"It's unbelievable" - WWE veteran says Vince McMahon "got off" on people fearing him (Exclusive)
Vince McMahon had no problem making employees feel uncomfortable at WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, according to Vince Russo.
Russo was the company’s head writer in the late 1990s before he joined WCW. In those days, the one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion co-wrote RAW with Ed Ferrara and reported directly to McMahon.
Speaking on Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” show, Russo recalled how WWE staff felt intimidated by McMahon’s presence.
“I would be in Titan Towers [WWE HQ] in the elevator with Vince,” Russo said. “Then when the door opens and somebody has to come in and they see Vince… Chris [host Dr. Chris Featherstone], it’s unbelievable.” [7:57-8:15]
The former writer added that McMahon appeared to enjoy the fact that his employees were scared of him.
“I think he got off on people being in fear of him,” Russo continued. [8:55-8:58]
Watch the video above to hear Russo’s conversation with Brian James, also known as Road Dogg, about Triple H’s managerial approach compared to McMahon.
Brian James had similar experiences with Vince McMahon
Mr. McMahon is LIVE now on #SmackDown https://t.co/70PrPjgvi3
As SmackDown’s lead writer between 2016 and 2019, Brian James admitted that the thought of pitching an idea to Vince McMahon was “terrifying” at times.
The WWE Hall of Famer also joked that the 76-year-old probably never had any time to relax during his four decades as the head of WWE.
“I agree with that [McMahon “getting off” on staff fearing him] one hundred percent,” James said. “That may not be a good thing for human beings, but it worked for him! Like I mentioned earlier, maintaining that [must be difficult]. Do you never have some downtime where you can just put your sweat shorts on and watch some Murder She Wrote [laughs]?” [9:00-9:20]
McMahon retired last month following several sexual misconduct allegations. Triple H now leads WWE’s creative, while Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon are the company’s new co-CEOs.
Do you think WWE's on-screen product will drastically improve without Vince McMahon in charge? Let us know your opinion in the comments section.
Please credit Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.