Vince McMahon on WWE’s partnership with Fox, wrestlers taking time off, his long term success

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Vince McMahon spoke with Variety regarding an assortment of topics. The following are the highlights of the interview, which can be read in full at Variety.com.

Vince on WWE talent appearing on Fox: “WWE talent will be appearing on [Fox] programming. It’s going to be a totally integrated approach. We’ve never had a platform like this in terms of promotion. Fox is going to go all-in, and they’re great promoters… NBCU is going to step up as well to the equivalent of what Fox is going to do.”

-Vince on WWE talent taking time off: “Anybody who wants time off can get time off. That’s easy. In addition to that, it’s easy to weave a talent in and out of a storyline. If they get injured, you’re not expecting that. Or if they have a family matter. Our characters are real people with real problems. It’s a revolving situation where this talent will work these dates, that talent will work those dates.”

-Vince on whether he’s open to selling all or a partial stake in WWE: “We’re open for business.”

-Vince on his long term success: “I liken it to the military. At the end of the day I’ve got these ribbons and all these medals, and I wake up the next morning, and every one of them is gone. You have to earn everybody’s respect every day, all over again, and I don’t take it for granted.”

Powell’s POV: The story also includes quotes from George Barrios, Michelle Wilson, Charlotte Flair, Jim Ross, USA Network’s Chris McCumber, and Fox executive Eric Shanks. It’s a glass is half full piece, as the story touts WWE’s television ratings without addressing the slide. The author notes that Facebook was in the hunt for the Smackdown broadcast rights, which drove up the price before Fox won the bidding war.

Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and guest Justin Credible discussing his sobriety, what triggered his PTSD, filming the Credible documentary, returning to the ring, his thoughts on WWE, AEW, the NWA Crockett Cup, and more.