More on Shane leaving/McMahon family turmoil

[CrazySting]

In this month's powerslam, there was a huge article on Shane leaving, with quotes from loads of former writers and employees. Here are some highlights.

In the words of one WWE insider who once had daily contacts with the McMahons: "Vince would treat Shane horribly. During agent meetings he would yell at Shane, saying things like "Weren't you paying attention for the last half hour to what I was saying? I mean, Goddamn it, Shane!"

According to one former WWE insider: "The most disturbing thing that I was personally asked to do by Stephanie was to spy on Shane and his projects. I couldn't believe she was asking me to do that to her own brother. She literally told me, 'I need you to keep an eye on this project and make sure he doesn't screw it up.'

"If Stephanie or Vince went off on a writer or agent, Shane would often step in and take the side of the person who had somehow incurred his dad or sister's wrath. Then Vince's anger would be directed towards Shane, and the writer or agent out of favour would be instantly forgotten. Shane did this on more than one occasion. I don't know if he did this to provoke or rebel against his father or to save the poor writer or agent who was being unprofessionally talked down to. I saw Stephanie smile with glee while her father was berating her brother on many an occasion."

"In his own words, Vince says that Linda is a saint for being married to him all these years," claimed one WWE insider who asked to remain anonymous. A former WWE writer, who was often in the presence of Vince and Linda, told me, "The Senate Campaign is talked about as, you know, 'The least he can do' for her sticking around. Everyone knows it is doomed to fail, but that's what Linda wants. She feels entitled to anything (after all she's been through.)"
The absurdity of Linda's campaign has obscured its own claim to relevance: Vince's most loyal ally had has enough and left. Exactly one month later, Shane decided to bail out as well.
"Linda and Shane were the only two McMahon family members who didn't live by working," said one former WWE writer. "They were always themselves: normal people. That's probably why they left."

"Shane was always a consummate professional when it came to interpersonal relationships," said one WWE writer. "He would never raise his voice against staff. If someone legitimately made an error, he would tell them they had made an error, but not yell at them.
"Stephanie, on the other hand, yelled at the writers in a way that would cause a normal company's H.R department to call her in and straighten her out. Just ask (writer) Dave Kapoor who was yelled at and threatened with being fired because he smiled during a promo. And she yelled at him in front of not only writers, but production staff and wrestlers."

Finally, in early October, Vince and Shane had another arguement. Reports differ on whether this was more heated than previous arguements, or if it was simply the final straw for Shane. Whatever the case, on October 16, the message was posted on WWE.com that he was resigning, effective January 1, 2010.

According to one former WWE employee: "Shane knows about the world outside of wrestling and MMA, and much of this can be attributed to his wife, Marissa. She is the only one in that family from outside the wrestling world, and she has brought Shane back into the real world. Shane is normal in a way that none of the McMahons are. He is the only McMahon to have contacts outside of wrestling and D-List Hollywood celebrities and that gives him an edge."

[mauled]

Seems to confirm whats been suspected. Shane sick and tired of his dads bullying and his sisters politicking decided to walk.

Even now the idea of Triple H and Steph owning wrestling in the not to distant future just seems wrong on so many levels.

[machomadness]

It's not a coincidence that Shane and Linda come across as the most likeable McMahons and I believe the fourth paragraph completely.

[Mighty Mouth]

It sounds like an awful working environment over at the E. I'm curious to know how Hunter acts during these meetings. If he is more like his wife or more like his brother-in-law.

[Andrew is Good]

I read a bit of the Triple H things, and I want to make a few comments on that. But first, I do want to say that, Brian Soloman, who worked directly under Shane McMahon for WWE magazine, talked about him on his Who's Slamming Who podcast. He said that Shane was a really good guy, and while he was surprised he left, he's not surprised by the reason, and confirmed the criticism he would get from his father.

[rrm15]

Yeah I wouldn't want to take all that shit either. Good for Shane. He can make a living elsewhere.

I wonder how long before someone comes in and defends WWE again though.

[Krimzon]

To me, Vince has never seemed like a likable person. He's one of those characters that gives you the impression that he's not really that different in real life. Over the years, a ton of people have said that Vince & Stephanie are pretty much impossible to work with. We've heard numerous different accounts of what happens during creative meetings. I'm not surprised about how they treat employees. I'm stunned about how they appear to have treated Shane. Angrily lashing out at people for making a mistake isn't the way to do things. Lashing out at a family member no less is even worse.

[BitterAF]

Good for him. He doesn't deserve that. I'm sure he'll do well starting in the new year.

[machomadness]

To me, Vince has never seemed like a likable person. He's one of those characters that gives you the impression that he's not really that different in real life. Over the years, a ton of people have said that Vince & Stephanie are pretty much impossible to work with. We've heard numerous different accounts of what happens during creative meetings. I'm not surprised about how they treat employees. I'm stunned about how they appear to have treated Shane. Angrily lashing out at people for making a mistake isn't the way to do things. Lashing out at a family member no less is even worse.

You should hear the rumors about how Vince and particularly Stephanie talk about JR at meetings. It's pretty much like high school bullying.

[Error]

So Vince is the devil, Steph is his demon seed and, Trips his henchman of doom.

Never mind the people who left WWE call Steph a saint, she is evil. Never mind Steiner and Angle where drugged up and broken down most of their run in WWE, Trips is insecure. Good to know.'


Sfuff about Vince is hard to believe though, I'll give them that.

[Deleted]

Nov 20, 2009 17:21:05 GMT -5 @rrm15 said:

Yeah I wouldn't want to take all that s*** either. Good for Shane. He can make a living elsewhere.

I wonder how long before someone comes in and defends WWE again though.

How dare they

[Psychoblue]

Even Triple H’s burial of Jeff Hardy in December 2007 has been redemmed by his giving performance in the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out 2008 and at No Mercy earlier this month. In these bouts, Triple H manifested some of the professional generosity and maturity that made his idol, Ric Flair, the ultimate “oversell and selflessly put over the other guy.” NWA World Champion in the 1980s. Furthermore, as a multi-millionaire and 39-year old father of two, one would have imagined that Levesque would have outgrown that juvenile impulse to flaunt his clout, just because he can. As a future inheritor of the WWE empire, eventually earmarked for his children, Levesque should be less concerned with beating wrestlers than using his own backstage and in-ring muscle to build new acts to safegyard the long-term profitability of what is his own family business. With this in mind, Triple H’s demolition of many of his most lucrative potential opponents over the years (Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, etc.) cannot even be called selfish, since it conflicts with his own personal, financial and familial best interests. Such self-destructive, illogical behaviour on Levesque’s part must ultimately be the result of some inherent character flaw: after all, there is no rational explanation for HHH’s record of power trips. One popular explanation is that, despite his amazing success in the business, Triple H harbours insecurity – that is, doubts he fully deserved the push he has received throughout this decade. It is a trait common among beneficiaries of nepotism.

A number of wrestlers, Kurt Angle and Scott Steiner among them, have claimed that HHH underminede their careers because he was secretly jealous they were tougher, stronger and more credible wrestlers than he could ever hope to be. If the true source of Levesque’s behaviour is dissatisfaction with himself that he redirects outwords, then he should be pitied: any wrestler who remains personally discontent after the prosperity Triple H has enjoyed will always be miserable, self-loathing man. “I don’t think HHH’s problem is so much insecurity as much as that when you get that much power, you use it to protect yourself,” continued Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer. “I think it’s what he was taught be (Kevin) Nash and Michaels.” As longtime fans know, they were both infamous in the 1990s for their backstage machinations when they were on top in the WWF and later, in Nash’s case, WCW. There is one more explanation for Triple H’s abuse of power, and it may be the most likely answer: Levesque is simply a disrespectful, power-hungry jerk, who does what he wants, when he wants and doesn’t care what other people think. Perhaps that’s why father in law Vince – a man whose on-screen character is essentially inseparable from his real-life personality – likes him so much. If that’s true and Levesque is playing the scheming ‘Cerebral Assassin.’ On-screen and off, then Triple H’s current and future co-workers will have to watch their backs, as Paul and Stephanie take over the family business. WWE’s future may or may not be bright --- but it will certainly be bloody with Triple H at the helm

They lost me right here. Triple H was pretty much the final stepping stone that turned Jeff Hardy from an over midcarder to an even more over main eventer. And honestly, Steiner has NO room to talk after how terrible his WWE run was, when he made Great Khali look like Bret Hart.

[CrazySting]

Nov 20, 2009 17:33:18 GMT -5 Error said:

So Vince is the devil, Steph is his demon seed and, Trips his henchman of doom.

Never mind the people who left WWE call Steph a saint, she is evil. Never mind Steiner and Angle where drugged up and broken down most of their run in WWE, Trips is insecure. Good to know.'


Sfuff about Vince is hard to believe though, I'll give them that.

Heyman has defended Stephaie in the past. So, have several ex-divas. It's clearly not Stephanie= evil.

However, that doesn't explain many of the ex wwe writers (like Dan Madigan and Dr Ranjan Chhibber) who have went on record about her being difficult. Or the numerous ex-employess who have said the same.

RE: HHH. Foley, Brock, RVD, Jericho, Matt Hardy, Angle, Steiner and Kennedy have all talked about him abusing his power. Are some of them angry? Sure. But they can't all be lying to make him look bad, can they?


It's not black and white. But when you have all these people lining up to criticise...yeah, there are problems there.

[Andrew is Good]

Ok, this is sort of a reply to the Triple H post here, which I found interesting. One thing that's odd is, while Triple H has done a lot of beating people, there are times where he has put people over, like Shelton Benjiman that one time, but that may've been because Triple H liked him. However, some of the things that were said were a bit rough, like the incidents list:

2000: Triple H pins Kurt Angle at Unforgiven to abruptly end the extremely over HHH/Stephanie/Angle love triangle storyline.

This was done to free up Kurt Angle to give him the WWE Championship, who said he would have much rathered to continue the angle with Triple H then have the belt.

2001: Steve Austin, the wrestler who did more to make Vince McMahon a billionaire than any other, is demoted to the position of HHH’s heel associate in April and May. ‘Stone Cold’ and ‘The Game’ had never been close: this only drives the wedge deeper. Meanwhile, ‘The Game’ squashes rising star Jeff Hardy to remind everyone of his overwhelming superiority.

Austin was far from being demoted. At the time, he was WWF Champion, and Triple H was the Intercontinental Champion. Jeff Hardy defeated Triple H in a shocking upset, and Triple H got the belt back quickly, yes, but it was also important to establish heat for Triple H and Steve Austin. I felt the Two Man Power trip angle went a bit too long, but I understand that they were trying to get heat.

Those were a few things I wanted to bring up.

[Krimzon]

Nov 20, 2009 17:38:30 GMT -5 CrazySting said:

Nov 20, 2009 17:33:18 GMT -5 Error said:

So Vince is the devil, Steph is his demon seed and, Trips his henchman of doom.

Never mind the people who left WWE call Steph a saint, she is evil. Never mind Steiner and Angle where drugged up and broken down most of their run in WWE, Trips is insecure. Good to know.'


Sfuff about Vince is hard to believe though, I'll give them that.

Heyman has defended Stephaie in the past. So, have several ex-divas. It's clearly not Stephanie= evil.

However, that doesn't explain many of the ex wwe writers (like Dan Madigan and Dr Ranjan Chhibber) who have went on record about her being difficult. Or the numerous ex-employess who have said the same.

It appears to be Stephanie can get along with the talent, but when dealing with the agents/writers/assistants, people she works more closely with on a day to day basis, she turns into Rosemary's BMillion Dollar Princess.

[CrazySting]

Nov 20, 2009 17:38:21 GMT -5 Psychoblue said:

Even Triple H’s burial of Jeff Hardy in December 2007 has been redemmed by his giving performance in the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out 2008 and at No Mercy earlier this month. In these bouts, Triple H manifested some of the professional generosity and maturity that made his idol, Ric Flair, the ultimate “oversell and selflessly put over the other guy.” NWA World Champion in the 1980s. Furthermore, as a multi-millionaire and 39-year old father of two, one would have imagined that Levesque would have outgrown that juvenile impulse to flaunt his clout, just because he can. As a future inheritor of the WWE empire, eventually earmarked for his children, Levesque should be less concerned with beating wrestlers than using his own backstage and in-ring muscle to build new acts to safegyard the long-term profitability of what is his own family business. With this in mind, Triple H’s demolition of many of his most lucrative potential opponents over the years (Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, etc.) cannot even be called selfish, since it conflicts with his own personal, financial and familial best interests. Such self-destructive, illogical behaviour on Levesque’s part must ultimately be the result of some inherent character flaw: after all, there is no rational explanation for HHH’s record of power trips. One popular explanation is that, despite his amazing success in the business, Triple H harbours insecurity – that is, doubts he fully deserved the push he has received throughout this decade. It is a trait common among beneficiaries of nepotism.

A number of wrestlers, Kurt Angle and Scott Steiner among them, have claimed that HHH underminede their careers because he was secretly jealous they were tougher, stronger and more credible wrestlers than he could ever hope to be. If the true source of Levesque’s behaviour is dissatisfaction with himself that he redirects outwords, then he should be pitied: any wrestler who remains personally discontent after the prosperity Triple H has enjoyed will always be miserable, self-loathing man. “I don’t think HHH’s problem is so much insecurity as much as that when you get that much power, you use it to protect yourself,” continued Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer. “I think it’s what he was taught be (Kevin) Nash and Michaels.” As longtime fans know, they were both infamous in the 1990s for their backstage machinations when they were on top in the WWF and later, in Nash’s case, WCW. There is one more explanation for Triple H’s abuse of power, and it may be the most likely answer: Levesque is simply a disrespectful, power-hungry jerk, who does what he wants, when he wants and doesn’t care what other people think. Perhaps that’s why father in law Vince – a man whose on-screen character is essentially inseparable from his real-life personality – likes him so much. If that’s true and Levesque is playing the scheming ‘Cerebral Assassin.’ On-screen and off, then Triple H’s current and future co-workers will have to watch their backs, as Paul and Stephanie take over the family business. WWE’s future may or may not be bright --- but it will certainly be bloody with Triple H at the helm

They lost me right here. Triple H was pretty much the final stepping stone that turned Jeff Hardy from an over midcarder to an even more over main eventer. And honestly, Steiner has NO room to talk after how terrible his WWE run was, when he made Great Khali look like Bret Hart.

The main problem with HHH's treatment with Jeff was that after Hardy beat him (which was his first major victory) HHH laughed and treated it like a joke, undermining Hardy. He didn't mention it on raw the following night either.

Granted, Steiner usually talks crap, but there have been other (more credible) wrestlers who have complained too.

[Red Impact]

Nov 20, 2009 17:38:30 GMT -5 CrazySting said:

Nov 20, 2009 17:33:18 GMT -5 Error said:

So Vince is the devil, Steph is his demon seed and, Trips his henchman of doom.

Never mind the people who left WWE call Steph a saint, she is evil. Never mind Steiner and Angle where drugged up and broken down most of their run in WWE, Trips is insecure. Good to know.'


Sfuff about Vince is hard to believe though, I'll give them that.

Heyman has defended Stephaie in the past. So, have several ex-divas. It's clearly not Stephanie= evil.

However, that doesn't explain many of the ex wwe writers (like Dan Madigan and Dr Ranjan Chhibber) who have went on record about her being difficult. Or the numerous ex-employess who have said the same.

RE: HHH. Foley, Brock, RVD, Jericho, Matt Hardy, Angle, Steiner and Kennedy have all talked about him abusing his power. Are some of them angry? Sure. But they can't all be lying to make him look bad, can they?


It's not black and white. But when you have all these people lining up to criticise...yeah, there are problems there.

Yeah, I think it's somewhere inbetween.

I think it's more likely that, on the job, they're terrible bosses to a lot of the people, especially non-wrestlers and people they think are easily replaceable. Off the job, they may be pretty nice people.

I think, on both sides, you have people who may suck up because it's the biggest company in the business, and people who have sour grapes because of their experience. All in all, the truth is most likely to lie in the middle.

[Andrew is Good]

Nov 20, 2009 17:33:18 GMT -5 Error said:

So Vince is the devil, Steph is his demon seed and, Trips his henchman of doom.

Never mind the people who left WWE call Steph a saint, she is evil. Never mind Steiner and Angle where drugged up and broken down most of their run in WWE, Trips is insecure. Good to know.'


Sfuff about Vince is hard to believe though, I'll give them that.

Kurt Angle in his shoot interview said nothing bad about Triple H, and I think that's a pretty low blow on Angle and Steiner.

Anyway, many wrestlers have said Stephanie is nice, but she also isn't their boss. Johnny Ace is their boss, and Vince over them. Stephanie needs to be nice to the talent, because that's going to get the best performance. However, it's believable that she maybe nasty to the writers, possibly due to passion as well and maybe not having as much respect for them.

I think the anger comes from their passion, but they have bad social skills. I listened to this audio book on social intelligence, and it seems that, while Vince and Stephanie have pretty good buisness sense, they may lack the social intelligence to deal with people and be able to focus their passion in a positive manner. Shane McMahon comes across as extremely socially intelligent and able to deal with people really well.

[Deleted]

Nov 20, 2009 17:38:30 GMT -5 CrazySting said:

Nov 20, 2009 17:33:18 GMT -5 Error said:

So Vince is the devil, Steph is his demon seed and, Trips his henchman of doom.

Never mind the people who left WWE call Steph a saint, she is evil. Never mind Steiner and Angle where drugged up and broken down most of their run in WWE, Trips is insecure. Good to know.'


Sfuff about Vince is hard to believe though, I'll give them that.

Heyman has defended Stephaie in the past. So, have several ex-divas. It's clearly not Stephanie= evil.

However, that doesn't explain many of the ex wwe writers (like Dan Madigan and Dr Ranjan Chhibber) who have went on record about her being difficult. Or the numerous ex-employess who have said the same.

RE: HHH. Foley, Brock, RVD, Jericho, Matt Hardy, Angle, Steiner and Kennedy have all talked about him abusing his power. Are some of them angry? Sure. But they can't all be lying to make him look bad, can they?


It's not black and white. But when you have all these people lining up to criticise...yeah, there are problems there.

I know you didn't mean it as such but for a minute there I read that as HHH complaining about himself

[simplydurhamcalling]

I think AiG's points on the things said in the articles have been spot on, I can certainly see a lot of the original post being true.

However, the Triple H article does seem to be clutching at straws throughout. Though I am someone who believes Triple H will have used his 'power' at some points to keep his top tier position in the company.

None of it is 100% right or wrong though and there is plenty of debatable topics.