Vince's shoot: "So you think you know more than I do even though I'm a billionaire?"

[Ambiguous Turd]

I absolutely love it when Vince shoots on the Internet, as it always makes for entertaining television. And besides that, I enjoy seeing him bring his real life frustrations onto television.

He starts it at 1:10

[YOUTUBE]M6vXmwYz_DE[/YOUTUBE]


I'd like your comments on this little mini-shoot on the IWC from Vince blasting the Internet for coming down on him, since he is a Billionaire.

Vince absolutely loves throwing around this Billionaire line whenever he can get a chance, despite the fact that his reported wealth is actually reported to be closer to 600-700 Million as opposed to in the Billions, even though he was legitimately a Billionaire during the Attitude Era.

My comments are this.

Yes, I do think fans in many cases can have ideas and suggestions that are better for business than maybe what Vince can come up with. However, unless Vince himself thinks of it, those suggestions will never see the light of day, because of the man's inflated ego.

He has lost many a writer who was upset at the way Vince turns down so many suggestions from writers that sound far more creative than what I have seen out of Vince himself for the past several years.

What is sinking in with people, as they seem to hold Stephanie less accountable for Creative direction over the years, and hold Vince MORE accountable after they realized how controlling he really is over the Creative department and is actually the Head Writer .... is that every single little thing you see on WWE television is Vince McMahon approved. He frequently has people rewrite the shows to his exact specifications, because he is that controlling. So with that being said, he is to take credit and be held responsible for everything that airs on WWE television, not Stephanie.

Hell, Stephanie doesn't even travel to TV tapings anymore, so clearly Vince is completely running the show.

However, Vince inherited his father's company for pennies on the dollar, if he actually paid anything at all. He had all of his father's contacts. All of that was in place for him when he took over the WWWF.

Since then, to the man's credit, he was smart enough to take the company national and get into the PPV business.

Hulk Hogan came along, and the rest was history.

But by no means has the man demonstrated that he is necessarily a genius. He has tapped into a niche market that fans are going to follow, to a large degree, no matter what.

So for the real Vince McMahon to seep through on TV as "Mr. McMahon" and blast the Internet for supposedly not knowing what is best for business, I would have to highly question it. In fact, I see some excellent suggestions from those on the Internet that are far better than what I saw Vince McMahon come up with.

Vince McMahon of course had no idea where to take the WWF when he was facing bankruptcy until for once in his life, he was backed against a wall and listened to someone else articulate a new direction for the WWF to go in. And to his credit, he actually listened for once. And because of faulty upper management from WCW due to the AOL/Time Warner merger and bad business deals with Creative Control contracts for so many talent, WCW went out of business.

Vince McMahon's success is largely based on luck and being in the right place at the right time. He had a company handed to him. And he absolutely gets credit for expanding the company nationally and tapping into the PPV market. That was all him.

he should also get credit for tapping into Hollywood with the Rock n Wrestling connection which put wrestling on the map.

But these major accomplishments of his go back over 25 years ago.

So in many respects, I do question that many fans out there have ideas that may very well be better for business than what Vince is willing to admit. However, again I maintain that unless those ideas come from Vince himself, then they won't see the light of day (see Vince blaming Paul Heyman for ECW December to Dismember and firing him for it).

What say you?

 

[Nadeem Ahmad]

It is interesting that you mentioned this as I was just getting back from the class about "Economic Growth". It seems like since the business is not growing with those substantial rates that were seen during the eighties and the late nineties, Vince is comfortable enough to do most things how he wants to do them. I actually feel fine with it because there is no real reason to push the edge right now and like many people here stated, those "golden years" and the "attitude" were more leaning on flash than substance.

The thing is that although TNA is not quite as successive nor even comparable to WWE yet, the rate of growing is remarkable. I don't know how they do it since I am biased against them but if they continue the trend for several more years and WWE does not care to improve then there will be a problem for it and that is something that I do care about. Perhaps then McMahon might start listening to what the fans want to see more often instead of overexaggerating things like he did recently with John Cena, who I was still a fan of, if Vince lives to see those days.

It is not necessarily the excessive blood nor violence that needs to return but rather the focus on wrestling instead of entertainment. That is just the opinion of me though. Somebody might call me crazy but I am not really looking forward to seeing Bret Hart go into a "street fight" with him at Wrestlemania Twenty-six. If he was going to manage the new Hart Dynasty or do some work along those lines I might be interested but they are dragging the old storyline out for the sake of ratings which is fine for business but bad for the rare purists like me who would rather see matches like Regal versus Jericho from Wrestlemania Seventeen that focused on skills of the mat no matter how uncharismatic or unmarketable those performers seemed. But hey it is not my company so if Vince says we don't know what is best for it then he is right.

 

[JJYanks121]

I'll be short and brief and see what others have to say. Basically, if you want to be heard, the internet isn't the best place for it. Eric Bischoff will listen to you and base his company around you, but it will fail. The WWE, run by Vince McMahon, will occasionally take suggestions for direction from the internet fans and figure out a way to make it play out on television. However, those who think they have all the answers, might I suggest getting on creative? I know someone will say "but some have left because Vince overruled ideas". That is the minority, not the majority of the creative team. If you feel you have what it takes, get experience writing for television and apply, I myself am thinking of going in this direction, though my background is in audio media, not writing. You need 5 years experience in television writing to be considered. Either start getting that experience or continue to bitch and never be happy. Of course, those who are never happy are what amuse me most on these boards so by all means, keep posting internet smarks!

 

[axl626]

WWE has been stagnate for years. A company needs to grow, not shrink. They keep "branching out" but what's it gotten them? They do need a new direction. One that doesn't involve the word tyrannical. I can't wait for the day Vince retires or is gone from the business because that is when it will grow. I kind of hope Shane buys out the company from under Vince similar to what Vince did to his dad. Shane seems to have a good head on his shoulders and can probably help do what his father did to the old WWF, revolutionize it.

And as Nadeem pointed out, for a company that gets bashed about constantly on here TNA has a bigger growth percentage than WWE. They went from nothing 3-4 years ago to 1.5's now. It's slowed down but I don't think they're in any trouble, although with recent events they may be.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Over the past week, I've read a lot about Vince McMahon thanks to JJ Dillon's book. Vince is only worried about his ego and pretty much hates anything that's 'wrasslin' related. Also, most of 'his' ideas are probably a combo of Triple H, Michael Hayes, and possibly Pat Patterson... if Pat's still there.

Point is, Vince is dependent on people to make him look better than he really is. The man came up with the Gobbledy Gooker. That's enough said right there. Vince thinks he's always right and no one can sway his thoughts on that. His ego's too big for that to happen.

That being said, he has the people to make his show great. He's a great businessman who's wise beyond his years as far as making money. He's a gambler and he did it with his own money. As far as his creativity, it's limited. But he's entertaining and what you see is the REAL Vince McMahon with the volume full blast.

 

[XgringolocoX]

What sticks out to me from the clip is Cena calling out Vince serving his ego and lining his pockets, throwing away wrestlers once not needed. It was some very real not so flattering stuff. So as Vince is responsible for all that goes on the boob tube I gotta give him credit.

I do agree however that some UnVinnieMacified storyline would probably be a much needed change. Staying on the current pulse of what's relevant isn't VKM's strong suit.

 

[baken1942]

Im sure there is someone out here who can write for WWE, have you ever read some EWR diaries done by people? if not look them up on google or I can post a link.

There are some people who use that wrestling sim and re-write history or write their own stories using WWE and TNA and they are phenominal stories, Very in depth and written to the point they are beleiveable. Im sure some of those people could write stuff for WWE if given the chance.

McMahon is a billionaire, he is doing something right in the business sense, but creative writing isnt neccessarily business. Its part of the business but it isnt the defining thing in the business. He has a creative team for a reason, let them right and just let McMahon worry about running the company from a CEO stand point.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, let's look at it this way. There is at least some truth to what he said. We can sit here and say that our ideas are better, that our ideas for matches and feuds are more exciting and more entertaining. We can all say that we know which direction would be best for the WWE. But, the fact of the matter is, I don't know if any of us really, actually do.

We can all sit here and type what we want, we can say what we want. We can swap ideas about how we'd do this or how we'd do that. We'd debate as to which match would be best to close out which feud, who should have a title run, and everything else but I doubt the very many of us here really have any clue how to successfully run a business like the WWE. The WWE isn't just a wrestling company anymore, it's a full blown organization and has been for quite a long time.

Now, that being said, it certainly doesn't mean that we don't have worthwhile ideas. Hell, some ideas that you read about and see on here sound pretty damn great. But, does that mean that those ideas that we think are pretty damn great would meet the approval of the rest of WWE's viewers? We can just roll our eyes and say "of course they would", but that sort of statement would have a slight whiff of bullshit to it. We can sit here safe and sound and think and say what we want, but we have nothing to risk. None of us are either willing, able or even want to put out money where our mouths are and until someone does then, personally, I'm going to snicker and laugh just a little when someone says that they ultimately do know more and/or know better. Raw is averaging about 5.3-5.4 million viewers each week. It's often among the most watched shows on cable, often it is the most watched show on cable so he must have some clue as to what he's doing.

I'm not saying that Vince is an almighty wrestling genius or anything like that. It's well known that the man has an enormous ego and, whether we like it or not, some of it is justified. Vince McMahon is in control of his own little media empire, or not so little in a lot of ways really. Now, did he have help in creating, building and sustaining this empire? Of course he did. So did Ted Turner, so did Donald Trump, so did Oprah in their respective media empires but they're always the ones that wind up getting most of the credit. We can all say we can do it better than they can, but the vast vast majority of that is just hot air.

 

[Southwind]

McMahon is a billionaire, he is doing something right in the business sense, but creative writing isnt neccessarily business.

No he is not a billionaire, did you even read Sidous's post ? His net worth is 600-700 million. not a billion.

His product sucks at this moment, it's sadly sapped most of my love of wrestling. The repetitive non creative storylines just sting as a fan, and even I can't defend my (former) love of wrestling to the people that bash on me for watching it.

Vince is ego-maniacal, we all know this, he serves his own vices, and agenda by using wrestling, and it's stars as his pawns. His promos now are laughable shells of what they used to be, and that's a perfect mirroring reflection of his company.

There are plenty of people who know just as much, if not more than VKM. I have no respect for a guy who blames his (many) failures on those around him. For once I agree with John Cena Vince you are pathetic.

 

[Remix]

Well, I'll add the Shareholder/universe fan's rebutal.

Yes, I do think fans in many cases can have ideas and suggestions that are better for business than maybe what Vince can come up with.

I've never seen an online post from a layman that I thought was significantly better for the buisness than what Vince has come up with. but then, I'm fairly new, and a shareholder, so take that for what you will. Not to mention that what's best for the buisness doesn't always mean what's entertaining. See Al Snow's shoot on that particular topic though (he explains it well, and is a better source than me)

However, unless Vince himself thinks of it, those suggestions will never see the light of day, because of the man's inflated ego.

I'm going to assume that's conjecture. Mainly because I dont work backstage at WWE, and niether do you. McMahon may well have an ego, I dont know or care much. I'm sure that there are plenty of shoots on the subject, but I take all backstage news with a pinch of salt and a shot of tequila.

He has lost many a writer who was upset at the way Vince turns down so many suggestions from writers that sound far more creative than what I have seen out of Vince himself for the past several years.

I'd imagine that the turnover for writers would be quite high anyway (not that I'm excusing McMahon for being the cause of many people's decision to leave) since as I inderstand it, the WWE writers want to write for a real TV show, not wrestling. As I say though, the backstage machinations of WWE dont interest me too much.

What is sinking in with people, as they seem to hold Stephanie less accountable for Creative direction over the years, and hold Vince MORE accountable after they realized how controlling he really is over the Creative department and is actually the Head Writer .... is that every single little thing you see on WWE television is Vince McMahon approved.

So Steph's second fiddle in her own department, and Vince makes the final call on all angles. That'd certainly make him more accountable than Steph.

He frequently has people rewrite the shows to his exact specifications, because he is that controlling.

Question, is that standard practice for most TV shows? because if So McMahon's running his shows like any other high rated show, and is acting like a producer who wants his show tr be the best it can be (according to his view). If not, then yeah, he's an overbearing overcontrolling ass.

So with that being said, he is to take credit and be held responsible for everything that airs on WWE television, not Stephanie.

on the internet, yes. in the company, no. Credit goes up, blame goes down. THe individual who booked the shitty bits get the blame for them.

Hell, Stephanie doesn't even travel to TV tapings anymore, so clearly Vince is completely running the show.

why would she need to? I'd assume that the scripts are already mostly written before hand, and she's a mom to two young kids. She's not exactly going to leave them for long periods. If they need her they can call. She's putting her kids before her job. It may well be that Vince is running the show and she cant be arsed to deal with him, but her having a toddler and a baby is more than enough reason not to travel across america twise a week.

However, Vince inherited his father's company for pennies on the dollar, if he actually paid anything at all. He had all of his father's contacts. All of that was in place for him when he took over the WWWF.

He also showed success with running his own show before his dad entrusted him with the reigns. If Vince Sr. didnt think he was good enough (or otherwise worthy) he probably would have given it to someone else. but yeah, he did have a good set of foundations to start building on.

But by no means has the man demonstrated that he is necessarily a genius. He has tapped into a niche market that fans are going to follow, to a large degree, no matter what.

He's demonstrated that he's a successful, ruthless motherfucker who's capable of destroying tradition in order to make cash/a legacy. not signs of genius though, I'd agree.

So for the real Vince McMahon to seep through on TV as "Mr. McMahon" and blast the Internet for supposedly not knowing what is best for business, I would have to highly question it. In fact, I see some excellent suggestions from those on the Internet that are far better than what I saw Vince McMahon come up with.

I wouldn't. I occasionally come up with ideas for what I'd like to see happen and I think they're rather good. However by no means do I think that I know the buisness, the market or the product better than Vince. Not because He's loaded but because he's been a part of the buisness since he was 12, and running the company since he was 37. He knows the buisness better because that's what he's been working with for 69 years, he knows the product better because that's what he's been promoting since 1971, he knows the market better because he's been running the buisness since 1982. So, if he said "no Tommy, that's a bad Idea because..." I'd be pissed off but i'd rewrite it. partly because he's the boss but also because he's more experienced. It's like the guy who's been working where you do for longer than anyone, and he gives you some criticisms/tells you that you're doing it wrong, chances are you're goping to listen because he knows what he's talking about. Nothing to do with how good/bad his own ideas are at the moment. at the very least it provides a shit filter and direction for the product. at worst it's an out of touch old man's out of touch opinion that's out of touch with the world that's changing around him.

Vince McMahon's success is largely based on luck and being in the right place at the right time.

you ever heard of Sirian's Law? Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

He had a company handed to him.

A company which he earned after promoting his won shows successfully.

So in many respects, I do question that many fans out there have ideas that may very well be better for business than what Vince is willing to admit.

I'm sure that there are. I cant think of any that I've seen. However as I said earlier in the post, awesomly entertaining ideas are not neccesaraly what's good for the buisness (which is what makes aforementioned buisness the most money). That's not to say that there arent ideas better than anything Vince has come up with recently though.

However, again I maintain that unless those ideas come from Vince himself, then they won't see the light of day (see Vince blaming Paul Heyman for ECW December to Dismember and firing him for it).

well, since we've established that Vince has a large ego, he's not going to blame himself is he? Heyman knew the show was going to suck ahead of time (according to the dirtsheets he told Vince that the show was going to run short and get shat all over), and tried to damage control the situation. The originals were unanimous in the opinion that the old ECW died with Bobby Lashley's coronation.

So yeah, I think vinve knows better than me because of how long he's been in the buisness for (more than twise as long as I've been alive). that's a hell of a lot of time to gain enough of a feel for what works and what doesnt.

Of course I'm assuming that Vince is living in 2010 and has changed his likes and dislikes for the new generation of fans, and is not just living in the past. and having what worked in the good old days written for an audience that's changed since then.

 

[Tastycles]

I think that it is easy to be an armchair critic. Anyone can shit on the WWE and anyone can say "I'd do it like this". Implementing those ideas is an entirely different matter. While I don't doubt that someone somewhere could come up with better ideas than Vince and that maybe there's even someone out there that can run an entire company better than him. I'm certain of both of those facts.

However, on the other hand, he is the man in charge of the only wrestling company that has been a success. Every single other one has gone out of business or needed to be saved or sold. As a result, it is perhaps unsurprising that he thinks he knows better than everyone. Listening to the internet audience is not a recipe for success, and that is why he doesn't do it. If the internet had their way, instead of John Cena in the main event, we'd have had Shelton Benjamin.

The thing you have to remember is, is that the vast majority of people's ideas aren't very good, and therefore it makes everyone looks ******ed. While Vince probably could find an idea or two on the internet that was workable, he'd have to wade through a lot of shit first. To be honest though, I think he was more trying to build heat rather than say anything genuinely. Still, if his intention was to be antagonistic, the existence of this thread would suggest it worked.