 00:44:28,582 {\an8}Vince banked everything on this WrestleMania being a success. 835 00:44:28,666 --> 00:44:30,167 {\an8}He put a lot of money into it. 836 00:44:30,250 --> 00:44:32,711 The story is if it had failed, he'd have been belly-up. 837 00:44:32,795 --> 00:44:36,548 And, you know... um, it's very possibly true. 838 00:44:36,632 --> 00:44:41,345 Well, my parents mortgaged everything they owned to make WrestleMania I happen. 839 00:44:42,346 --> 00:44:46,934 I was so young, I didn't truly understand what that meant. 840 00:44:47,017 --> 00:44:50,688 My parents never really talked finance in front of us, uh, but you can feel it. 841 00:44:50,771 --> 00:44:53,399 My dad would just keep saying, "This is going to work," 842 00:44:53,482 --> 00:44:56,276 and, uh, "We're betting a lot on this one." 843 00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,822 You know, at this point, I'm a teenager, and I'm just like, "Hm." 844 00:44:59,905 --> 00:45:01,615 We didn't have the money to do it, 845 00:45:02,199 --> 00:45:05,577 and if it was a huge failure, then we were in trouble. 846 00:45:06,537 --> 00:45:08,664 I'd say that's an accurate statement. 847 00:45:09,373 --> 00:45:12,376 {\an8}Welcome, everyone! Gorilla Monsoon here at ringside 848 00:45:12,459 --> 00:45:14,920 {\an8}as World Wrestling Entertainment presents 849 00:45:15,003 --> 00:45:18,924 the wrestling extravaganza of all time, WrestleMania. 850 00:45:19,633 --> 00:45:22,261 I knew that if we didn't pull this thing off, 851 00:45:23,053 --> 00:45:25,723 that we were completely out of business. 852 00:45:29,351 --> 00:45:31,895 Thirty-five thousand plus on their feet! 853 00:45:31,979 --> 00:45:34,565 The electricity is unbelievable! 854 00:45:35,107 --> 00:45:37,651 The crowd definitely behind Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. 855 00:45:40,112 --> 00:45:42,448 It was a roll of the dice. A big one. 856 00:45:45,075 --> 00:45:46,577 Going nose-to-nose. 857 00:45:47,536 --> 00:45:50,414 But so many things that night went right. 858 00:45:50,998 --> 00:45:52,875 It was a big success. 859 00:45:54,209 --> 00:45:57,504 From Vince's perspective, you could not hit a bigger home run. 860 00:45:58,255 --> 00:46:01,383 It really was the sum of all the parts. 861 00:46:01,467 --> 00:46:03,469 When you think back to WrestleMania I, 862 00:46:03,552 --> 00:46:07,139 I was trying to make a statement as to what our business really is. 863 00:46:07,222 --> 00:46:10,559 We wanted to be all forms of entertainment all rolled into one. 864 00:46:11,685 --> 00:46:13,437 {\an8}When you have extraordinary people 865 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:17,065 {\an8}from all different parts of entertainment combined, 866 00:46:17,149 --> 00:46:19,777 {\an8}that is sports entertainment. That's what we're about. 867 00:46:21,236 --> 00:46:23,989 If there was ever a perfect storm, this was it. 868 00:46:24,072 --> 00:46:26,825 Vince was very excited and very happy. 869 00:46:26,909 --> 00:46:29,244 You could tell. He was vibrating, man. 870 00:46:29,328 --> 00:46:31,955 He was on a high. He knew we pulled it off. 871 00:46:33,248 --> 00:46:36,460 Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in a tag-team grudge match? 872 00:46:36,543 --> 00:46:38,253 They called it WrestleMania, 873 00:46:38,337 --> 00:46:41,632 the biggest event in pro wrestling since Gorgeous George. 874 00:46:41,715 --> 00:46:44,718 Everybody in Madison Square Garden, all the way around the world, 875 00:46:44,802 --> 00:46:46,804 now you know what it's all about... 876 00:46:46,887 --> 00:46:50,307 Right before the first WrestleMania, the whole business was looking good. 877 00:46:51,058 --> 00:46:55,103 Vince was the strongest, but there were still all these territories going on. 878 00:46:55,896 --> 00:46:58,440 After WrestleMania I, nobody knew it yet, 879 00:46:58,524 --> 00:47:01,568 other promoters didn't know yet, but Vince won the war with that. 880 00:47:02,778 --> 00:47:05,030 {\an8}I don't know if it was good for the industry. 881 00:47:05,113 --> 00:47:08,450 {\an8}It was good for me and my organization. That's all I cared about. 882 00:47:10,077 --> 00:47:12,454 After WrestleMania, in whatever city we were in, 883 00:47:12,538 --> 00:47:16,208 all of a sudden, more TV cameras were everywhere in the buildings, 884 00:47:16,291 --> 00:47:18,335 and people wanted to do interviews with us. 885 00:47:18,418 --> 00:47:22,047 It was such a major success, it put a skyrocket on the company. 886 00:47:22,756 --> 00:47:26,885 This whole momentum changed the wrestling business 887 00:47:26,969 --> 00:47:30,222 from cigar smokers and beer drinkers who wanna see violence 888 00:47:30,806 --> 00:47:34,393 to having families in the front row that wanna buy a ton of merchandise. 889 00:47:34,476 --> 00:47:38,730 It definitely made wrestling so mainstream 890 00:47:39,481 --> 00:47:42,234 there was no denying that we were here to stay. 891 00:47:47,155 --> 00:47:49,408 WrestleMania I is a huge success. 892 00:47:50,075 --> 00:47:50,909 It achieves 893 00:47:50,993 --> 00:47:54,413 more than Vince could've possibly imagined for his company. 894 00:47:55,372 --> 00:47:58,333 But with greater success comes greater scrutiny. 895 00:47:59,459 --> 00:48:01,295 And Vince becomes a target. 896 00:48:02,129 --> 00:48:04,923 That expression of "there's no such thing as bad publicity..." 897 00:48:05,924 --> 00:48:07,551 That's BS, 'cause there is. 898 00:48:07,634 --> 00:48:10,679 A special investigation has turned up allegations 899 00:48:10,762 --> 00:48:13,682 that could outrage the biggest wrestling fan. 900 00:48:13,765 --> 00:48:17,227 {\an8}A legal fight is in store for the head of World Wrestling Entertainment. 901 00:48:17,311 --> 00:48:19,605 {\an8}It's a scandal that threatens to knock him out of the ring. 902 00:48:20,314 --> 00:48:23,150 Right on the heels of this huge success, 903 00:48:23,233 --> 00:48:26,653 Vince finds himself caught up in a series of scandals 904 00:48:26,737 --> 00:48:29,114 that threaten to upend his entire world.