WWE McMahon [DVD Review]
Eric Schomburg
August 25, 2006
For those wrestling fans ruminating whether or not the “McMahon” DVD will tell the whole story of Vince McMahon, well, save your money, because like a lot of WWE DVD’s it only tells you what wrestling fans already know about the Chairman of the WWE. By the time of 2 hours straight the belaboring aspect of Vince McMahon will leave you frustrated and bored of Vince McMahon. Believe me, I’ve only watched the entire DVD once, and I’m working on my second try, the problem is it’s so boring that it would be the perfect gift idea if you ever suffer from insomnia.
Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Jr., is one of those “characters” that coerces wrestling fans to wonder whether or not he is or only playing the maniacal, power hungry, evil boss of the World Wrestling Entertainment. The brand new DVD simply titled, “McMahon,” is supposed to answer the questions of the ambitious entrepreneur that is Vince McMahon.
The story of Vince McMahon’s early life is concise and immediately leaves out details about his childhood. Vince was born and raised in North Carolina in a trailer park with his mother, Victoria Lupton. Vince’s stepfather was abusive and at this point his mother informed him that his father ran the World Wide Wrestling Federation. This wasn’t told in the DVD, but indications of the history are spread throughout the DVD.
The DVD continues with Vince’s wrestling career as an announcer for his father. During the years with the WWWF, Vince McMahon would be a fledgling announcer to his father, that is until Vince took over the WWWF and turned it into the World Wrestling Federation. The DVD continues with the first belittling aspect with Greg Gagne, son of former AWA owner and wrestling champion Verne Gagne, by stating that because of Vince McMahon “stealing” Hulk Hogan from the AWA it ran Greg Gagne out of business. I personally think that’s a load of crap, because it doesn’t take one man, even if it is Hulk Hogan or Vince McMahon, to put wrestling companies out of business, because obviously Vince did make professional wrestling more marketable with Hulk Hogan, and yes, that IS what drove a lot of the territories out of business, but if Greg Gagne would evolve with the AWA instead of being stuck in the same state of mind in wrestling then maybe AWA would still be a hot commodity as it once was.
McMahon’s story skips ahead from 1984 to 1997, specifically November 1997, the Montreal Screwjob. Vince McMahon stated that he never wanted to do the “screwjob” toward Bret Hart and even the Big Show [Paul Wight] stated that “Bret Hart was going to another company, and he was the WWE champion. If he didn’t want to do the honors, then Vince had to do what was best for his business. Bret got screwed, big deal, s*** happens, get over it.” In some respects, I agree, because it would only seem fitting that if Bret was to go to WCW then he should drop the belt at a WWE event rather than “throw it in the trash can.”
It was the Montreal Screwjob that would be the catalyst for the “Mr. McMahon” character; however, Vince himself suggests that the incident in which Bret shoved Vince on his butt from a Monday Night Raw in which Bret got “screwed” out of a cage match and started to curse on national television was the reason for the influx of that character. Hey, it was great tv. Jerry Lawler, I believe, used the perfect symbolism about McMahon’s evolution from Vince McMahon to Mr. McMahon with Vince removing the spit of Bret Hart from his brow as if he was peeling away the mask of Vince and revealing the Mr. McMahon character.
The DVD goes into McMahon’s obsessive compulsive for competition and for being a “control freak.” You don’t say? I would have never thought of Vince McMahon as power hungry, maybe that’s why wrestling isn’t as marketable as it once was when Ted Turner was kicking his ass in the ratings, no wait, wrestling isn’t marketable because of the lousy storylines these fat 40-year-old virgins known as the WWE writing staff spew out on the public.
The DVD does have some interesting, yet succinct moments such as what he thought of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H [Paul Levesque] dating. Of course, it was already something we the fans already knew, obviously he was okay with it. DUH!
To my surprise a lot of the wrestlers bashed Vince for such things as story ideas, and of course the XFL. Of course, Vince, as well as Stephanie McMahon, defended the XFL as if it was some sort of victory. Vince actually believes that the hover cam that he “innovated” was a victory just because the NFL is now using it? Stop gainsaying your foibles, Vince, your XFL failed, period.
How can a Vince McMahon DVD be complete without stroking his ego? Obviously, the WWE is a public company that really didn’t need to go public, but it did. Obviously, Vince and the WWE have contributed a lot of money and time to the United States of America’s troops, and to the Make a Wish Foundation, as well as helping out with registering voters, and aiding those during the hurricane Katrina disaster, which I won’t besmirch Vince or the WWE for, because they are for a good cause and it makes you proud to be a wrestling fan to see that the WWE is trying to polish their image. However, it still doesn’t erase the fact that Vince McMahon tarnished his own image by presenting incest storylines with his daughter, producing and defending the necrophilia storyline in which employers such as Linda McMahon, the Rock, and others have deemed “un-entertaining.”
There were some funny parts such as the Bob Costas segment in which Vince acts all big and tough, despite we all know he’s nothing more than a “pussy cat,” and of course SOME of the wrestlers imitating the Vince McMahon walk. I’m sorry, Lilian and Maria, but you can’t do the walk even when it’s supposed to be funny, please don’t quit your day job; however, Booker T gets my vote as the best, he looks like he’s having fun, and with it I was having fun watching him.
Then there is the segment of the DVD in which shows Vince McMahon the family man. This was supposed to be a tender moment of the DVD, but I was too busy gagging at how Vince is portrayed as a genuine family man. I don’t doubt that he is indeed a good family man, but what irritates me is, Vince gets to see his kids grow up, while his co-workers, the wrestlers that have busted their asses year after year, barley see their kids at all let alone watch them grow up. I applaud Vince for being a great dad and all, but he can kiss my ass if he believes he should be father of the year, and it’s not because of his lackluster storylines that involved his family either.
Another segment that really got on my nerves is when Vince claims that as a performer in the ring, he does highspots and works hard in the ring, and expects others to follow suit. So, anyone who complains that A.J. Styles is nothing more than a spot-monkey, go ahead and claim Vince McMahon to be one too. The reason it irritates me that Vince claims that he works hard and expects others to, is because of this, HOW MANY DAMN TIMES DOES VINCE McMAHON WRESTLE ON A WEEKLY BASIS?! It’s hard to fathom that Vince is a hard-working wrestler when he wrestles maybe once or twice a year, and to be honest, the second disk that comes with this collection, I’m using as a beverage coaster, because to be honest NONE of his matches are great, but of course they are not supposed to be, right? Works hard, my ass! As far as production, booking, writing, etc., I’ll admit, Vince can work, but as a wrestler, it’s facetious to think he’s a hard-working wrestler.
Honestly, the story isn’t that bad, though I think some wrestlers hold back on grinding on Vince’s gears. Of course, Stephanie, Shane, Linda, and Triple H seem to be the only ones that go into Vince full-force. Wonder why?
I was highly disappointed with how Vince declined ever mentioning anything about the steroid scandal. Yes, the scandal that nearly PUT HIS SORRY ASS IN JAIL! Also, why didn’t Vince mention the dispute with Hulk Hogan and actually blaming Hulk Hogan for the steroid scandal despite it was Hulk Hogan himself that kept the U.S. Government off of McMahon and the WWE?
A lot of key events are either succinct or never mentioned at all. At first, the story wasn’t half bad, but then it drags and gets redundant. If you were a fan of the WWE from 1997 to today, DON’T BOTHER BUYING IT, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE STORY, SAVE YOUR MONEY! However, if you’re a fledgling wrestling fan that doesn’t know the whole story of McMahon, go ahead and buy it or rent it if you can, but I warn you, by the time you watch the entire story once, you’ll be so bored of Vince McMahon you’ll be claiming the WWE stands for World Wrestling Ennui.
I give Vince McMahon all the accolades in the world for building what is easily the greatest wrestling promotion of all time, but it’s crap like this DVD that makes me wonder if the old man is losing his touch.
McMahon = 4 out of 10
Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Jr., is one of those “characters” that coerces wrestling fans to wonder whether or not he is or only playing the maniacal, power hungry, evil boss of the World Wrestling Entertainment. The brand new DVD simply titled, “McMahon,” is supposed to answer the questions of the ambitious entrepreneur that is Vince McMahon.
The story of Vince McMahon’s early life is concise and immediately leaves out details about his childhood. Vince was born and raised in North Carolina in a trailer park with his mother, Victoria Lupton. Vince’s stepfather was abusive and at this point his mother informed him that his father ran the World Wide Wrestling Federation. This wasn’t told in the DVD, but indications of the history are spread throughout the DVD.
The DVD continues with Vince’s wrestling career as an announcer for his father. During the years with the WWWF, Vince McMahon would be a fledgling announcer to his father, that is until Vince took over the WWWF and turned it into the World Wrestling Federation. The DVD continues with the first belittling aspect with Greg Gagne, son of former AWA owner and wrestling champion Verne Gagne, by stating that because of Vince McMahon “stealing” Hulk Hogan from the AWA it ran Greg Gagne out of business. I personally think that’s a load of crap, because it doesn’t take one man, even if it is Hulk Hogan or Vince McMahon, to put wrestling companies out of business, because obviously Vince did make professional wrestling more marketable with Hulk Hogan, and yes, that IS what drove a lot of the territories out of business, but if Greg Gagne would evolve with the AWA instead of being stuck in the same state of mind in wrestling then maybe AWA would still be a hot commodity as it once was.
McMahon’s story skips ahead from 1984 to 1997, specifically November 1997, the Montreal Screwjob. Vince McMahon stated that he never wanted to do the “screwjob” toward Bret Hart and even the Big Show [Paul Wight] stated that “Bret Hart was going to another company, and he was the WWE champion. If he didn’t want to do the honors, then Vince had to do what was best for his business. Bret got screwed, big deal, s*** happens, get over it.” In some respects, I agree, because it would only seem fitting that if Bret was to go to WCW then he should drop the belt at a WWE event rather than “throw it in the trash can.”
It was the Montreal Screwjob that would be the catalyst for the “Mr. McMahon” character; however, Vince himself suggests that the incident in which Bret shoved Vince on his butt from a Monday Night Raw in which Bret got “screwed” out of a cage match and started to curse on national television was the reason for the influx of that character. Hey, it was great tv. Jerry Lawler, I believe, used the perfect symbolism about McMahon’s evolution from Vince McMahon to Mr. McMahon with Vince removing the spit of Bret Hart from his brow as if he was peeling away the mask of Vince and revealing the Mr. McMahon character.
The DVD goes into McMahon’s obsessive compulsive for competition and for being a “control freak.” You don’t say? I would have never thought of Vince McMahon as power hungry, maybe that’s why wrestling isn’t as marketable as it once was when Ted Turner was kicking his ass in the ratings, no wait, wrestling isn’t marketable because of the lousy storylines these fat 40-year-old virgins known as the WWE writing staff spew out on the public.
The DVD does have some interesting, yet succinct moments such as what he thought of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H [Paul Levesque] dating. Of course, it was already something we the fans already knew, obviously he was okay with it. DUH!
To my surprise a lot of the wrestlers bashed Vince for such things as story ideas, and of course the XFL. Of course, Vince, as well as Stephanie McMahon, defended the XFL as if it was some sort of victory. Vince actually believes that the hover cam that he “innovated” was a victory just because the NFL is now using it? Stop gainsaying your foibles, Vince, your XFL failed, period.
How can a Vince McMahon DVD be complete without stroking his ego? Obviously, the WWE is a public company that really didn’t need to go public, but it did. Obviously, Vince and the WWE have contributed a lot of money and time to the United States of America’s troops, and to the Make a Wish Foundation, as well as helping out with registering voters, and aiding those during the hurricane Katrina disaster, which I won’t besmirch Vince or the WWE for, because they are for a good cause and it makes you proud to be a wrestling fan to see that the WWE is trying to polish their image. However, it still doesn’t erase the fact that Vince McMahon tarnished his own image by presenting incest storylines with his daughter, producing and defending the necrophilia storyline in which employers such as Linda McMahon, the Rock, and others have deemed “un-entertaining.”
There were some funny parts such as the Bob Costas segment in which Vince acts all big and tough, despite we all know he’s nothing more than a “pussy cat,” and of course SOME of the wrestlers imitating the Vince McMahon walk. I’m sorry, Lilian and Maria, but you can’t do the walk even when it’s supposed to be funny, please don’t quit your day job; however, Booker T gets my vote as the best, he looks like he’s having fun, and with it I was having fun watching him.
Then there is the segment of the DVD in which shows Vince McMahon the family man. This was supposed to be a tender moment of the DVD, but I was too busy gagging at how Vince is portrayed as a genuine family man. I don’t doubt that he is indeed a good family man, but what irritates me is, Vince gets to see his kids grow up, while his co-workers, the wrestlers that have busted their asses year after year, barley see their kids at all let alone watch them grow up. I applaud Vince for being a great dad and all, but he can kiss my ass if he believes he should be father of the year, and it’s not because of his lackluster storylines that involved his family either.
Another segment that really got on my nerves is when Vince claims that as a performer in the ring, he does highspots and works hard in the ring, and expects others to follow suit. So, anyone who complains that A.J. Styles is nothing more than a spot-monkey, go ahead and claim Vince McMahon to be one too. The reason it irritates me that Vince claims that he works hard and expects others to, is because of this, HOW MANY DAMN TIMES DOES VINCE McMAHON WRESTLE ON A WEEKLY BASIS?! It’s hard to fathom that Vince is a hard-working wrestler when he wrestles maybe once or twice a year, and to be honest, the second disk that comes with this collection, I’m using as a beverage coaster, because to be honest NONE of his matches are great, but of course they are not supposed to be, right? Works hard, my ass! As far as production, booking, writing, etc., I’ll admit, Vince can work, but as a wrestler, it’s facetious to think he’s a hard-working wrestler.
Honestly, the story isn’t that bad, though I think some wrestlers hold back on grinding on Vince’s gears. Of course, Stephanie, Shane, Linda, and Triple H seem to be the only ones that go into Vince full-force. Wonder why?
I was highly disappointed with how Vince declined ever mentioning anything about the steroid scandal. Yes, the scandal that nearly PUT HIS SORRY ASS IN JAIL! Also, why didn’t Vince mention the dispute with Hulk Hogan and actually blaming Hulk Hogan for the steroid scandal despite it was Hulk Hogan himself that kept the U.S. Government off of McMahon and the WWE?
A lot of key events are either succinct or never mentioned at all. At first, the story wasn’t half bad, but then it drags and gets redundant. If you were a fan of the WWE from 1997 to today, DON’T BOTHER BUYING IT, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE STORY, SAVE YOUR MONEY! However, if you’re a fledgling wrestling fan that doesn’t know the whole story of McMahon, go ahead and buy it or rent it if you can, but I warn you, by the time you watch the entire story once, you’ll be so bored of Vince McMahon you’ll be claiming the WWE stands for World Wrestling Ennui.
I give Vince McMahon all the accolades in the world for building what is easily the greatest wrestling promotion of all time, but it’s crap like this DVD that makes me wonder if the old man is losing his touch.
McMahon = 4 out of 10
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