On to the big white elephant in the room, as in the big Vince McMahon Netflix documentary, as I said last week, I couldn’t wait to watch. Watching all six episodes, honestly, I was a little disappointed and didn’t feel like there was too much new for me.
I’ll say this, as I watched, I couldn’t believe that I got to work for Vince, what a crazy genius he is, and how he really elevated wrestling to a whole stratosphere. He created a universe fans have enjoyed for decades and still do. He made wrestling larger than life. He did it all, and he tried it all. And he failed so many times, too. Where the business is at today is all because of him and his ideas. And that’s what I really liked it.
The portion where I think many of us were trying to figure out was Vince’s relationship with Shane. It seemed like a generational cycle, watching Vince’s relationship with his own father. I could see a young man in Shane who just wanted to make his Dad proud, as Vince seemed to be with his own father. To see Shane’s passion for that, as well as his passion for wrestling, moved me.
Seeing Shane’s incredible heart and passion for wrestling makes me think he has a lot of unfinished business. It also makes me think is Shane coming to AEW? I’m here for it, and I’m sure our roster is too. Regardless, it just seems like Shane belongs in the wrestling business. I admit if he doesn’t come back to wrestling, it will make me sad for him. I know what it’s like to be removed from what you love and how sad it made me. I imagine he feels the same way.
Many have asked me if there is a difference between Mr. McMahon and Vince. I can’t really say I’ve got to be around him enough to answer that. My guess is that when you’re so involved in a business, have so much passion and are so in love with what you do, 24/7, and have no life outside that, I’m sure it’s hard for Vince himself to know the difference.
There have been many moments in those post-match exchanges when Vince would criticize me and many more when he would say he loved my performance. As far as the criticisms, was he always right? Back then, ‘the Boss’ didn’t think so, but as ‘the CEO,’ a leader not just a boss, I’m sure some were accurate. He is the genius and reason we all have the level of fame, money, and success we all do.
This should probably be a Moné Memory, but while we’re on the subject of TV tapings, behind the scenes, and Vince McMahon, I remember one time I had a storyline and match with Nia Jax. During the match, Vince accidentally called over the headset for the referee to ring the bell. And it was way too early. We were confused, but we played along.
When I got backstage, I remember going to Triple H and being like, what the hell just happened? Triple H explained it was an accident and, playfully, told me to go and confront Vince. So I did. Vince admitted he was wrong and then shared a laugh about it.
