Vince McMahon, the chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, is upset about the use of his franchise’s content against his wife, former CEO Linda McMahon, in her campaign for the Republican nomination for Senate in Connecticut.
In an interview with the Associated Press last week, Vince McMahon said that critics have not mentioned the “soap opera elements” in the storylines that have led up to any objectionable moments. “Most of the people have not even seen our show. They don’t even know what this business is about,” said Vince McMahon. “They haven’t been to a live event. They really haven’t watched on television at all. All they’ve seen is like one little snippet and try to make up their minds as to whether or not it’s acceptable programming.”
[TPM SLIDESHOW: Bringing The Smackdown: Linda McMahon’s Campaign For Senate, And Her Colorful Pro-Wrestling Past]
Vince and Linda McMahon have both appeared on the show, playing fictionalized versions of themselves as the evil multi-millionaire bosses of the company, and even participated in the dramatized violence. For example, Vince was depicted forcing a female wrestler onto her knees and making her bark like a dog, while Linda has kicked a man in the groin — the latter episode has even made its way into an ad by one of McMahon’s GOP rivals, financial commentator Peter Schiff.
Vince McMahon also addressed one controversial scene from 2002, involving a depiction of simulated necrophilia. “If you knew the story line behind it, what have you, you might even consider that black humor, you know, dark humor, which is what it was designed to be,” Vince McMahon said. “The question is, is taste — whether or not things like that are in good taste.”
He added: “Guess what? We never did it again.”
The Republican primary will be held tomorrow. The TPM Poll Average for the primary gives Linda McMahon 49.5%, former Rep. Rob Simmons 28.5%, and Schiff 14.5%. For the general election, Democratic state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal leads McMahon by 51.4%-39.6%.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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