Sometimes, the world, especially in the modern society seems like the alternative timeline from 1985 in Back to the Future. Eccentric rocket man, Elon Musk is running wild like a Hogan comeback in his prime, slashing government programs and attempting a buyout of the CIA. Trump, in true heel fashion, paints the Russians, who invaded Ukraine three years ago, as the baby face, during the peace talks to hopefully end the conflict.
Is Vince Russo booking this?
In the midst of all the other nonsense, Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, was confirmed as the head of the Department of Education. Math scores are going to go through the roof now. Along with that and not surprisingly, the Department of Justice dropped the investigation into Vince McMahon, who was accused of possible human trafficking and misrepresentations of company funds related to nondisclosure agreements that were used to buy the silence of several women that he had affairs with over the years. At the time, he used company money to pay those settlements without informing the company or the shareholders of the publicly-traded corporation, which was being invested by the Securities and Exchange Commission as a potential violation. After McMahon donated millions to Trump’s campaign effort for his first stint in office, and Linda worked extensively as a part of a Republican Super Pac in recent years to try to ensure his re-election, both were rewarded for their efforts.
The criminal case against Vince was dropped, and Linda got another spot in Trump’s cabinet.
Still, the civil lawsuit, the filing that prompted the original bombshell reports from the Wall Street Journal a few years ago, is still going through the legal process, as the federal government asked that the lawsuit pause while their department worked through the criminal investigation. With the criminal probe dropped, the legal grappling of if the case will be handled in arbitration or go to a jury trial is the current standing of the proceedings.
Outside of the fact that Vince will skate away from any criminal charges because of his friendship with Trump, the status of Vince McMahon remains the same, he was exiled from his pro wrestling empire in disgrace after the revelations of numerous affairs and several million dollars were paid to cover them up. Furthermore, John Laurinaitis, a former WWE executive during McMahon’s tenure as the boss, was also involved in the lawsuit, as well as Brock Lesnar, who was officially named in a recent amended filing after the Department of Justice dropped the investigation.
The bottom line is, Vince McMahon is persona non grata within the WWE, and the TKO corporation, the merger that resulted when the company was joined with the UFC under the Endeavor banner, has taken very direct steps to completely distance itself from the former kingpin of sports entertainment. It’s not a coincidence that Triple H is spotlighted as prominently as he is as the figurehead of the WWE, and all things considered, he should be.
Usually, such a notion would be dismissed as wild internet clickbait, but with everything that has happened within the McMahon orbit within just a few months, is it possible that Vince could be angling to start a new sports entertainment company?
The rumor picked up steam when podcast czar, Conrad Thompson mentioned on Eric Bischoff’s podcast, 83 Weeks that he heard a few rumblings that the former WWE owner could be in the process of trying to pitch a project to Fox, the network that hosted the Super Bowl this year that McMahon was in attendance for, with photos of him alongside The Undertaker and Shane McMahon surfacing online after the game.
There were reports online that in the time since he was dismissed from WWE that he was making plans to launch a production company, with some of the former WWE staff, including his longtime executive producer, Kevin Dunn, on the list of those that he recruited for new projects. Initially, it was reported that this was a non-wrestling venture, which would seem like a way for him to attempt to salvage some type of reputation in show business before the end of his career in the public eye.
All things considered, I just can’t believe that Vince McMahon would attempt to start another pro wrestling promotion, particularly because a start up, by definition, would be in a secondary position to the TKO corporation. Vince simply doesn’t settle for second place, and his knows the financial and media muscle behind the merger between his former company and the UFC, as he still made billions of dollars from the transaction.
Sure, Vince has billions of dollars in capital to invest if he wanted to start a new project, but would he really be able to secure any talent if he had a hypothetical television deal? It’s well known that the top-tier stars from WWE are mostly under long-term contracts because of the existence of All Elite Wrestling so who exactly would be on the Vince McMahon roster? Furthermore, the success under the Triple H regime, specifically with him being spotlighted as the new head of the company, proves that the WWE fan base, which is the most casual demographic of wrestling fans, have accepted and in some ways, endorsed Triple H in the role. The vast majority of the WWE fan base is loyal to the brand itself, not Vince McMahon.
It should be noted that Vince will be 80 this year, and while it’s entirely possible that he sold his soul for immortality, just in case he didn’t, you have to wonder, does he realistically have enough time left as a full-time promoter to truly attempt to launch a new project? Is the guy going to be 92 in the office until 2 AM formatting his next version of Wrestlemania? Vince has said himself in many interviews in the past that he intends to “die in the chair” in terms of working in some form or fashion as long as he’s alive so maybe that’s what this new project is? He has billions of dollars so cash is just numbers on a page to him, perhaps, this possible new promotion is just a way to keep him occupied for the rest of his life?
Based on the vile evidence that was revealed in the previously mentioned lawsuit, it’s fair to say that Vince McMahon isn’t a normal guy, he’s not someone that is going to be content with sitting on an island drinking ice tea in his golden years. Ironically, his eccentric nature as a ruthless businessman that took him to the top of the sports entertainment industry is probably also what led to his meteoric downfall.
So, on the surface, no, I don’t think Vince McMahon will secure a deal on the Fox network for another pro wrestling project, and even if he attempted it, it’s doubtful that he would truly be able to secure the top talented needed to get such an organization off the ground. There’s too many big names signed for big money under long-term contracts for there to be anything even close to a perspective talent pool for something on that potential scale. Furthermore, given the evidence already revealed in the lawsuit, it’s doubtful that fans would be willing to support or invest their cash through ticket sales or merchandise with another Vince McMahon project. That being said, given the events of the past few years, and particularly the past few months, it’s not completely impossible for Vince McMahon to try to start a new wrestling company either.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
