Jim Cornette Comments On Vince McMahon’s Recent TV Appearances

Jim Cornette has addressed Vince McMahon’s defiant appearances on WWE television despite a number of serious allegations threatening his WWE future.

Back in June it emerged that Vince McMahon was being investigated by WWE’s Board of Directors over a “hush payment” allegedly given to a former employee with whom he had an affair. After this was made public, McMahon stepped down as WWE CEO and Chairman of the Board, although he retained control over creative output.

Despite this, McMahon opened the June 17th episode of Friday Night SmackDown where he appeared in defiant mood and delivered a short promo to the crowd.

It has since been reported that WWE talent have been left frustrated by the move, and McMahon’s general response to the reports.

Speaking exclusively to Inside The Ropes’ very own Kenny McIntosh, Jim Cornette offered his thoughts on the overall situation around McMahon as well as his stranglehold over WWE. The legendary manager explained that due to the amount of stock that Vince McMahon controls, he will retain an incredible amount of power within the company no matter his title.

“Well you know what, I guarantee you, I sat in a room with Vince McMahon when he has heard other things that people are saying to him or about him, I got the feeling that he is saying that every member of that board can quit because this is still mine. I don’t give a f*ck.

He owns 80% of the stock, they have class A and class B… Almost all of the legitimate power is either locked up with Vince or his family members or in a trust for the family, as the Wall St. Journal reported.

Again, I know that there is security and exchange commissions, I was reminded many times by Mr. John Laurinaitis ‘Jim, you can’t yell at the wrestling trainees. We are a publicly traded company!’ But apparently you can f*ck the paralegals and pay them $3 million to go away but you can’t yell at the wrestlers in a publicly traded company.”

Expanding further, Cornette broke down why McMahon’s recent appearances on SmackDown and Raw were essentially one big powerplay to remind everyone he is the one in charge.

“The WWE fanbase when he goes out in the arena, ‘Oh it’s Mr McMahon, he’s 80-years-old and he’s still f*cking everybody, we love him!’

Then he comes out on TV, ’cause he’s a smart motherf*cker, you the first time he came out, people thought maybe he’s saying farewell or whatever, no. He’s reminding people ‘I bought you this thing that you, it’s all because of me and here I’ll introduce John Cena the greatest star that can still walk in our f*cking company. I brought him to you.’ And they don’t give a sh*t that he was unfaithful to Linda. ‘Linda’s the one that couldn’t take a good Stone Cold Stunner!’ That’s what the fans think.

So he’s gonna win, like he usually does, the war of public perception when it comes to his fans, and he doesn’t give a sh*t what people who don’t watch his program or are not predisposed to be fond of Vince McMahon. He doesn’t care what they think.”

In closing, the wrestling veteran suggested that as McMahon has spent years cultivating the idea that WWE can only exist in it’s current state because of him, if outside forces try and oust him from his position, it negatively affect the stock price.

“It could de-value the company, if they try to run him off it’s gonna’ de-value the stock price because they got no more Mr McMahon. And that’s what they’ve told all of the stockholders that makes this thing gold. But if he stays, do the sponsors start getting antsy, or the TV partners, networks. It’s a Goddamn mess.

F*ck! He’s seventy-f*cking six, this happened two years ago. Does anybody in the wrestling business know when to go home and just start feeding the deer in the backyard.”

Elsewhere during the interview, Cornette revealed when he believes the culture changed in WWE, and how this affected the behaviour of those in charge.