WWE SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon was the surprise guest on this week’s Cheap Heat Podcast. You can listen to the interview at ESPN.com and click here to subscribe to Cheap Heat on iTunes.
Here are the highlights of the Shane ‘o Mac interview:
– He’s very invested in SmackDown’s success and is committed to bringing about real change. The Brand Extension, the production overhaul, the Talking Smack post-game show are all things he’s proud of. He and Daniel Bryan are very hands on with the creative process and scouting developmental talent.
– Rosenberg said he’s concerned that SmackDown is going to fall back to being perceived as the “B” show. He asked Shane if that’s something he and Daniel Bryan are trying to avoid. Do they want SmackDown to be on par with RAW, or is it enough to just be a distinctly different show? “We’re out to win,” Shane said. They want to be the better show – better creative, better talent, better matches. “It’s a big ship to turn” and he knows they’re not going to do a great job every week. But they’re bringing real change to the show. There’s a lot of personal pride on the line with this.
– Shane admits the “deck was stacked” against SmackDown in the Draft, but he is very happy with the roster they selected and thinks a lot of people will get opportunities they would not have prior to the split.
– Rosenberg liked Daniel Bryan taking shots at the Universal Championship and thinks fans won’t care about a championship without a lineage. He asked how Shane would go about making the Universal Championship meaningful. Shane said he doesn’t want to give RAW his playbook, but said it will be up to the first champion (Rollins or Balor) to set the tone. It will be a lot of pressure on that first champion to define what the title stands for.
– Shane talked about growing up in the business and seeing all the highs and lows from a unique perspective. His first memories of the business is when his grandfather Vince Sr. was still running the company. He became somewhat of a “locker room mascot” when he was a little kid and got ribbed a lot by the veterans. When asked which wrestlers would mess with him backstage, he named Superstar Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino. Bruno was more of a teacher, while Graham would stretch him and make him feel some pain. Bob Backlund taught him some amateur wrestling and there were many others who would ‘affectionately’ toughen him up with punches and shots to the ribs. He got a real education hanging around backstage and experiencing some life on the road.
– Shane was asked to compare his father and his grandfather. He said both were strong leaders with different styles. They were also at different points in their lives when Shane was around them and they ran WWE during different eras. Vince Sr. didn’t want to rock the boat, as it relates to the other territories. He was a very hard worker and a tough guy, but was also reserved and quiet. His dad is much more open with his emotions. The Mr. McMahon character is an extension of Vince’s personality, but he can also be very introverted.
– If Shane were to give advice to a young wrestler about how to “handle” Vince McMahon without being intimidated, should they be super aggressive and confident or very polite and respectful? Shane said you should be respectful to anybody you talk to unless they give you a reason not to be. From there, you need to know how to get your ideas across, whether you’re aggressive or not.
Other topics discussed include his family’s relationship with Andre The Giant and his legendary match against Kurt Angle at King of the Ring 2001. It’s a great interview that you should definitely check out.
If you’re in the New York City area next weekend for SummerSlam weekend, do not miss Cheap Heat Live Friday night (8/19) at the Highline Ballroom. Visit HighlineBallroom.com to get your tickets!
