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[intriguing music playing]

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00:00:07,924 --> 00:00:11,720
I have... not two different brains.
I have, like, computers in my head,

3
00:00:12,429 --> 00:00:14,264
and sometimes they work against me.

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00:00:15,181 --> 00:00:17,392
I have one computer
talking to you right now,

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00:00:18,018 --> 00:00:22,981
and there's another one going on with me
thinking something completely different.

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And then there's a third one sometimes.

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If I wanted to tap into it, I could.

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And so, it's difficult for me sometimes
to pay attention to things.

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It's bothered me through the years
because all I wanted to be was normal.

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I wanted to fit in.

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But... I deal with it

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because... that's who you are.
Just deal with it, Vince.

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It doesn't matter whether you want
to be this way, want to be that way.

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Here's where you are.
You're different. Be different.

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And you know the expression,
"Fuck the world." So...

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That's where I am now.

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[interviewer]
What's the other brain thinking about now?

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Um... something having a lot of fun, uh...

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and it's involving sex.

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[music fades]

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{\an8}[crowd cheering]

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{\an8}WrestleMania.

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{\an8}Every year...

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{\an8}[crowd continues cheering]

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{\an8}Shut up!

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[crowd exclaims]

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Coming out of the Attitude Era
and into the 2000s,

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{\an8}Vince McMahon was still a hugely important
on-screen character for the company.

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{\an8}But without Austin, they were always
in search of something for him to do.

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[bell rings]

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And now it is time

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for the Battle of the Billionaires,
Hair vs Hair match!

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<i>♪ Money, money, money, money</i> ♪

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[announcer] <i>Here comes the money man!</i>

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<i>Look at that man right there,
Donald Trump.</i>

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[McMahon] So many celebrities
come into our business and have a blast.

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And Donald was one of them.

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Donald had always been a fan.

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So, I went to Donald, and I said,

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{\an8}"I have this idea."

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"What if we each have a wrestler
that represents us at WrestleMania?"

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And if Donald Trump loses,
then I shave his head.

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Of course, if I lose, same thing.

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{\an8}The Donald Trump-Vince McMahon
Battle of the Billionaires Feud,

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it was the biggest pay-per-view audience

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in the history
of pro wrestling pay-per-view.

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It was a giant, giant attraction.

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[announcer 1] <i>Hey, look at this!
Donald Trump!</i>

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[announcer 2] <i>Trump! Donald Trump
taking down Vince McMahon!</i>

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[announcer 1] <i>Oh my God!</i>

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I was entertained by Trump
when he was on the show.

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Come on up here.

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[Meltzer] His ability to speak
to wrestling fans was excellent.

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To me, they look like
a very smart group of people.

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[crow cheering]

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He was kind of perfect for the role.

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[crowd chanting]
Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

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[crowd cheering]

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Get out of here.

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[Bob Costas] In truth, Donald Trump's
sensibility and public persona

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is much closer to that of a wrestler

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than to a statesman.

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{\an8}Throw him the hell out of here.

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{\an8}I'd like to punch him in the face,
I'll tell you.

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{\an8}[McMahon] Our fingerprints
are on so many things in the world.

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Politics, absolutely, my God.

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Why wouldn't you want to be like WWE?

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I can do whatever the hell I want.

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I have the right to do
whatever I want as president.

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This is what we do.

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We present larger-than-life characters

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making outlandish statements
that make people go,

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"Oh my God, I can't believe he said that."

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[indistinct]

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[Sharon Mazer] Donald Trump is an example

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of what seems to be
a kind of pro-wrestlingification

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of American politics and American society.

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[Meltzer] If you're gonna look
at the influence of Vince McMahon

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and pro wrestling on culture,

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man, we elected a president that...
that was playing a pro wrestler on TV.

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[crowd cheering]

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I don't know if it's Trump being Trump
or he learned from wrestling,

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but I see similarities
between Trump and Vince McMahon.

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-[announcer 1] <i>Oh no!</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>Oh my God.</i>

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[announcer 1] <i>Oh my God!</i>

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[crowd cheering]

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[John Cena] Mr. McMahon,
he is the best WWE personality ever.

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But after the Attitude Era,

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like, Mr. McMahon was...

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a more selectively-used character.

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[crowd cheering]

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♪ <i>No chance
That's what you've got</i> ♪

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[Brian Gewirtz]
During the Ruthless Aggression Era,

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we were always trying to pitch Vince
to have a midlife crisis

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and become crazy or something like that.

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But Vince wanted to go another way,
which is, "What if someone kills me?"

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And we're like, "Okay."

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[crowd cheering]

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[Gewirtz] So he cut a very cryptic, weird,
un-Mr. McMahon-like promo in the ring.

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-Thank you.
-[announcer] <i>Something's not right.</i>

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[Gewirtz] Then made
this long walk backstage,

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passing all the talent,

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and then got into his limo... paused.

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Vince is big on pauses
for dramatic effect.

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[loud explosion]

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[Gewirtz] And then the limo explodes.

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The edit was perfect.

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And many individuals called,
you know, the office, "Is Vince okay?"

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{\an8}[Gewirtz] Vince wanted
to treat it like real life.

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The website was reporting it was real,

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and the announcers were somber.

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And in fact, from what I've heard,

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Donald Trump called up Vince's office
to make sure Vince was okay.

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{\an8}So, that became
a very controversial storyline.

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{\an8}But certain tragic circumstances
in real life happened

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that forced us to stop that storyline.

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[McMahon] Good evening.

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{\an8}Tonight's storyline was to have been the...

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{\an8}alleged demise of my character,
Mr. McMahon.

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However... in reality,

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WWE superstar Chris Benoit,
his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel

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are dead.

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Chris Benoit was thought of
an excellent in-ring performer.

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[announcer] <i>He's done
everything in this business.</i>

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{\an8}<i>He's been a world champion.
He's one of the greatest of all time.</i>

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And as far as we knew, a great guy.

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[Gewirtz] When a wrestler passes away,

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<i>Raw</i> the next night would become
like a tribute to that individual.

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So, we did one for Chris that night.

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{\an8}Tonight... will be a tribute
to Chris Benoit.

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{\an8}[Gewirtz] And then
while that show was airing,

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{\an8}we started to get the details

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of what had actually happened
and what Chris had done.

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[reporter] <i>There is new information
in the death of pro wrestler Chris Benoit.</i>

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<i>Authorities in Georgia
say it was no accident.</i>

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00:07:04,382 --> 00:07:08,428
<i>Chris Benoit strangled his wife
and smothered their seven-year-old son,</i>

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00:07:08,511 --> 00:07:10,972
<i>and then hanged himself in their home.</i>

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[Cena] When the instance
with Chris Benoit happened,

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the murder-suicide,

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that rocked the very foundation
of the WWE.

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[reporter 1] <i>The Benoit tragedy
put McMahon and his WWE</i>

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<i>back under the microscope.</i>

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<i>Allegations of steroid and drug abuse.</i>

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[reporter 2] <i>Speculation began
that roid rage might have been</i>

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<i>behind what happened that fateful weekend.</i>

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[Bret Hart] They were just pinning
this whole thing on steroids.

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All I know is steroids generally
don't make you kill your whole family

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and do all that kind of stuff.

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There is no correlation
between taking steroids

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and what happened to Chris Benoit.

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Human beings are flawed.

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Chris went nuts.

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It happens in every form of life
in everything.

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So, that's the only thing
I can take away from it.

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-[man 1] <i>You got it?</i>
-[man 2] <i>Hold on.</i>

156
00:08:03,691 --> 00:08:05,568
-And got it.
-[man 1] Okay.

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{\an8}[Nowinski] I was first
a fan of Chris Benoit.

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{\an8}Then I got to meet him
when I started wrestling.

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I debuted in 2002.

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[crowd cheering]

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[Lilian Garcia] <i>Making his way
to the ring, Christopher Nowinski!</i>

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[announcer] <i>The Harvard graduate.
This guy's great, JR.</i>

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[Nowinski] But about a year later,
I got a concussion that ended my career.

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Everyone back in 2003, 2004
thought concussions were bullshit,

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and that I was just weak.

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And so, this idea started that,

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"You know, I'm gonna dig in more
to this concussion research

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and try to take a stab at changing
the world's culture on concussions."

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When I heard about Chris Benoit,
I was just certain,

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based on the way he wrestled,

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that he probably had CTE.

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CTE is "chronic traumatic encephalopathy."

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It's a degenerative brain disease
caused by repetitive hits to the head.

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We see problems with emotion, behavior,
disinhibition, aggression, and depression,

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and symptoms get worse over time
as your brain is essentially rotting away.

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But in 2007, no one had ever heard of CTE.

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I saw Vince McMahon go on <i>The Today Show</i>

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and give his explanation
for what he thought happened.

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There was no way of telling
this man was a monster.

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00:09:23,062 --> 00:09:26,148
He framed it as, "We didn't know
what kind of monster Chris was."

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And I thought that it was
the disease that was the monster.

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It wasn't Chris.

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{\an8}So, I ended up calling Chris's father,

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{\an8}and he, through tears,
agreed to let us study his brain.

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A doctor who studied tissue
from Benoit's brain

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says the wrestler suffered extensive
brain damage from his years in the ring.

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[reporter 1] <i>They went on to say
Benoit's brain was the worst they'd seen.</i>

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[reporter 2] <i>We contacted
World Wrestling Entertainment.</i>

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<i>They sent along a statement
saying the analysis</i>

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<i>that concussions might have led
to Benoit's murderous rampage</i>

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00:09:58,723 --> 00:10:01,183
<i>was speculative, and went on to say,</i>

192
00:10:01,267 --> 00:10:03,227
<i>"We respect the desire of that father</i>

193
00:10:03,311 --> 00:10:06,063
<i>to do whatever he can
to find some explanation."</i>

194
00:10:06,647 --> 00:10:09,817
[McMahon] This doctor came up
with this ridiculous statement of,

195
00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:12,361
"Okay, here's why Chris Benoit did this."

196
00:10:12,445 --> 00:10:14,530
"Caused some sort of trauma to his head."

197
00:10:14,614 --> 00:10:17,325
Things were shown where Chris
would dive off the rope

198
00:10:17,408 --> 00:10:18,909
and hit someone with his head.

199
00:10:19,493 --> 00:10:22,455
[announcer] <i>Benoit using
his own head like a weapon!</i>

200
00:10:23,122 --> 00:10:24,415
That's complete work.

201
00:10:24,498 --> 00:10:27,418
When somebody
grabs your wrist real lightly,

202
00:10:28,044 --> 00:10:30,796
and they twist it, I go, "Aah! It hurts!"

203
00:10:31,589 --> 00:10:34,008
"Oh my God, you're killing me!"
That's a work.

204
00:10:34,091 --> 00:10:37,303
[McMahon] It looks like
there's damage, and there's not.

205
00:10:38,137 --> 00:10:40,431
We know what we're doing.
We don't hurt each other.

206
00:10:40,514 --> 00:10:42,850
[announcer] <i>His head bounced off that mat
like a basketball!</i>

207
00:10:42,933 --> 00:10:44,602
I worked for a long time.

208
00:10:44,685 --> 00:10:47,313
I got dropped on my head one time.
I got concussed.

209
00:10:47,396 --> 00:10:49,398
[crowd cheering]

210
00:10:51,942 --> 00:10:53,819
[Austin] Other than that, I can't remember

211
00:10:53,903 --> 00:10:56,906
having too many concussions
in the business of pro wrestling.

212
00:10:56,989 --> 00:10:59,158
And my take on that has always been,

213
00:10:59,241 --> 00:11:02,244
if you were just wrestling
and you got a bunch of concussions,

214
00:11:02,328 --> 00:11:04,246
you're probably doing something wrong.

215
00:11:04,330 --> 00:11:07,917
I'm not a CTE guy.

216
00:11:08,876 --> 00:11:10,378
Just don't believe in it.

217
00:11:13,255 --> 00:11:14,382
[sighs]

218
00:11:14,465 --> 00:11:17,885
Yeah. I mean, I've seen the slides
on Chris Benoit's brain.

219
00:11:17,968 --> 00:11:21,013
Like, he had CTE.
Like, there's no question about that.

220
00:11:22,014 --> 00:11:25,685
CTE is a disease you can see very clearly
under a microscope,

221
00:11:25,768 --> 00:11:27,895
but everybody has fought us on this.

222
00:11:29,146 --> 00:11:30,815
{\an8}The NFL has fought us on this.

223
00:11:31,524 --> 00:11:33,567
The NHL is still fighting us on this.

224
00:11:34,151 --> 00:11:36,654
FIFA's fighting us.
Everybody's trying to fight us.

225
00:11:37,780 --> 00:11:42,076
So, I was actually surprised
when I got a call from Vince McMahon

226
00:11:42,159 --> 00:11:43,536
saying he wanted to help.

227
00:11:43,619 --> 00:11:46,288
Chris was knocking WWE.

228
00:11:46,372 --> 00:11:49,041
I think there was something
worth investigating.

229
00:11:49,125 --> 00:11:50,876
I called him, "What are you doing?"

230
00:11:51,460 --> 00:11:56,590
I said, "Look, we'll help you out if you
can come up with research that's honest,

231
00:11:57,133 --> 00:11:59,510
'cause we'd like to know
more about it ourselves."

232
00:12:00,803 --> 00:12:02,680
[Nowinski] And that was the beginning

233
00:12:02,763 --> 00:12:05,182
of a wholesale change
in their approach to this.

234
00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,311
They invited me in
to come start teaching the wrestlers

235
00:12:09,395 --> 00:12:11,605
about what I knew
about concussions and CTE.

236
00:12:11,689 --> 00:12:13,983
There were a couple of in-ring moves
that we stopped doing.

237
00:12:14,066 --> 00:12:15,526
[announcer] <i>Onto Mr. McMahon!</i>

238
00:12:15,609 --> 00:12:19,280
[McMahon] We stopped hitting each other
over the head with metal chairs.

239
00:12:19,780 --> 00:12:22,366
I have to admit, initially I was pissed.

240
00:12:22,450 --> 00:12:24,410
How are you gonna
take away the chair shot?

241
00:12:24,493 --> 00:12:26,287
It's a staple of our industry.

242
00:12:26,871 --> 00:12:30,082
[announcer] <i>Heads up, heads up!
From behind!</i>

243
00:12:30,166 --> 00:12:34,003
[Calloway] I'm an old school guy.
We use chairs to help tell our story.

244
00:12:35,838 --> 00:12:37,423
Vince made a call.

245
00:12:37,506 --> 00:12:39,800
Now there's no more
chair shots to the head.

246
00:12:39,884 --> 00:12:41,177
I get it.

247
00:12:42,094 --> 00:12:44,597
The company
is a publicly traded company now.

248
00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:46,307
[announcer] <i>Chef Boyardee presents...</i>

249
00:12:46,390 --> 00:12:51,479
[Calloway] When you're trying
to market yourself to larger advertisers,

250
00:12:52,062 --> 00:12:55,858
the safety and well-being of your athletes
and your performers is a priority.

251
00:12:55,941 --> 00:13:00,696
So, it was, again,
what was best for business.

252
00:13:01,530 --> 00:13:04,074
[interviewer] Do you think
the motivation is a care for wrestlers,

253
00:13:04,158 --> 00:13:06,368
or is it good for business,
or somewhere in between?

254
00:13:06,452 --> 00:13:09,371
You know, it's... I don't know which.

255
00:13:09,455 --> 00:13:11,999
I couldn't tell you
what the biggest motivation is,

256
00:13:12,082 --> 00:13:15,252
but it's an acknowledgement
that it's better for wrestlers

257
00:13:15,336 --> 00:13:17,463
and it's good for business. Right?

258
00:13:17,546 --> 00:13:20,966
And that's what's most important,
is that all the interests align,

259
00:13:21,050 --> 00:13:22,760
and they're doing the right thing.

260
00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:28,182
What happened in the aftermath
of the Chris Benoit situation,

261
00:13:29,350 --> 00:13:32,269
is that there was really
a lot of negative publicity.

262
00:13:32,353 --> 00:13:34,939
It's not real, but the pain is.

263
00:13:35,022 --> 00:13:37,441
Professional wrestlers
have suffered broken necks

264
00:13:37,525 --> 00:13:39,860
and spilled gallons of blood in the ring.

265
00:13:39,944 --> 00:13:42,696
Many turn to performance-enhancing drugs
and painkillers

266
00:13:42,780 --> 00:13:45,533
as they spend 200-plus days on the road.

267
00:13:45,616 --> 00:13:47,743
And many don't make it
past their 40th birthdays.

268
00:13:48,744 --> 00:13:50,621
[Meltzer] Wrestlers were dying young,

269
00:13:50,704 --> 00:13:54,250
and it was very often
a combination of drugs and steroids.

270
00:13:55,334 --> 00:13:59,004
When wrestlers were dying,
it didn't hurt the popularity of wrestling

271
00:13:59,088 --> 00:14:03,509
because the fans saw them
as deaths of television characters.

272
00:14:03,592 --> 00:14:04,510
[crowd cheering]

273
00:14:04,593 --> 00:14:09,181
{\an8}[Meltzer] They didn't see it as, like,
a husband who's 38 years old

274
00:14:09,765 --> 00:14:13,310
{\an8}with three kids and a wife, and is dead.

275
00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:18,148
{\an8}The fans knew these guys were dying,
but they didn't care, or didn't seem to.

276
00:14:18,232 --> 00:14:19,441
{\an8}"Give us the next guy."

277
00:14:20,276 --> 00:14:23,737
[Meltzer] At first, McMahon was defiant,
like he's always going to be.

278
00:14:23,821 --> 00:14:26,740
"All deaths have nothing to do with us.
It's their choice."

279
00:14:26,824 --> 00:14:31,161
Do you have a reason why these people
would be dying under the age of 45?

280
00:14:31,245 --> 00:14:34,582
Are you indicating it's my responsibility
these people are dead? Because...

281
00:14:34,665 --> 00:14:38,752
I'm asking you if it, in any way,
shape, or form, falls on your shoulders?

282
00:14:39,378 --> 00:14:43,173
[McMahon] I was set to have this interview
with the award-winning Armen Keteyian,

283
00:14:43,257 --> 00:14:45,509
and when someone comes at me,

284
00:14:45,593 --> 00:14:48,178
whether it's a member of the media
or otherwise,

285
00:14:48,262 --> 00:14:50,556
I can't help but be defensive.

286
00:14:50,639 --> 00:14:52,641
And then be offensive.

287
00:14:53,475 --> 00:14:56,770
I'd accept no responsibility
whatsoever for their untimely deaths.

288
00:14:56,854 --> 00:14:57,938
None whatsoever.

289
00:14:58,606 --> 00:15:00,816
As far as... And you've got
that look on your face like,

290
00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:02,902
-"Jeez, Vince, how can you say that?"
-Yeah...

291
00:15:02,985 --> 00:15:05,863
Well, but none whatsoever?
I mean, they wrestled for you.

292
00:15:05,946 --> 00:15:07,781
They were part of your organization.

293
00:15:07,865 --> 00:15:10,534
They worked
a couple of hundred nights a year for you.

294
00:15:11,869 --> 00:15:14,121
-Oh my God. No...
-They lived this lifestyle.

295
00:15:14,204 --> 00:15:16,040
Oh my God, you can't believe...

296
00:15:16,123 --> 00:15:19,752
Can you see that look?
"How can you possibly say that, Vince?"

297
00:15:19,835 --> 00:15:24,173
When you look back at just about all
of those performers who passed away,

298
00:15:24,256 --> 00:15:28,844
you know, they used these
prescription drugs as recreation.

299
00:15:29,386 --> 00:15:33,057
Many just took these pills
because it made them feel good, you know?

300
00:15:33,140 --> 00:15:38,520
And when you mix that with steroids
or something else that's an upper,

301
00:15:38,604 --> 00:15:40,606
your heart doesn't know which way to go.

302
00:15:40,689 --> 00:15:42,399
And it's a horrible cocktail.

303
00:15:43,025 --> 00:15:44,526
And that's what happened.

304
00:15:45,152 --> 00:15:49,198
"Found dead in their hotel room."
That was the typical scenario.

305
00:15:50,282 --> 00:15:52,660
Why isn't these things page one?

306
00:15:53,577 --> 00:15:57,957
Millions of kids worship these guys,
and they're dropping dead.

307
00:15:58,666 --> 00:15:59,792
Where's the news?

308
00:16:00,626 --> 00:16:03,295
And again, McMahon seemed to escape that.

309
00:16:03,963 --> 00:16:06,882
They did get bad publicity off of it,
but not that much,

310
00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:08,509
because people will just go,

311
00:16:08,592 --> 00:16:11,762
"We don't want to waste our time
investigating this fake thing."

312
00:16:12,888 --> 00:16:16,433
But as far as WWE goes,
was this kind of a turning point?

313
00:16:17,017 --> 00:16:18,686
In hindsight, I would say yes.

314
00:16:19,186 --> 00:16:23,524
That did lead to
a lot of major changes in wrestling.

315
00:16:23,607 --> 00:16:26,860
You know,
more vigilant monitoring of concussions,

316
00:16:26,944 --> 00:16:29,822
more vigilant monitoring of drug abuse.

317
00:16:30,572 --> 00:16:33,492
They agreed to pay for rehab
to anyone under contract,

318
00:16:33,575 --> 00:16:35,452
even after they're gone with the company.

319
00:16:35,536 --> 00:16:37,121
The schedule was reduced.

320
00:16:37,204 --> 00:16:40,499
Instead of going ten days on
and three days off,

321
00:16:40,582 --> 00:16:43,711
it was four days on and three days off.
It's even better now.

322
00:16:44,878 --> 00:16:46,797
The changes have been gigantic.

323
00:16:54,096 --> 00:16:55,597
[Calloway] WrestleMania 30.

324
00:16:55,681 --> 00:16:58,767
Up until that point,
I'd never lost at WrestleMania.

325
00:16:58,851 --> 00:17:00,602
I think I was 21-0.

326
00:17:00,686 --> 00:17:03,522
{\an8}-[crowd cheering]
-[announcer 1] <i>It's all over, brother.</i>

327
00:17:03,605 --> 00:17:05,482
{\an8}-[announcer 2] <i>Take him...</i>
-[announcer 1] <i>Stop!</i>

328
00:17:05,566 --> 00:17:09,236
{\an8}[Calloway] The streak is a huge part
of the attraction of WrestleMania.

329
00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:13,449
{\an8}[announcer 1] <i>The amazing
undefeated streak continues!</i>

330
00:17:14,450 --> 00:17:17,661
[Calloway] So, I was gonna win.
The streak was gonna stay intact.

331
00:17:18,412 --> 00:17:22,458
But that day,
Vince walks in my dressing room,

332
00:17:22,541 --> 00:17:26,045
and he said, "Mark, I think
we're gonna put Brock over tonight."

333
00:17:26,128 --> 00:17:29,131
[announcer] <i>Brock Lesnar!</i>

334
00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:32,801
[McMahon] It was a last-minute decision.

335
00:17:33,510 --> 00:17:34,970
Mark wasn't prepared for it.

336
00:17:35,721 --> 00:17:38,682
I think he was in some sort of
psychological shock.

337
00:17:38,766 --> 00:17:39,683
[bell ringing]

338
00:17:42,686 --> 00:17:45,814
[Calloway] About five, ten minutes
into that match, I get concussed.

339
00:17:49,401 --> 00:17:51,487
The match went on 25 minutes or so,

340
00:17:52,237 --> 00:17:55,449
but I can't, to this day,
recall being in that match.

341
00:17:56,325 --> 00:17:57,284
[grunting]

342
00:17:57,367 --> 00:18:01,538
[McMahon] Looking back on it,
I don't see where Mark was concussed.

343
00:18:02,122 --> 00:18:03,373
Could've happened.

344
00:18:03,457 --> 00:18:06,043
But I think Mark
just didn't remember any of that

345
00:18:06,126 --> 00:18:09,046
because it was so traumatic for him.

346
00:18:09,129 --> 00:18:11,215
[crowd] One, two, three.

347
00:18:11,298 --> 00:18:14,093
-[crowd cheering]
-[bell ringing]

348
00:18:17,846 --> 00:18:21,934
[Calloway] They took me to the hospital,
and Vince left WrestleMania

349
00:18:22,017 --> 00:18:23,143
to go to the hospital.

350
00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:29,274
He was there with my wife,
um, consoling... consoling her.

351
00:18:31,276 --> 00:18:33,529
[announcer]
<i>You cannot hurt The Undertaker!</i>

352
00:18:35,030 --> 00:18:37,407
[Calloway] I never thought
about getting hurt.

353
00:18:37,491 --> 00:18:40,369
Even after I got hurt,
I didn't think about getting hurt.

354
00:18:41,370 --> 00:18:43,747
Only thing you think about is getting well

355
00:18:45,207 --> 00:18:47,126
so you can get back to work.

356
00:18:48,168 --> 00:18:50,629
I've had 18 different surgeries.

357
00:18:51,421 --> 00:18:52,798
I walk with a limp.

358
00:18:52,881 --> 00:18:55,300
I wake up some mornings
and can't get out of bed,

359
00:18:56,176 --> 00:18:58,178
but there's nothing that I would change.

360
00:18:58,262 --> 00:19:01,807
I love it. And if I could still do it,
I'd still be doing it.

361
00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:07,521
[Booker T. Huffman]
We as, you know, the wrestlers...

362
00:19:08,021 --> 00:19:10,232
sometimes think we're indestructible.

363
00:19:11,191 --> 00:19:14,278
{\an8}That's just the way it is.
It's just part of who we are.

364
00:19:14,361 --> 00:19:16,780
But, on the other hand,

365
00:19:16,864 --> 00:19:20,242
this next generation of wrestlers,
I do not want to see them

366
00:19:20,742 --> 00:19:25,205
in the same situation as
a bunch of the guys that came before them.

367
00:19:26,582 --> 00:19:27,749
[rock music playing]

368
00:19:27,833 --> 00:19:33,046
[Garcia] <i>And from Charlotte,
North Carolina, Cody Rhodes!</i>

369
00:19:33,547 --> 00:19:36,091
I come into WWE in 2007.

370
00:19:37,050 --> 00:19:41,096
They were spinning out of
Chris Benoit's terrible tragedy,

371
00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:46,351
and out of that, the wellness policy
really becomes a huge part of the company.

372
00:19:46,435 --> 00:19:50,105
First, we're instituting
a new drug policy.

373
00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:53,734
[Rhodes] Behind the scenes,
I came into a very clean WWE.

374
00:19:54,484 --> 00:19:56,737
And it was also very clean on-air

375
00:19:57,237 --> 00:20:00,574
in terms of,
"We're heading towards a TV-PG era."

376
00:20:00,657 --> 00:20:01,909
[crowd cheering]

377
00:20:01,992 --> 00:20:06,288
[Gewirtz] What motivated Vince
to switch the rating from TV-14 to TV-PG

378
00:20:06,371 --> 00:20:10,042
was the 50,000-foot perspective
of advertisers.

379
00:20:10,125 --> 00:20:11,251
[announcer] <i>Go, go!</i>

380
00:20:11,335 --> 00:20:15,088
[Gewirtz] The lewd and kind of
really out-there angles

381
00:20:15,172 --> 00:20:17,633
that were going on
in the Ruthless Aggression Era...

382
00:20:17,716 --> 00:20:20,219
-[indistinct]
-[crowd exclaims]

383
00:20:20,302 --> 00:20:21,803
...weren't gonna cut it with sponsors.

384
00:20:21,887 --> 00:20:23,639
Okay, here are the stats and things...

385
00:20:23,722 --> 00:20:26,058
[Gewirtz] Vince is a businessman.
He's chairman of the board.

386
00:20:26,141 --> 00:20:28,602
He wants to make the company
as much money as possible.

387
00:20:28,685 --> 00:20:29,811
[indistinct]

388
00:20:29,895 --> 00:20:34,233
Vince was trying to reach bigger,
get more families, more kids.

389
00:20:35,234 --> 00:20:38,153
[McMahon] We made that turn,
and it has paid off,

390
00:20:38,737 --> 00:20:41,073
literally and figuratively, in dividends.

391
00:20:42,658 --> 00:20:44,701
[Gewirtz] The stock shot up eventually,

392
00:20:46,078 --> 00:20:50,374
{\an8}and sponsorship deals
became much more lucrative.

393
00:20:51,124 --> 00:20:54,127
But a lot of your Attitude Era,
Ruthless Aggression audiences

394
00:20:54,211 --> 00:20:56,380
would be like, "This is <i>The Muppet Show."</i>

395
00:20:56,463 --> 00:21:00,217
It literally was <i>The Muppet Show.</i>
We had The Muppets guest host one time.

396
00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:04,388
All those things that led WWE to be
your special, secret, guilty pleasure

397
00:21:04,471 --> 00:21:06,473
now was being taken away,

398
00:21:06,556 --> 00:21:09,184
and that left a bad taste
in people's mouths.

399
00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:10,143
[crowd booing]

400
00:21:10,227 --> 00:21:12,771
[McMahon] I do what's right
for every one of you

401
00:21:12,854 --> 00:21:14,731
from a business perspective.

402
00:21:14,815 --> 00:21:16,358
I'm long-term oriented,

403
00:21:16,441 --> 00:21:19,111
and you don't even understand
what I'm doing.

404
00:21:19,194 --> 00:21:21,363
But in time, you will.

405
00:21:21,446 --> 00:21:25,659
[Meltzer] When the decision was made to go
PG, some fans complained on social media.

406
00:21:25,742 --> 00:21:31,123
But times change, you know?
And views change, and you adapt with it.

407
00:21:31,206 --> 00:21:33,417
-So they toned down.
-[bell rings]

408
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:36,003
[announcer]
<i>This is a Divas tag-team match...</i>

409
00:21:36,086 --> 00:21:38,255
[Heyman] The timing
of the Women's Evolution

410
00:21:38,338 --> 00:21:40,757
coincided with the PG Era shift.

411
00:21:41,258 --> 00:21:44,094
The portrayal of women in the industry

412
00:21:44,177 --> 00:21:46,596
{\an8}was progressing and maturing.

413
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,559
[announcer] <i>It is the perfect combination
of beauty and power.</i>

414
00:21:50,642 --> 00:21:55,480
[Heyman] And the capabilities of the women
that were coming into the industry

415
00:21:55,564 --> 00:22:00,694
were certainly far more athletic
than those that preceded them.

416
00:22:00,777 --> 00:22:04,823
The Women's Evolution
was really a movement started by our fans.

417
00:22:04,906 --> 00:22:09,036
[reporter] <i>Fans took to social media
with the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance,</i>

418
00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,456
<i>upset over unequal screen time
for female wrestlers.</i>

419
00:22:13,248 --> 00:22:18,045
Vince was set in his ways by this point,
so it was very hard for him to change.

420
00:22:18,754 --> 00:22:21,006
[Trish Stratus]
I think Vince was not sure,

421
00:22:21,089 --> 00:22:24,384
but ultimately Vince is about
giving the fans what they want.

422
00:22:25,510 --> 00:22:28,138
When the fans wanted us
to do more action in the ring

423
00:22:28,221 --> 00:22:30,766
and liked what they were getting from us,
he went with it.

424
00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:33,226
Someone that got behind us was Stephanie.

425
00:22:33,310 --> 00:22:35,562
Stephanie saw us
doing our thing out there.

426
00:22:35,645 --> 00:22:38,398
She pushed for the women
to take it to another level.

427
00:22:39,316 --> 00:22:42,277
[Meltzer] Stephanie had been
a TV character for a long time,

428
00:22:42,361 --> 00:22:45,864
but behind the scenes, she became
kind of a public face of the company,

429
00:22:45,947 --> 00:22:47,240
Chief Brand Officer.

430
00:22:47,324 --> 00:22:48,367
That was her role.

431
00:22:49,076 --> 00:22:51,161
And Paul Levesque, Triple H,

432
00:22:51,244 --> 00:22:54,873
was getting more and more influence
on the creative side,

433
00:22:54,956 --> 00:22:57,376
helping Vince, you know,
kind of like number two.

434
00:22:58,210 --> 00:23:00,379
[interviewer]
Where was Shane at that point?

435
00:23:01,088 --> 00:23:04,174
Um, Shane was kind of out,
you know, for the most part.

436
00:23:06,802 --> 00:23:11,556
[Shane] So, 2016, I was gone
six or seven years at that point.

437
00:23:12,057 --> 00:23:14,101
You know, off camera, off everything.

438
00:23:14,184 --> 00:23:15,227
I feel good.

439
00:23:15,310 --> 00:23:16,937
And got a call.

440
00:23:17,020 --> 00:23:20,357
It's my dad,
um, and he says, "Hey, I have an idea."

441
00:23:21,024 --> 00:23:22,484
And it's like, "Okay."

442
00:23:23,568 --> 00:23:26,071
<i>♪ No chance
That's what you've got ♪</i>

443
00:23:26,154 --> 00:23:32,202
[Shane] There was a storyline where my dad
was going to give a very big accolade

444
00:23:32,285 --> 00:23:34,162
from my grandfather to my sister,

445
00:23:34,246 --> 00:23:36,581
who was completely undeserving,
storyline-wise.

446
00:23:36,665 --> 00:23:42,003
No one in the world
deserves this award as much as you.

447
00:23:42,087 --> 00:23:44,297
And then all of a sudden, my music hits.

448
00:23:44,381 --> 00:23:47,217
<i>-♪ Here comes the money ♪</i>
-[announcer] <i>Here we go.</i>

449
00:23:47,300 --> 00:23:48,385
[crowd cheering]

450
00:23:48,468 --> 00:23:50,303
<i>♪ Here comes the money... ♪</i>

451
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:55,225
[Shane] The place goes crazy.

452
00:23:55,308 --> 00:23:57,310
And still to this day,

453
00:23:57,394 --> 00:24:01,022
I'm getting goosebumps under my jacket
right now thinking about it.

454
00:24:01,106 --> 00:24:05,068
[crowd cheering]

455
00:24:05,152 --> 00:24:07,571
[bittersweet music playing]

456
00:24:15,162 --> 00:24:21,209
[Shane] It was so rewarding to have
an adulation that long and that loud...

457
00:24:21,293 --> 00:24:23,336
[bittersweet music continues]

458
00:24:23,420 --> 00:24:24,671
...when you return to...

459
00:24:28,049 --> 00:24:29,843
[voice breaks] ...something you love.

460
00:24:35,015 --> 00:24:39,936
[crowd chanting] Holy shit!
Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!

461
00:24:40,020 --> 00:24:44,649
I see my dad looking at me, and he
has pride. I could see it in those eyes.

462
00:24:44,733 --> 00:24:46,485
I'm getting choked up looking at that.

463
00:24:46,568 --> 00:24:50,405
My sister, she's starting to tear up
because, again, we're all back together.

464
00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:51,698
It was a huge moment.

465
00:24:51,781 --> 00:24:53,074
[crowd] This is awesome!

466
00:24:53,158 --> 00:24:57,162
And eventually what came out
was something really cool.

467
00:24:57,746 --> 00:24:59,789
You and your husband, Triple H,

468
00:24:59,873 --> 00:25:03,251
have been really running this company
into the ground.

469
00:25:03,335 --> 00:25:05,170
[crowd cheering]

470
00:25:06,379 --> 00:25:09,799
I want control of <i>Monday Night Raw.</i>

471
00:25:09,883 --> 00:25:12,886
[crowd cheering]

472
00:25:12,969 --> 00:25:16,932
And then that led
to my dad making a match.

473
00:25:17,015 --> 00:25:20,727
One match, one night,
an opponent of my choosing.

474
00:25:20,810 --> 00:25:23,313
I'll tell you where and when and who.

475
00:25:23,396 --> 00:25:27,692
So, what about it, Shane-O? Huh?
Everybody's happy to see Shane-O-Mac!

476
00:25:27,776 --> 00:25:29,778
[crowd cheering]

477
00:25:31,738 --> 00:25:33,615
You got your match. You're on.

478
00:25:34,699 --> 00:25:36,451
[cheering]

479
00:25:36,535 --> 00:25:39,037
Good, because I have one last opportunity...

480
00:25:40,413 --> 00:25:42,791
to have a fucking beating, okay?

481
00:25:42,874 --> 00:25:45,752
-A beating about your face.
-[crowd exclaims]

482
00:25:45,835 --> 00:25:49,839
And the place and the time
is gonna be... WrestleMania.

483
00:25:49,923 --> 00:25:51,466
[crowd cheering]

484
00:25:51,550 --> 00:25:55,804
And your opponent... The Undertaker.

485
00:25:55,887 --> 00:25:58,765
[crowd cheering]

486
00:25:58,848 --> 00:26:00,725
Welcome back, Shane-O.

487
00:26:02,811 --> 00:26:04,437
[announcer] <i>Oh my goodness.</i>

488
00:26:05,063 --> 00:26:08,066
And getting to that moment now
of WrestleMania 32...

489
00:26:08,149 --> 00:26:10,694
{\an8}<i>-♪ Here comes the money ♪</i>
-[announcer] <i>Here we go.</i>

490
00:26:10,777 --> 00:26:13,321
[Shane] I haven't been in the ring
in seven years,

491
00:26:13,405 --> 00:26:17,325
and you can imagine walking out
in not just a small room,

492
00:26:17,409 --> 00:26:19,828
but a stadium with a sea of people.

493
00:26:19,911 --> 00:26:21,121
It's euphoric.

494
00:26:22,664 --> 00:26:28,545
But the greatest thing was
about ten minutes prior to me going out,

495
00:26:28,628 --> 00:26:32,215
my boys were backstage.
I was like, "Want to come out with me?"

496
00:26:32,299 --> 00:26:35,051
Do me the honor.
I want you to come out with me tonight.

497
00:26:35,135 --> 00:26:37,137
They're like, "What? Are you serious?"

498
00:26:37,220 --> 00:26:39,931
[upbeat music playing]

499
00:26:40,015 --> 00:26:42,350
[announcer] <i>Look who's out here
with Shane-O-Mac!</i>

500
00:26:42,434 --> 00:26:46,146
[Shane] My boys were doing my stuff,
and they're doing the arm twist.

501
00:26:46,229 --> 00:26:48,189
I go, "Look at these little dudes."

502
00:26:48,982 --> 00:26:51,067
And then I have to snap out of this

503
00:26:51,151 --> 00:26:54,696
'cause I'm about to throw down
with one of the best of them ever.

504
00:26:54,779 --> 00:26:56,656
-[crowd cheering]
-[bong ringing]

505
00:26:58,325 --> 00:27:02,871
[Shane] The Undertaker's bong hits...
and the place goes bonkers.

506
00:27:02,954 --> 00:27:04,497
Mm. [inhales]

507
00:27:04,581 --> 00:27:05,790
The rest is history.

508
00:27:06,708 --> 00:27:08,918
[announcer] <i>Shane-O with the flying elbow!</i>

509
00:27:09,002 --> 00:27:10,378
<i>Shane!</i>

510
00:27:11,838 --> 00:27:15,967
-[announcer 1] <i>Shane-O-Mac, here he goes!</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>Against the post!</i>

511
00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:19,846
[Huffman] I can only imagine
being the son of Vince McMahon.

512
00:27:20,513 --> 00:27:25,185
It seemed like Shane was always
trying to prove something to his dad,

513
00:27:25,268 --> 00:27:26,645
all the time.

514
00:27:26,728 --> 00:27:30,815
Even if it meant doing some
of the most death-defying, you know,

515
00:27:30,899 --> 00:27:33,818
feats, uh, we've seen in this business.

516
00:27:33,902 --> 00:27:37,947
[announcer] <i>Shane McMahon
has got Kurt Angle in a bad, bad way here.</i>

517
00:27:38,031 --> 00:27:39,866
[Shane] When you're performing,

518
00:27:39,949 --> 00:27:42,661
you want that adulation
that you did a good job.

519
00:27:42,744 --> 00:27:44,996
Especially, you know, from my father.

520
00:27:45,622 --> 00:27:49,918
And I think that's why I've always
tried to do a bit extra in the ring.

521
00:27:50,001 --> 00:27:52,671
-[announcer 1] <i>Looks bad for Kurt Angle!</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>God!</i>

522
00:27:52,754 --> 00:27:56,383
One time, I had a match with Kurt Angle.
It was more of a hardcore match.

523
00:27:56,466 --> 00:27:59,803
Kurt was famous, you know,
being an Olympian, for suplexes.

524
00:27:59,886 --> 00:28:02,013
He picked me up and suplexed me.

525
00:28:02,722 --> 00:28:03,932
[crowd exclaims]

526
00:28:04,015 --> 00:28:06,851
I was supposed to go through the glass.
I hit it, "Bam."

527
00:28:06,935 --> 00:28:08,937
And I went straight down on my noggin.

528
00:28:09,020 --> 00:28:13,858
[announcer 1] <i>And I think Shane's head
just bounced right off the concrete floor.</i>

529
00:28:13,942 --> 00:28:16,444
[Shane] I was like,
"All right, you Olympic wuss."

530
00:28:16,528 --> 00:28:19,572
"I can't believe you can't throw me
through that. You suck."

531
00:28:19,656 --> 00:28:21,700
All of a sudden, he just went, "Whoosh!"

532
00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:25,704
-[announcer] <i>Not again. Oh my God.</i>
-[Shane] And it took three going out.

533
00:28:25,787 --> 00:28:28,581
Suplex one, hit the glass,
didn't do anything.

534
00:28:29,165 --> 00:28:30,959
Second one, same thing.

535
00:28:31,042 --> 00:28:33,920
And finally,
Kurt threw me through the third one.

536
00:28:34,003 --> 00:28:35,380
[announcer] <i>My God!</i>

537
00:28:37,424 --> 00:28:39,092
I felt for Shane that night.

538
00:28:39,175 --> 00:28:40,885
He took it like a champ.

539
00:28:41,553 --> 00:28:43,471
Trying to prove something to his dad.

540
00:28:44,764 --> 00:28:49,060
[McMahon] Shane wanted to be different.
Wanted to earn his stripes in every way.

541
00:28:49,144 --> 00:28:51,229
He'd take chances that no one else would.

542
00:28:51,312 --> 00:28:53,773
-[announcer] <i>It's not worth it!</i>
-[crowd clamoring]

543
00:28:53,857 --> 00:28:57,026
[McMahon] He did some crazy things
that no one else would do.

544
00:28:57,110 --> 00:28:59,696
He knew that
that was something that was his.

545
00:28:59,779 --> 00:29:01,406
[announcer] <i>Oh my God!</i>

546
00:29:01,489 --> 00:29:03,324
[Shane] I'd do some risky things.

547
00:29:03,408 --> 00:29:07,328
But, you know, if it's in your blood,
in my view, it's an acceptable risk.

548
00:29:07,412 --> 00:29:11,207
-[announcer 1] <i>Shane, what are you doing?</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>Shane-O-Mac! God!</i>

549
00:29:11,291 --> 00:29:15,336
[Shane] And I've done it happily
to entertain and to push myself as well.

550
00:29:15,420 --> 00:29:19,549
And, of course, always looking
for that pat on the back... from my dad.

551
00:29:21,092 --> 00:29:23,553
[announcer 1] <i>Shane is climbing
to the top of Hell in a Cell!</i>

552
00:29:23,636 --> 00:29:25,930
-[announcer 2] <i>Shane is scaling!</i>
-[announcer 1] <i>Shane, stop!</i>

553
00:29:26,014 --> 00:29:29,684
-[McMahon] <i>What does your legacy mean?</i>
-[announcer 1] <i>How much does it mean?</i>

554
00:29:30,351 --> 00:29:32,020
<i>Not this, please!</i>

555
00:29:32,103 --> 00:29:34,063
<i>-Shane, don't do this!</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>Don't go!</i>

556
00:29:34,147 --> 00:29:37,859
-[announcer 1] <i>Shane! No!</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>No! Oh my God! Jump... No!</i>

557
00:29:37,942 --> 00:29:39,652
<i>-No, no!</i>
-[crowd exclaims]

558
00:29:39,736 --> 00:29:43,782
[McMahon] I know he's always wanted me
to respect him, and things of that nature.

559
00:29:43,865 --> 00:29:47,368
I don't know there are many pats
on the shoulder in terms of "way to go."

560
00:29:47,452 --> 00:29:48,828
Maybe there should've been.

561
00:29:49,704 --> 00:29:52,999
My dad... he never said it to me,
and that's okay.

562
00:29:54,501 --> 00:29:58,213
But I've always been proud of Shane
for what he's done,

563
00:29:58,296 --> 00:29:59,964
what he attempts to do,

564
00:30:01,299 --> 00:30:02,801
because he gives it his all.

565
00:30:02,884 --> 00:30:03,760
[crowd exclaims]

566
00:30:03,843 --> 00:30:06,012
-[crowd] Two. Three.
-[bell ringing]

567
00:30:06,095 --> 00:30:08,056
[announcer] <i>The Undertaker wins.</i>

568
00:30:09,307 --> 00:30:11,810
[McMahon] I was very proud
for Shane in that match.

569
00:30:11,893 --> 00:30:14,354
[announcer] <i>I can't help
but feel sorry for Shane.</i>

570
00:30:14,437 --> 00:30:16,481
<i>An attempt to regain his legacy.</i>

571
00:30:16,564 --> 00:30:18,274
<i>He's been disowned by his father.</i>

572
00:30:18,358 --> 00:30:20,777
[interviewer] You remember
seeing your dad after?

573
00:30:21,486 --> 00:30:22,654
I got a hug that night.

574
00:30:24,531 --> 00:30:26,825
Yeah. Got a hug that night. Uh...

575
00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:31,704
It was a very emotional, uh...
very emotional return.

576
00:30:32,956 --> 00:30:37,001
[poignant music playing]

577
00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,256
[McMahon] Shane got emotional and said,

578
00:30:41,339 --> 00:30:43,716
"That's all I ever wanted,
was your respect."

579
00:30:44,217 --> 00:30:47,011
So, that was a very personal moment.

580
00:30:47,679 --> 00:30:49,389
[inaudible]

581
00:30:49,472 --> 00:30:52,225
[Shane] I got a pat
on the back and a hug. Yeah.

582
00:30:53,434 --> 00:30:54,269
Got that one.

583
00:30:55,186 --> 00:30:58,106
-[interviewer] Is that hard to come by?
-Very.

584
00:30:58,189 --> 00:30:59,440
Had to earn that one.

585
00:30:59,983 --> 00:31:00,942
I guess I did.

586
00:31:02,902 --> 00:31:06,114
You hear people say this a lot
in our business about Vince.

587
00:31:06,197 --> 00:31:08,533
Like, "He was almost like a father to me."

588
00:31:10,201 --> 00:31:11,578
[McMahon] We have a family.

589
00:31:12,787 --> 00:31:15,915
Not the McMahon family.
We have a much broader family.

590
00:31:16,416 --> 00:31:20,169
And in terms of a family-type thing,
I'm the patriarch.

591
00:31:21,004 --> 00:31:25,049
He's had the role in my life
of a father figure.

592
00:31:25,133 --> 00:31:27,677
Our relationship,
he was a father figure to me.

593
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:31,890
I have a fatherly,
a father-son relationship, with Vince.

594
00:31:31,973 --> 00:31:35,059
I mean, I'd honestly
take a bullet for that man.

595
00:31:39,981 --> 00:31:42,025
[indistinct chatter]

596
00:31:42,108 --> 00:31:46,613
[Shoemaker] There's no doubt that Vince
is the father figure of the company.

597
00:31:47,238 --> 00:31:51,659
And all the stars in WWE
are desperate for Vince's approval,

598
00:31:51,743 --> 00:31:53,369
including his own kids.

599
00:31:55,330 --> 00:31:56,873
{\an8}If you look at Shane,

600
00:31:57,540 --> 00:32:02,545
{\an8}when he came back, he was only
really being used as in-ring talent.

601
00:32:03,129 --> 00:32:07,634
But it seemed like he was trying to work
his way back into Vince's good graces,

602
00:32:07,717 --> 00:32:11,638
into a potential role
as a successor in WWE.

603
00:32:11,721 --> 00:32:13,848
[indistinct chanting]

604
00:32:14,641 --> 00:32:16,809
[Shane] At some point,
did I envision myself

605
00:32:16,893 --> 00:32:19,812
being next in line to do certain things?

606
00:32:20,855 --> 00:32:25,234
Sure, from the standpoint of I just
want to continue the family business.

607
00:32:26,527 --> 00:32:28,613
I came back to ensure the future.

608
00:32:28,696 --> 00:32:32,617
Not only for my kids,
but for your daughters,

609
00:32:32,700 --> 00:32:36,287
and eventually their kids
and their kids' kids, et cetera.

610
00:32:36,371 --> 00:32:39,207
That's why I returned to the WWE.

611
00:32:40,249 --> 00:32:42,377
[Meltzer] He wanted to be
the next McMahon,

612
00:32:42,961 --> 00:32:44,879
and he always figured he would be.

613
00:32:44,963 --> 00:32:46,506
And then it didn't happen.

614
00:32:46,589 --> 00:32:50,468
Most people will say it was because
Stephanie was better at it than he was.

615
00:32:50,551 --> 00:32:52,345
[intriguing music playing]

616
00:32:52,428 --> 00:32:55,723
[Stephanie] One thing that Shane
does have over me is likability.

617
00:32:56,641 --> 00:33:00,895
But business is not run by popularity,
and I'm just glad that...

618
00:33:00,979 --> 00:33:03,523
Stephanie? She's just like her dad.

619
00:33:03,606 --> 00:33:04,691
She's very strong.

620
00:33:05,858 --> 00:33:06,818
That's the boss.

621
00:33:07,527 --> 00:33:09,779
Shane is nice.

622
00:33:11,197 --> 00:33:16,119
And in the wrestling world,
if you're a boss and you're nice,

623
00:33:16,661 --> 00:33:18,871
once the people see that niceness,

624
00:33:19,455 --> 00:33:21,457
they will try to take advantage of you.

625
00:33:23,084 --> 00:33:24,377
With Stephanie,

626
00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:27,505
you know you can't take advantage
of that woman. [chuckles]

627
00:33:27,588 --> 00:33:28,881
Right off the bat.

628
00:33:29,549 --> 00:33:32,760
You don't know what it means
to be a success, Shane.

629
00:33:32,844 --> 00:33:35,596
How would you?
You're nothing more than a quitter.

630
00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:37,807
-[Shane] Mm.
-[crowd exclaiming]

631
00:33:37,890 --> 00:33:41,894
Now, get the hell out of my ring!

632
00:33:43,646 --> 00:33:47,275
[Shoemaker] Through the 2010s
and leading up to the 2020s,

633
00:33:48,067 --> 00:33:50,611
Vince McMahon,
Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H

634
00:33:50,695 --> 00:33:54,282
were the three most powerful people
inside WWE,

635
00:33:54,365 --> 00:33:58,119
and there were a lot of huge successes
during this period of time.

636
00:33:58,202 --> 00:33:59,912
There was the WWE Network...

637
00:33:59,996 --> 00:34:03,416
[woman]
<i>24/7 streaming service, live content.</i>

638
00:34:03,499 --> 00:34:05,793
[Shoemaker] ...which was
revolutionary in its way.

639
00:34:06,711 --> 00:34:09,505
They were on the cutting edge
of a lot of social media stuff.

640
00:34:10,089 --> 00:34:12,884
The TV rights deals were going up and up,

641
00:34:12,967 --> 00:34:15,511
which culminated
in the giant deal with Peacock.

642
00:34:16,012 --> 00:34:18,765
Linda McMahon joins
Donald Trump's cabinet,

643
00:34:18,848 --> 00:34:21,142
heading the Small Business Administration.

644
00:34:21,893 --> 00:34:23,728
There was a competition started up.

645
00:34:23,811 --> 00:34:25,772
In 2019, AEW Wrestling launched.

646
00:34:26,355 --> 00:34:29,150
One of the big stars and vice presidents
was Cody Rhodes,

647
00:34:29,233 --> 00:34:33,237
who three years later came back to WWE.

648
00:34:33,321 --> 00:34:35,782
Thank you so much.
Thank you for coming to get me.

649
00:34:35,865 --> 00:34:38,451
-Thank you very much.
-[announcer] <i>...Hall of Fame class of 2022!</i>

650
00:34:39,660 --> 00:34:42,538
{\an8}[Shoemaker] And the stock price
just kept going up and up.

651
00:34:43,581 --> 00:34:46,167
It certainly doesn't have
the energy or the vitality

652
00:34:46,250 --> 00:34:48,086
that it seemed to in the '80s,

653
00:34:48,169 --> 00:34:50,671
and especially not
during the Attitude Era.

654
00:34:51,672 --> 00:34:54,634
But Vince, he keeps creating new stars

655
00:34:55,343 --> 00:34:58,429
who become huge faces of the company.

656
00:34:58,513 --> 00:35:03,017
[announcer] <i>This man, Roman Reigns,
has become a mainstream star.</i>

657
00:35:03,101 --> 00:35:04,685
Roman Reigns, everybody!

658
00:35:05,603 --> 00:35:08,689
[Shoemaker] Because of the success
during this period of time,

659
00:35:08,773 --> 00:35:11,150
it was hard to imagine
Vince ever stepping down.

660
00:35:11,234 --> 00:35:13,319
But if he were ever going to leave,

661
00:35:13,903 --> 00:35:17,031
it seemed clear at the time
that it was Stephanie McMahon and Triple H

662
00:35:17,115 --> 00:35:20,243
who were in position to succeed him
in running the company.

663
00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:22,620
[Shawn Michaels] As far as succession,

664
00:35:22,703 --> 00:35:25,289
you don't rule out
Shane or Stephanie, obviously.

665
00:35:26,541 --> 00:35:31,254
But it was my understanding that Hunter
was supposed to be the individual.

666
00:35:31,337 --> 00:35:34,924
I don't know. That's the upper-level stuff
that I couldn't even imagine.

667
00:35:36,259 --> 00:35:39,220
[McMahon] There are a lot of plans
in terms of succession,

668
00:35:40,346 --> 00:35:44,392
but it depends on where I am
in terms of the ability to contribute.

669
00:35:45,893 --> 00:35:50,773
{\an8}[announcer] <i>Welcome to night two
of WrestleMania. 70,000-plus once again.</i>

670
00:35:50,857 --> 00:35:52,400
So, when are you gonna...

671
00:35:53,192 --> 00:35:56,070
[interviewer] Do you ever
see yourself taking a step back?

672
00:35:56,863 --> 00:35:59,240
-Taking a step back?
-[interviewer] Or retiring?

673
00:35:59,740 --> 00:36:01,742
Do I ever see myself retiring?

674
00:36:02,451 --> 00:36:04,537
No, I don't see myself ever retiring.

675
00:36:05,580 --> 00:36:08,791
I never understood
why people stop growing.

676
00:36:09,959 --> 00:36:12,378
When you stop growing, you die.

677
00:36:12,962 --> 00:36:17,300
[announcer] <i>Mr. McMahon!</i>

678
00:36:17,383 --> 00:36:20,303
[McMahon] Some people are like,
"I want to retire one day."

679
00:36:21,888 --> 00:36:24,182
What are you gonna do when you retire?

680
00:36:24,765 --> 00:36:25,933
[announcer] <i>Hold on!</i>

681
00:36:27,185 --> 00:36:30,313
[McMahon] I have, like,
no sympathy for people like that.

682
00:36:30,396 --> 00:36:31,272
[Austin laughs]

683
00:36:31,355 --> 00:36:32,815
Oh shit.

684
00:36:32,899 --> 00:36:35,443
So... go die.

685
00:36:36,194 --> 00:36:37,486
[announcer 1] <i>Ridiculous.</i>

686
00:36:37,570 --> 00:36:40,114
[announcer 1]
<i>Mr. McMahon has entered the ring!</i>

687
00:36:40,198 --> 00:36:42,575
[interviewer]
Do you think he'll ever retire?

688
00:36:43,367 --> 00:36:45,494
No. No.

689
00:36:45,578 --> 00:36:47,038
Vince will never retire.

690
00:36:47,121 --> 00:36:49,707
-[bell ringing]
-[announcer] <i>We heard the bell ring.</i>

691
00:36:49,790 --> 00:36:51,542
<i>And McMahon with a clothesline!</i>

692
00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:53,836
[Cena] Do I think
Vince will ever stop? No.

693
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,173
I don't think he'll ever stop.
He loves it. It's not work to him.

694
00:36:57,757 --> 00:37:01,719
[announcer 1] <i>I can't believe McMahon
and Austin are toasting at WrestleMania.</i>

695
00:37:02,220 --> 00:37:04,680
[announcer 2] <i>They finally...
Spoke too soon!</i>

696
00:37:04,764 --> 00:37:06,224
[crowd cheering]

697
00:37:06,307 --> 00:37:08,309
[announcer 1]
<i>Mr. McMahon trying to get away...</i>

698
00:37:08,392 --> 00:37:10,394
<i>but Austin stuns McMahon!</i>

699
00:37:10,478 --> 00:37:12,980
[Michaels] I cannot imagine a life

700
00:37:13,064 --> 00:37:16,567
with Vince McMahon
not being the main dude in the WWE

701
00:37:16,651 --> 00:37:18,903
as long as he has breath in his lungs.

702
00:37:18,986 --> 00:37:22,907
[women whooping]

703
00:37:23,699 --> 00:37:26,702
What do I think it would take
for Vince to retire? Uh...

704
00:37:26,786 --> 00:37:28,871
A nuclear bomb exploding.

705
00:37:28,955 --> 00:37:31,582
[tense music playing]

706
00:37:31,666 --> 00:37:34,502
[news anchor 1] <i>The wrestling world
rocked by the headline hitting today.</i>

707
00:37:34,585 --> 00:37:37,964
<i>The WWE founder and CEO, Vince McMahon,</i>

708
00:37:38,047 --> 00:37:40,925
<i>is stepping down as chairman and CEO.</i>

709
00:37:41,008 --> 00:37:45,471
[news anchor 2] The Wall Street Journal
<i>reporting McMahon paid a former employee,</i>

710
00:37:45,554 --> 00:37:50,643
<i>who he allegedly had an affair with,
$3 million to keep her quiet.</i>

711
00:37:51,143 --> 00:37:52,812
[Ted Mann] It started with a tip.

712
00:37:52,895 --> 00:37:57,525
And the tip was that the board of WWE
had received an anonymous email

713
00:37:57,608 --> 00:38:02,780
alleging that Vince McMahon
had basically kept quiet, um,

714
00:38:02,863 --> 00:38:06,367
an affair with an employee of the company,
and then covered it up.

715
00:38:06,450 --> 00:38:08,911
{\an8}[news anchor 3] The Journal <i>reports,
according to an email</i>

716
00:38:08,995 --> 00:38:10,621
{\an8}<i>sent to WWE board members,</i>

717
00:38:10,705 --> 00:38:14,709
{\an8}<i>"McMahon initially hired the woman
at a salary of $100,000,</i>

718
00:38:14,792 --> 00:38:17,211
<i>but increased it to $200,000</i>

719
00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:19,672
<i>after beginning
a sexual relationship with her."</i>

720
00:38:19,755 --> 00:38:22,717
[Mann] The person who wrote the email
portrayed it as a relationship

721
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:24,844
where McMahon
was taking advantage of someone,

722
00:38:25,845 --> 00:38:28,639
and was conducting a consensual affair,

723
00:38:28,723 --> 00:38:31,934
but the power was clearly
with the guy who was the CEO.

724
00:38:33,102 --> 00:38:37,231
How consensual is it when... it's your boss?

725
00:38:37,315 --> 00:38:41,193
There's always that boss power,
especially when it's Vince.

726
00:38:41,277 --> 00:38:44,655
[news anchor 3] <i>The separation agreement
prevents the former employee</i>

727
00:38:44,739 --> 00:38:47,158
<i>from discussing her relationship
with Mr. McMahon</i>

728
00:38:47,241 --> 00:38:48,826
<i>or disparaging him in any way.</i>

729
00:38:48,909 --> 00:38:51,203
Beyond the NDAs themselves,

730
00:38:51,287 --> 00:38:54,290
we encountered
this kind of culture of secrecy.

731
00:38:55,207 --> 00:38:57,460
Vince McMahon exerts such power,

732
00:38:57,543 --> 00:39:00,463
he has such influence
over people's careers,

733
00:39:00,546 --> 00:39:04,925
that people are very reluctant to speak
because they were afraid of retaliation.

734
00:39:05,009 --> 00:39:10,181
My expectation was Vince was going
to just go after those reporters.

735
00:39:10,931 --> 00:39:13,184
Because if he had any kind of defense,

736
00:39:13,267 --> 00:39:15,394
he'd have gone after
the reporters' credibility,

737
00:39:15,478 --> 00:39:16,729
and he never touched them.

738
00:39:16,812 --> 00:39:18,022
That shocked me.

739
00:39:18,105 --> 00:39:19,774
That is not Vince.

740
00:39:19,857 --> 00:39:22,818
[anchor 3] <i>McMahon says, in part,
"I have pledged my complete cooperation</i>

741
00:39:22,902 --> 00:39:25,071
<i>to the investigation
by the Special Committee,</i>

742
00:39:25,154 --> 00:39:28,407
<i>and I will do everything possible
to support the investigation."</i>

743
00:39:28,491 --> 00:39:30,409
{\an8}He is staying in front of the cameras.

744
00:39:30,493 --> 00:39:34,705
{\an8}He's expected to be on <i>SmackDown</i>
later on tonight. Jake?

745
00:39:34,789 --> 00:39:35,623
{\an8}Of course he is.

746
00:39:35,706 --> 00:39:38,125
[crowd cheering]

747
00:39:38,209 --> 00:39:40,461
<i>♪ No chance
That's what you've got ♪</i>

748
00:39:40,544 --> 00:39:44,006
[Meltzer] Vince resigned as CEO,

749
00:39:44,090 --> 00:39:48,094
but continued on the board of directors
and continued to run Creative.

750
00:39:48,803 --> 00:39:51,055
When the first story came out,
they announced,

751
00:39:51,138 --> 00:39:52,848
"Vince will be on the air."

752
00:39:52,932 --> 00:39:55,893
-Welcome to <i>SmackDown!</i>
-[crowd cheering]

753
00:39:55,976 --> 00:39:59,063
[Meltzer] It was just basically
his "F you" at the story,

754
00:39:59,647 --> 00:40:02,316
and they did
one of their biggest ratings of the year.

755
00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:03,901
Everybody cheered like crazy.

756
00:40:03,984 --> 00:40:06,779
[tense music builds]

757
00:40:15,788 --> 00:40:17,415
[Mann] When we published
the first article,

758
00:40:17,498 --> 00:40:21,919
one of the reactions from some quarters
was, "Well, what did you expect?"

759
00:40:23,921 --> 00:40:28,175
Vince's public persona,
the Mr. McMahon character,

760
00:40:28,259 --> 00:40:32,179
was intentionally outrageous,
and tied up in all of that

761
00:40:32,263 --> 00:40:36,934
was this notion that he was just
rapacious and sexually deviant

762
00:40:37,017 --> 00:40:39,186
and couldn't control himself.

763
00:40:39,270 --> 00:40:41,939
That was a huge part
of the public character.

764
00:40:42,523 --> 00:40:45,943
What complicates that
is that this was this intentional blurring

765
00:40:46,026 --> 00:40:48,529
of fictional and non-fictional.

766
00:40:50,156 --> 00:40:52,575
You're hired, Stacy!

767
00:40:53,701 --> 00:40:59,415
[Mann] What we have shown is that
some of what was played for laughs

768
00:40:59,498 --> 00:41:01,625
as part of the character

769
00:41:01,709 --> 00:41:05,671
was not that funny and was,
in fact, very, very serious.

770
00:41:05,754 --> 00:41:08,257
[suspenseful music playing]

771
00:41:08,340 --> 00:41:10,426
[Palazzolo] As we got into the reporting,

772
00:41:10,509 --> 00:41:13,429
we found there had been other allegations
that surfaced over the years

773
00:41:13,512 --> 00:41:15,264
against McMahon.

774
00:41:15,347 --> 00:41:19,393
In 2006, there was a woman
who worked at a tanning salon,

775
00:41:19,477 --> 00:41:23,731
and she alleged that Vince McMahon
had shown her naked photos of himself

776
00:41:23,814 --> 00:41:25,733
and had groped her.

777
00:41:26,692 --> 00:41:28,694
McMahon denies the allegations,

778
00:41:28,777 --> 00:41:31,322
and prosecutors decided
not to move forward with anything

779
00:41:31,405 --> 00:41:34,909
'cause they didn't think
there was enough independent evidence.

780
00:41:36,619 --> 00:41:37,995
What are you doing?

781
00:41:38,078 --> 00:41:40,331
[Meltzer]
When the tanning salon thing came,

782
00:41:40,414 --> 00:41:43,250
weeks later, Vince created a storyline

783
00:41:43,334 --> 00:41:46,879
where somebody's just absolutely
making up all of these things.

784
00:41:47,713 --> 00:41:49,298
[screams]

785
00:41:49,381 --> 00:41:51,133
-Help me!
-Mickie, what are you doing?

786
00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:52,927
-Help me now!
-What are you doing?

787
00:41:53,010 --> 00:41:54,428
Stop touching me!

788
00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:57,056
[Palazzolo] The reporting built on itself.

789
00:41:57,139 --> 00:41:59,016
After that first story,

790
00:41:59,099 --> 00:42:02,394
the more sort of we reported,
the more started coming in.

791
00:42:02,895 --> 00:42:06,941
{\an8}Three weeks ago,
Vince McMahon stepped down as WWE CEO

792
00:42:07,024 --> 00:42:09,360
{\an8}following allegations
of sexual misconduct.

793
00:42:09,443 --> 00:42:12,279
{\an8}It turns out now
there's a lot more to the story.

794
00:42:12,363 --> 00:42:18,536
[reporter] <i>McMahon reportedly agreeing
to pay $12 million to four different women</i>

795
00:42:18,619 --> 00:42:22,081
<i>over a 16-year period,
according to</i> The Wall Street Journal.

796
00:42:22,164 --> 00:42:26,252
<i>The deals were made to suppress
allegations of sexual misconduct.</i>

797
00:42:26,335 --> 00:42:29,380
Some of those allegations
were frankly more serious.

798
00:42:29,463 --> 00:42:33,717
The most serious one is, we learned
of a settlement for $7.5 million

799
00:42:33,801 --> 00:42:36,887
that McMahon struck with a former wrestler

800
00:42:36,971 --> 00:42:39,557
who alleged that he had coerced her
into oral sex,

801
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:44,270
that she had refused his further advances,
and he had not renewed her contract.

802
00:42:45,229 --> 00:42:49,525
Vince was always the guy
who you figured would survive everything,

803
00:42:50,150 --> 00:42:52,695
and then, um,
it was like a week or two later,

804
00:42:52,778 --> 00:42:56,949
all of a sudden, it's Friday,
and, and... Vince has retired.

805
00:42:57,032 --> 00:42:59,034
[dramatic sting]

806
00:43:00,119 --> 00:43:03,539
[Meltzer] They made the announcement
on a Friday because, to the end,

807
00:43:03,622 --> 00:43:06,166
they thought that it would build ratings
for Friday night,

808
00:43:06,250 --> 00:43:08,002
so they do it Friday afternoon.

809
00:43:08,085 --> 00:43:09,587
Stephanie McMahon opens the show.

810
00:43:09,670 --> 00:43:10,754
[crowd exclaims]

811
00:43:10,838 --> 00:43:12,339
Earlier tonight,

812
00:43:12,423 --> 00:43:15,551
my father, Vince McMahon,

813
00:43:16,844 --> 00:43:19,763
retired from WWE.

814
00:43:19,847 --> 00:43:22,766
[crowd clamoring]

815
00:43:23,392 --> 00:43:25,853
[Meltzer] So, she finishes
her short speech of,

816
00:43:25,936 --> 00:43:29,857
"He devoted his life, did this and that,"
and then, "Let's go, thank you, Vince,"

817
00:43:29,940 --> 00:43:32,151
and she's cheering everyone,
"Thank you, Vince."

818
00:43:32,234 --> 00:43:36,447
[chanting] Thank you, Vince!
Thank you, Vince!

819
00:43:36,530 --> 00:43:40,117
[crowd] Thank you, Vince!
Thank you, Vince!

820
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,286
[Meltzer] It was exactly what I expected,

821
00:43:42,369 --> 00:43:44,455
but kind of a shock and weird and surreal

822
00:43:44,538 --> 00:43:48,792
only because, for 40 years,
Vince had been running that company,

823
00:43:48,876 --> 00:43:51,670
and all of a sudden,
in one day, it's all changed.

824
00:43:55,215 --> 00:43:59,303
The reaction in the locker room
was uncertainty, for sure,

825
00:43:59,386 --> 00:44:01,513
but real chaos

826
00:44:01,597 --> 00:44:05,601
in a sense that,
what does WWE look like without Vince?

827
00:44:06,143 --> 00:44:08,896
What I originally thought would happen
if Vince was gone,

828
00:44:09,563 --> 00:44:11,982
I thought Stephanie
would be the face of the company,

829
00:44:12,066 --> 00:44:14,985
and I thought Paul Levesque
would be running the creative end.

830
00:44:15,944 --> 00:44:18,781
And that's essentially what happened.

831
00:44:18,864 --> 00:44:20,199
[inaudible]

832
00:44:23,911 --> 00:44:26,372
[interviewer] Do you think
the business can survive without him?

833
00:44:26,455 --> 00:44:27,289
[man] Go, Vince!

834
00:44:27,373 --> 00:44:28,457
[Bollea] Honestly?

835
00:44:29,124 --> 00:44:30,793
-Thank you.
-You bet. Thank you.

836
00:44:31,669 --> 00:44:33,545
Without Vince, I don't think it will.

837
00:44:37,383 --> 00:44:39,343
[Mazer] Now that he's retired,

838
00:44:39,426 --> 00:44:43,263
I think there was great pleasure
in seeing him get what's coming to him.

839
00:44:43,347 --> 00:44:47,309
But five minutes later, do we care?
I don't know how much.

840
00:44:48,018 --> 00:44:48,894
Hi!

841
00:44:50,020 --> 00:44:53,023
[Mazer] I think we'd be more interested
to see him come back.

842
00:44:53,107 --> 00:44:55,150
I think we'd be
much more entertained by that.

843
00:44:57,653 --> 00:45:01,156
Because nobody does evil
like Vince McMahon.

844
00:45:02,157 --> 00:45:03,867
He still generates heat.

845
00:45:06,203 --> 00:45:08,205
And heat is what sells tickets.

846
00:45:09,915 --> 00:45:12,251
[interviewer]
Do you see Vince coming back?

847
00:45:12,334 --> 00:45:15,421
Um, because it's wrestling
and everything, um...

848
00:45:16,380 --> 00:45:17,381
I...

849
00:45:18,757 --> 00:45:20,926
I would say yes.

850
00:45:21,009 --> 00:45:22,970
[dramatic music playing]

851
00:45:23,053 --> 00:45:26,348
[Dubois] Big changes at the Stamford-based
World Wrestling Entertainment.

852
00:45:26,432 --> 00:45:31,353
{\an8}The majority owner, Vince McMahon,
has returned to WWE as executive chairman.

853
00:45:31,437 --> 00:45:34,148
{\an8}Meantime, Vince McMahon's daughter,
Stephanie McMahon,

854
00:45:34,231 --> 00:45:37,818
{\an8}has resigned as co-CEO of WWE.

855
00:45:37,901 --> 00:45:40,112
{\an8}Many on Wall Street
expect McMahon to try to sell

856
00:45:40,195 --> 00:45:42,656
{\an8}the $6 billion company at some point.

857
00:45:45,743 --> 00:45:48,829
[interviewer] What was your reaction
when Vince returned?

858
00:45:48,912 --> 00:45:50,914
[laughing]

859
00:45:50,998 --> 00:45:55,711
Wow, that, um... Well, I mean,
it was so... It was weird.

860
00:45:56,295 --> 00:45:58,630
When Vince came back, I wasn't surprised.

861
00:45:58,714 --> 00:46:01,091
I was surprised
that people were surprised.

862
00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:04,344
[Meltzer] I had definitely heard
for a couple of weeks

863
00:46:04,428 --> 00:46:07,473
that Vince was getting itchy
and wanted to come back,

864
00:46:07,556 --> 00:46:09,683
and I didn't know if he would be able to.

865
00:46:11,351 --> 00:46:14,980
Because I had already known
about the board voting unanimously

866
00:46:15,063 --> 00:46:17,065
for him not to be back.

867
00:46:19,568 --> 00:46:22,154
But he did have the controlling votes.

868
00:46:22,237 --> 00:46:25,073
So, he returned.
He changed members of the board.

869
00:46:25,157 --> 00:46:28,327
And then days later, Stephanie resigns.

870
00:46:28,911 --> 00:46:32,122
[reporter] <i>Stephanie McMahon
making a statement via Twitter.</i>

871
00:46:32,206 --> 00:46:34,750
<i>"WWE is in such a strong position</i>

872
00:46:34,833 --> 00:46:37,461
<i>that I have decided to return to my leave</i>

873
00:46:37,544 --> 00:46:41,924
<i>and take it one step further
with my official resignation."</i>

874
00:46:43,133 --> 00:46:47,262
[Meltzer] Vince said that he thought
he never should have quit.

875
00:46:47,346 --> 00:46:49,223
But he was talked into quitting.

876
00:46:49,932 --> 00:46:53,644
And he said that
it was by somebody close to him.

877
00:46:54,269 --> 00:46:57,231
So, you know,
you can draw a conclusion from that.

878
00:46:58,023 --> 00:47:00,067
Vince sort of forced his way back in.

879
00:47:00,150 --> 00:47:01,360
[inaudible]

880
00:47:01,443 --> 00:47:03,195
[Shoemaker] And it seems to me

881
00:47:03,278 --> 00:47:06,156
that Stephanie didn't want
anything to do with the company

882
00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:07,366
if Vince was involved.

883
00:47:07,991 --> 00:47:09,785
I don't think she was forced out.

884
00:47:09,868 --> 00:47:14,373
You know he's put you in a position,
constantly in life, to battle him.

885
00:47:14,456 --> 00:47:15,999
You know that, right?

886
00:47:16,083 --> 00:47:17,543
Sure feels that way. [laughs]

887
00:47:17,626 --> 00:47:19,878
Oh no... Steph. Come on.

888
00:47:21,672 --> 00:47:22,506
[grunts]

889
00:47:22,589 --> 00:47:24,424
-There you go.
-Thank you.

890
00:47:24,508 --> 00:47:28,887
{\an8}I have absolutely no idea what happened
with Stephanie leaving the company.

891
00:47:29,555 --> 00:47:32,391
And Dave Meltzer or Shoemaker,

892
00:47:32,474 --> 00:47:36,061
or whoever else wants to make up
their lies and their assumptions,

893
00:47:36,144 --> 00:47:37,938
they don't know.

894
00:47:38,021 --> 00:47:40,232
[tense music playing]

895
00:47:40,315 --> 00:47:41,525
[Meltzer] When Vince came back,

896
00:47:41,608 --> 00:47:44,111
the first thing they talked about
was a potential sale.

897
00:47:44,194 --> 00:47:46,446
This was like, "Okay, we're taking bids."

898
00:47:46,530 --> 00:47:48,615
[tense music continues]

899
00:47:48,699 --> 00:47:50,033
[anchor] <i>It is now official.</i>

900
00:47:50,117 --> 00:47:53,412
<i>Endeavor announcing
WWE and UFC will combine</i>

901
00:47:53,495 --> 00:47:57,583
<i>to form a $21 billion global
live sports and entertainment company.</i>

902
00:47:58,208 --> 00:48:02,546
[reporter] <i>The combined WWE and UFC
will be called the TKO Group.</i>

903
00:48:04,172 --> 00:48:08,135
Selling the company
to a strategic company like Endeavor,

904
00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:10,137
I thought was genius.

905
00:48:10,220 --> 00:48:13,015
Think about it.
It's a new challenge for Vince.

906
00:48:15,017 --> 00:48:19,479
He's not just overseeing one company.
He's overseeing another company.

907
00:48:19,563 --> 00:48:23,442
I think the idea
probably was to sell it in a way

908
00:48:23,525 --> 00:48:27,279
where Vince would still have
the major say-so.

909
00:48:28,071 --> 00:48:32,743
Vince is gonna be the executive chairman,
but it's gonna be a bit different for him

910
00:48:32,826 --> 00:48:36,455
because WWE shareholders
only get 49% of this company

911
00:48:36,538 --> 00:48:39,166
versus Endeavor shareholders, who get 51%.

912
00:48:39,666 --> 00:48:45,213
So, he no longer has the absolute control
that he did over WWE.

913
00:48:46,048 --> 00:48:48,383
This company's been in your family
for 70 years.

914
00:48:48,467 --> 00:48:49,885
Is it a tough day?

915
00:48:49,968 --> 00:48:51,511
No, it's a great day.

916
00:48:51,595 --> 00:48:55,265
You know, things have to evolve,
be it family, business,

917
00:48:55,349 --> 00:48:58,226
it all has to evolve
for all the right reasons.

918
00:48:58,310 --> 00:49:02,814
And this is the right business decision.
Thus far, it's the right family decision.

919
00:49:02,898 --> 00:49:06,818
There wasn't gonna be, you know,
the next generation Vince McMahon.

920
00:49:06,902 --> 00:49:09,780
It got too big to be a family business.

921
00:49:09,863 --> 00:49:13,951
It had to be something to where
experts in the big business field

922
00:49:14,034 --> 00:49:16,536
were gonna be making
a lot of the decisions.

923
00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:22,000
It's not about the last name.
It's not about a family legacy.

924
00:49:22,709 --> 00:49:25,921
It's about who is best qualified.

925
00:49:26,505 --> 00:49:31,343
We live by the law of the jungle.

926
00:49:32,260 --> 00:49:36,431
And the lion who still rules this kingdom

927
00:49:36,515 --> 00:49:39,768
wouldn't have it any other way.

928
00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:41,520
[crowd cheering]

929
00:49:41,603 --> 00:49:43,939
[Meltzer] The company's doing
really strong right now.

930
00:49:44,022 --> 00:49:46,483
The attendance
is the best it's been since 2002.

931
00:49:47,275 --> 00:49:51,029
More people watch the big events
than have ever watched them before.

932
00:49:51,113 --> 00:49:53,907
Sponsorship is way beyond
anything they've ever had before.

933
00:49:53,991 --> 00:49:57,285
Profits are the biggest they've ever been,
revenues are the biggest they've been.

934
00:49:58,245 --> 00:50:00,747
People will support
an entertainment product

935
00:50:00,831 --> 00:50:05,252
and not care about the moral fiber
of the guy running the product.

936
00:50:05,335 --> 00:50:06,878
They want entertainment.

937
00:50:07,713 --> 00:50:09,756
[reporter] <i>This week,
World Wrestling Entertainment</i>

938
00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:13,093
<i>agreeing to a $5 billion 10-year deal</i>

939
00:50:13,176 --> 00:50:17,347
<i>to take its signature
weekly wrestling show,</i> Raw, <i>to Netflix.</i>

940
00:50:25,605 --> 00:50:29,317
[interviewer] You saw
some episodes... of this show?

941
00:50:29,401 --> 00:50:30,402
Yeah.

942
00:50:30,485 --> 00:50:32,738
-[interviewer] Thoughts?
-Thought they sucked.

943
00:50:33,488 --> 00:50:36,491
I didn't think it was balanced at all.

944
00:50:36,575 --> 00:50:38,326
I thought it was a gotcha piece.

945
00:50:38,410 --> 00:50:41,496
I thought it was portrayed
as a gotcha piece.

946
00:50:41,580 --> 00:50:45,125
And it was all about,
"How can we make Vince look bad?"

947
00:50:45,208 --> 00:50:47,919
"Let's make him look shitty here,
let's make him look shitty there."

948
00:50:48,003 --> 00:50:49,379
[inaudible]

949
00:50:49,463 --> 00:50:50,839
[Prichard] I'm close to it.

950
00:50:50,922 --> 00:50:53,717
You know, I live it,
and it's personal to me.

951
00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:56,803
[interviewer] Why I ask is, is there
something about Vince that we're missing?

952
00:50:56,887 --> 00:50:59,222
Yeah, the human side.

953
00:51:00,265 --> 00:51:02,476
Look, Vince is a businessman.

954
00:51:03,226 --> 00:51:06,688
But also, the other side of Vince is,

955
00:51:06,772 --> 00:51:08,940
when my wife got cancer,

956
00:51:09,566 --> 00:51:13,403
that Vince made sure
that she had the best care in the world.

957
00:51:13,487 --> 00:51:17,908
My wife was given
a four-year life expectancy.

958
00:51:17,991 --> 00:51:19,409
Best-case scenario.

959
00:51:19,493 --> 00:51:21,787
That was 24 years ago.

960
00:51:22,996 --> 00:51:25,499
And that was because
Vince McMahon made sure

961
00:51:25,582 --> 00:51:28,627
that she got the best care
that was available.

962
00:51:29,544 --> 00:51:33,298
It wasn't a documentary on Vince
and Vince's life and Vince's story.

963
00:51:33,965 --> 00:51:36,885
It was,
"See what an asshole Vince McMahon is."

964
00:51:36,968 --> 00:51:39,429
"Let's see how big of an asshole
we can make him."

965
00:51:39,513 --> 00:51:42,766
And if he were one, I would support that.

966
00:51:44,309 --> 00:51:45,393
But he's not.

967
00:51:49,773 --> 00:51:53,276
[Arsenault] The founder and former CEO
of World Wrestling Entertainment

968
00:51:53,360 --> 00:51:57,155
is facing new accusations
of sexual assault and trafficking tonight.

969
00:51:57,239 --> 00:52:00,951
{\an8}A disturbing new lawsuit
is alleging that Vince McMahon

970
00:52:01,034 --> 00:52:04,871
{\an8}sexually abused and trafficked
a former employee.

971
00:52:05,580 --> 00:52:08,834
A source tipped me off
about the lawsuit being filed,

972
00:52:08,917 --> 00:52:12,003
and that happens
because of the topic of the suit.

973
00:52:12,087 --> 00:52:15,715
I've written about sex-trafficking suits
or sexual misconduct.

974
00:52:16,341 --> 00:52:21,680
I did not get the sense from people at WWE
that they knew the lawsuit was coming.

975
00:52:21,763 --> 00:52:24,641
In fact, I heard from sources
that they were surprised.

976
00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:27,144
Hello. How are you?

977
00:52:27,227 --> 00:52:32,023
[reporter] <i>In the lawsuit, Janel Grant,
who worked there up until March 2022,</i>

978
00:52:32,107 --> 00:52:35,527
<i>says McMahon forced her
to have sex with him and other men</i>

979
00:52:35,610 --> 00:52:39,531
<i>at the WWE headquarters
in return for job security.</i>

980
00:52:40,365 --> 00:52:46,496
[Palazzolo] Janel Grant was the woman
who we first reported on back in 2022,

981
00:52:46,580 --> 00:52:53,420
and what Grant says in this lawsuit
is that it was not a consensual affair.

982
00:52:55,463 --> 00:53:00,051
[Safdar] The lawsuit paints a picture
of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct.

983
00:53:00,135 --> 00:53:01,887
She says she was sexually assaulted,

984
00:53:02,721 --> 00:53:06,349
that she was lured there
on the promise of career advancement,

985
00:53:06,933 --> 00:53:08,894
and then eventually exploited sexually,

986
00:53:08,977 --> 00:53:11,897
and then trafficked to other men
by Vince McMahon.

987
00:53:12,898 --> 00:53:14,441
[Shoemaker] When that lawsuit came out...

988
00:53:15,525 --> 00:53:20,488
Honestly, I didn't think anything in there
would shock me, and I was floored.

989
00:53:20,572 --> 00:53:22,490
I mean, just absolutely stunned.

990
00:53:23,158 --> 00:53:27,204
[reporter 1] <i>Grant's claims include
sexual acts involving defecation,</i>

991
00:53:28,371 --> 00:53:29,581
<i>restraint...</i>

992
00:53:29,664 --> 00:53:32,000
[reporter 2] <i>Grant alleges
that he assaulted her</i>

993
00:53:32,083 --> 00:53:36,296
<i>with sex toys named after male wrestlers.</i>

994
00:53:37,005 --> 00:53:40,133
One of the most striking things
about this particular lawsuit

995
00:53:40,217 --> 00:53:44,804
was the fact that Janel Grant
had reproduced text messages

996
00:53:44,888 --> 00:53:46,973
that she had received from Vince McMahon.

997
00:53:47,057 --> 00:53:49,351
{\an8}[reporter] <i>The suit included
screenshots of vulgar texts</i>

998
00:53:49,434 --> 00:53:54,522
{\an8}<i>that McMahon allegedly sent to Grant,
becoming more graphic, dark, and sadistic.</i>

999
00:53:54,606 --> 00:53:56,942
{\an8}<i>"I'm the only one who owns you,"
one message read,</i>

1000
00:53:57,025 --> 00:53:59,152
{\an8}<i>"and controls who I want to 'blank' you."</i>

1001
00:53:59,236 --> 00:54:02,364
Granted, we're only seeing
her side of these text messages,

1002
00:54:02,447 --> 00:54:06,117
the text message she wants to see,
and maybe we'll see more in the future,

1003
00:54:06,201 --> 00:54:10,080
but it just gave such a window
into this relationship

1004
00:54:10,163 --> 00:54:11,456
that you often don't see,

1005
00:54:11,539 --> 00:54:14,251
especially in relationships
with this power imbalance.

1006
00:54:14,334 --> 00:54:15,669
[tense music playing]

1007
00:54:15,752 --> 00:54:18,129
[Safdar] This is one
of the most brazen examples

1008
00:54:18,213 --> 00:54:21,091
in a company setting that I've seen

1009
00:54:21,174 --> 00:54:25,053
where an executive
isn't really taking a lot of steps

1010
00:54:25,136 --> 00:54:26,763
to hide the behavior.

1011
00:54:26,846 --> 00:54:28,848
{\an8}[news anchor]
<i>The lawsuit also accuses McMahon</i>

1012
00:54:28,932 --> 00:54:33,770
{\an8}<i>of sharing sexually explicit photos
of Grant with other WWE employees,</i>

1013
00:54:33,853 --> 00:54:35,814
{\an8}<i>including an unnamed wrestler</i>

1014
00:54:35,897 --> 00:54:39,442
{\an8}<i>who the company
was trying to re-sign in 2021,</i>

1015
00:54:39,526 --> 00:54:40,777
{\an8}<i>without her consent.</i>

1016
00:54:40,860 --> 00:54:44,155
We found out from sources
that the identity is Brock Lesnar,

1017
00:54:44,239 --> 00:54:46,866
which is one of WWE's biggest names.

1018
00:54:46,950 --> 00:54:50,662
She alleges that McMahon
shared the explicit photos with him

1019
00:54:50,745 --> 00:54:54,708
and informed her
that he likes what he sees.

1020
00:54:54,791 --> 00:54:57,711
After the star agreed to a new contract,

1021
00:54:57,794 --> 00:55:02,007
McMahon told her that sex acts with her
were part of the deal.

1022
00:55:02,674 --> 00:55:05,677
[reporter] <i>In a statement,
Vince McMahon's spokesperson says,</i>

1023
00:55:05,760 --> 00:55:07,887
<i>"This lawsuit is replete with lies,</i>

1024
00:55:07,971 --> 00:55:10,765
<i>obscene, made-up instances
that never occurred,</i>

1025
00:55:10,849 --> 00:55:13,310
<i>and a vindictive distortion of the truth."</i>

1026
00:55:13,393 --> 00:55:15,812
<i>"He will vigorously defend himself."</i>

1027
00:55:15,895 --> 00:55:18,189
WWE's parent company, TKO Group,

1028
00:55:18,273 --> 00:55:20,483
says it's taking
these allegations seriously

1029
00:55:20,567 --> 00:55:22,694
and addressing the matter internally.

1030
00:55:27,907 --> 00:55:31,536
{\an8}WWE founder Vince McMahon
has resigned as executive chairman

1031
00:55:31,619 --> 00:55:33,955
{\an8}of the wrestling company's
parent organization.

1032
00:55:34,039 --> 00:55:37,542
McMahon has denied the allegations,
but says he's now resigning,

1033
00:55:37,625 --> 00:55:40,545
"Out of respect for the WWE Universe."

1034
00:55:41,171 --> 00:55:44,674
The fact that he resigns
the day after the lawsuit is filed

1035
00:55:45,550 --> 00:55:48,345
suggests that things have changed.

1036
00:55:48,845 --> 00:55:52,557
He's in a new company,
he no longer has the same control,

1037
00:55:52,640 --> 00:55:57,145
and if someone asks him to leave,
he's gotta leave.

1038
00:55:58,688 --> 00:56:01,024
{\an8}[Shoemaker] At that point,
Vince was fully pushed out

1039
00:56:01,107 --> 00:56:04,569
{\an8}of any role in TKO or WWE.

1040
00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:07,614
{\an8}And after the Janel Grant accusations,

1041
00:56:07,697 --> 00:56:10,825
you start hearing rumors and accusations
from a variety of sources.

1042
00:56:10,909 --> 00:56:14,245
-[announcer 1] <i>There's Ashley!</i>
-[announcer 2] <i>Well, here she comes!</i>

1043
00:56:14,329 --> 00:56:18,917
In 2016, Ashley Massaro claimed
that she had been raped

1044
00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:23,546
{\an8}during a WWE tour of Kuwait
by a man posing as a military doctor.

1045
00:56:24,798 --> 00:56:26,674
She accused WWE

1046
00:56:26,758 --> 00:56:30,053
of not responding seriously
to her allegations when she told them.

1047
00:56:30,637 --> 00:56:32,389
{\an8}She says that Vince McMahon knew about it,

1048
00:56:32,472 --> 00:56:36,476
{\an8}and that WWE functionally covered it up
to protect the business.

1049
00:56:36,559 --> 00:56:37,394
[inaudible]

1050
00:56:37,477 --> 00:56:40,772
[Shoemaker] WWE put out a statement
completely denying these claims,

1051
00:56:40,855 --> 00:56:44,067
and they basically said
they were never informed this took place,

1052
00:56:44,150 --> 00:56:46,820
and if they had been,
they would've reported it.

1053
00:56:47,404 --> 00:56:49,864
{\an8}A decade later, in 2019,

1054
00:56:49,948 --> 00:56:52,909
{\an8}Massaro was found dead
in an apparent suicide.

1055
00:56:54,119 --> 00:56:56,287
{\an8}After the Janel Grant allegations,

1056
00:56:57,455 --> 00:56:59,249
{\an8}Ashley Massaro's attorney

1057
00:56:59,332 --> 00:57:03,336
{\an8}released a previously unreleased
statement from Massaro

1058
00:57:03,420 --> 00:57:06,172
{\an8}that claimed Vince McMahon
made sexual advances on her,

1059
00:57:06,256 --> 00:57:08,633
that Vince was well-known
for this sort of thing.

1060
00:57:09,467 --> 00:57:12,971
Massaro said she rejected him,
but from her point of view,

1061
00:57:13,054 --> 00:57:16,933
Vince responded by writing stories
whose sole purpose was to embarrass her.

1062
00:57:17,016 --> 00:57:18,560
You're gonna cry now?

1063
00:57:18,643 --> 00:57:21,521
Please, Vince, don't do this!
Not over this. Not...

1064
00:57:21,604 --> 00:57:24,691
[mumbling] You gonna cry? You gonna cry?!

1065
00:57:26,025 --> 00:57:27,819
You're suspended indefinitely!

1066
00:57:32,490 --> 00:57:33,950
[sobbing]

1067
00:57:35,743 --> 00:57:38,496
[Shoemaker] Since he was
kind of removed from his job,

1068
00:57:38,580 --> 00:57:43,334
Vince has sold all the stock
in the company and completely left.

1069
00:57:46,004 --> 00:57:48,673
One of the most powerful things for WWE

1070
00:57:48,756 --> 00:57:51,843
is that they have been able
to keep going without Vince,

1071
00:57:51,926 --> 00:57:53,887
and they've been thriving without Vince.

1072
00:57:53,970 --> 00:58:00,977
Let's kick off night two of WrestleMania!

1073
00:58:01,060 --> 00:58:02,937
[crowd cheering]

1074
00:58:03,021 --> 00:58:07,233
[Levesque] We set records
this week for social media,

1075
00:58:07,317 --> 00:58:10,695
for merchandise, for sponsorship.

1076
00:58:11,529 --> 00:58:14,616
Just destroyed records for gate.

1077
00:58:14,699 --> 00:58:19,704
This was legitimately
the biggest WrestleMania of all time.

1078
00:58:19,787 --> 00:58:22,248
-[crowd cheering]
-[bell ringing]

1079
00:58:25,043 --> 00:58:27,212
[announcer] <i>Here is your winner!</i>

1080
00:58:29,005 --> 00:58:30,298
<i>And the new...</i>

1081
00:58:32,509 --> 00:58:35,553
{\an8}[interviewer] Last question.
What do you think Vince's legacy will be?

1082
00:58:37,889 --> 00:58:41,809
{\an8}Um, Vince's legacy... My goodness. Um...

1083
00:58:41,893 --> 00:58:42,769
He is...

1084
00:58:44,062 --> 00:58:47,815
Uh... his legacy is just, um...

1085
00:58:52,195 --> 00:58:54,197
I don't know. He...

1086
00:58:56,157 --> 00:58:58,368
Oh man, ooh, that's a tough one, huh?

1087
00:59:01,204 --> 00:59:04,958
[exhales] Man, what do I think
Vince McMahon's legacy is gonna be?

1088
00:59:10,421 --> 00:59:13,091
Man... that's a good question.

1089
00:59:14,551 --> 00:59:17,804
{\an8}Ooh, I think I might be
the wrong guy to be asked that question.

1090
00:59:18,888 --> 00:59:21,641
{\an8}[interviewer] What do you think
Vince's legacy will be?

1091
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:25,019
{\an8}The greatest promoter of all time.

1092
00:59:26,354 --> 00:59:27,522
He earned that.

1093
00:59:28,648 --> 00:59:31,693
Even though there's things about him
that I don't like or respect,

1094
00:59:32,819 --> 00:59:34,529
you can't take that from him.

1095
00:59:35,655 --> 00:59:37,156
[crowd cheering]

1096
00:59:37,240 --> 00:59:41,744
[Meltzer] If you want a real view
of Vince McMahon and pro wrestling,

1097
00:59:41,828 --> 00:59:45,415
there's a lot of positive,
and there's a lot of negative.

1098
00:59:45,498 --> 00:59:48,668
I mean, he's the most important figure
in the history of wrestling.

1099
00:59:49,252 --> 00:59:52,964
In his prime,
he was an absolute creative genius,

1100
00:59:53,715 --> 00:59:56,676
but he's far from a saint.

1101
00:59:56,759 --> 00:59:58,094
This is a man

1102
00:59:58,177 --> 01:00:01,556
that wants more and more and more.

1103
01:00:01,639 --> 01:00:07,854
I've got an insatiable appetite for life,
and I want more, more, more!

1104
01:00:07,937 --> 01:00:09,606
[Heyman] It doesn't stop.

1105
01:00:09,689 --> 01:00:11,524
And that's how you build something

1106
01:00:11,608 --> 01:00:15,403
from a million,
to a billion, to ten billion.

1107
01:00:15,486 --> 01:00:16,738
[announcer] <i>Here we go.</i>

1108
01:00:16,821 --> 01:00:18,990
[Shoemaker] Pro wrestling,
for all these years,

1109
01:00:19,073 --> 01:00:22,076
painted life in this very simple way.

1110
01:00:22,785 --> 01:00:24,912
There's good guys, and there's bad guys.

1111
01:00:25,747 --> 01:00:30,001
I think the real lesson of Vince McMahon
is that life is never that simple.

1112
01:00:30,585 --> 01:00:33,671
You have to be able to hold two things
in your head at the same time.

1113
01:00:33,755 --> 01:00:36,591
Like, it's possible Vince McMahon
created this thing that we all love,

1114
01:00:37,216 --> 01:00:38,718
and at the same time,

1115
01:00:38,801 --> 01:00:44,265
he is an incredibly problematic,
potentially, like, deplorable human being.

1116
01:00:46,225 --> 01:00:49,729
I'm sure he would like to go down
as the legend who created WWE,

1117
01:00:49,812 --> 01:00:51,648
but anything good that he did

1118
01:00:51,731 --> 01:00:54,901
is now inextricable
from all the bad stuff that he did.

1119
01:00:56,194 --> 01:00:59,072
{\an8}What's my legacy?
You know, I don't have one.

1120
01:01:00,782 --> 01:01:04,869
Everyone has a certain feeling about
who they think Vince McMahon is.

1121
01:01:06,204 --> 01:01:08,623
But people really don't know me at all.

1122
01:01:09,332 --> 01:01:13,044
A lot of people have confused
who my character was on television

1123
01:01:13,127 --> 01:01:14,087
and who I am.

1124
01:01:14,170 --> 01:01:16,214
[evocative music playing]

1125
01:01:16,297 --> 01:01:18,925
When I look in the mirror,
I know who I'm looking at.

1126
01:01:19,008 --> 01:01:20,593
I know, I know the reflection.

1127
01:01:21,260 --> 01:01:22,720
Describe Vince McMahon.

1128
01:01:23,346 --> 01:01:26,391
Uh... that would be really very tough to do.

1129
01:01:27,016 --> 01:01:30,144
Let's see. Egomaniac. Physical culturist.

1130
01:01:30,228 --> 01:01:32,855
Someone who needs
to be challenged every day.

1131
01:01:32,939 --> 01:01:36,192
Sexually active.
Psychologically challenged.

1132
01:01:36,275 --> 01:01:39,570
Sort of a paradox of paradoxes.

1133
01:01:39,654 --> 01:01:42,407
The only person in the world
I need to thank is me,

1134
01:01:42,490 --> 01:01:45,201
because I did it all!
I did it all by myself...

1135
01:01:45,284 --> 01:01:48,413
Sometimes the lines of reality
or fact and fiction

1136
01:01:48,496 --> 01:01:50,623
are very blurred in our business.

1137
01:01:51,541 --> 01:01:56,087
Sometimes what happens is performers
start believing in themselves.

1138
01:01:56,170 --> 01:01:58,965
They start believing
in their own character.

1139
01:01:59,048 --> 01:02:04,053
The individual... loses all sense
of who they really are personally.

1140
01:02:04,137 --> 01:02:05,888
They become the character.

1141
01:02:05,972 --> 01:02:10,184
My name is not Vince.
My name is Mr. McMahon.

1142
01:02:11,310 --> 01:02:15,189
I'm wondering myself now.
Which is the character, and which is me?

1143
01:02:16,107 --> 01:02:17,817
I guess maybe it's a blend.

1144
01:02:19,277 --> 01:02:23,281
And I would suggest that
one is exaggerated a little bit,

1145
01:02:24,365 --> 01:02:26,409
uh, but I'm not so sure which one.

1146
01:02:27,076 --> 01:02:30,204
[evocative music builds]

1147
01:02:31,873 --> 01:02:33,875
[music fades]

1148
01:02:51,392 --> 01:02:53,978
[closing theme music playing]