WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has shared his thoughts on the company’s hiring decision.
WWE has faced backlash for how they released talent last year. The company released over 80 talent in 2021, most of the reasons due to budget cuts. Meanwhile, WWE also praised themselves for their financial success last year.
McMahon explained his decision to release talent in an interview with Pat McAfee on Mar. 3.
“I’m always concerned about what’s best for the audience, always. What does the audience want, and if you have dead weight around you or if you had a situation by someone not cutting it and you have an opportunity for someone to come in, it’s like, okay, that’s probably the best thing,” said McMahon.
Vince McMahon on Listening to the Audience
Sometimes in professional wrestling, a talent may do something that could burn bridges to work with a company. An example could be Hulk Hogan working for WCW. However, McMahon believes that as long as the fans want valuable talent, WWE will always consider hiring a wrestler. He also tied in that while he releases talent, he also looks to add new people to the WWE roster.
“… Hogan and a lot of those guys left me at one time, why I brought them back. It’s like, ‘I’ll never bring that son of a b*itch back as long as I live.’ When you say stuff like that, you’re really hurting yourself because you’re not thinking about your audience. You’re not thinking about your product, and it’s not about you and your ego,” said McMahon.
He continued, “It’s like, ‘Yeah, okay, maybe I really felt that way. Maybe I didn’t, but nonetheless, it doesn’t matter. What’s the best thing for business? If the audience wants Hulk Hogan back, you bring him back if he has value that way.”
Vince McMahon on Proritizing the Stockholders
McMahon also believes that the WWE going public made him a better businessman. While the WWE releases seem unjust, McMahon expressed that he lets people go due to the business and isn’t personal.
“Once I took the company public, it helped me become a better businessman because prior to that, I was running the business with my head, but mostly with my heart as well, said McMahon. He continued, “These decisions are so damn tough when you do that, because of who it is, he has kids or this that and the other or someone has cancer in the family, and all that computes in your head, but once you’re a public company now you owe stockholders. It is the business then, so it helps me make easier and better business decisions.”
McMahon wants fans to know that he does have a heart. While WWE releases seemed callous, the WWE Chairman prioritizes his business.
