Former WWE writer and producer Robert Karpeles discussed his experience working for Vince McMahon in an interview with Wrestling Inc.
He discussed McMahon’s mystique and draw comparisons between him and Walt Disney.
“So Vince is, he’s the last creative entity, I think, left alive who has had an impact on our childhoods. Jim Henson is dead, Walt Disney is dead, Stan Lee is dead.
The last person who’s created something that is this inescapable of childhood, of life, is Vince McMahon. He’s that last singular creative force. All the IP that exists now is derivative IP of things that were created by people who are no longer here.
“So there is a little bit of a mysticism to him. And there really is that element of, you call him Vince. You go up, you introduce, and it’s part of the shtick. You go up and shake his hand the first time and say, Mr. McMahon, nice to meet you.”
Karpaeles described the setting as he noted that a writer pitches to McMahon around a long table with all of the rest of the writers as well as Stephanie McMaMhon and Triple H.
“When he is in the room and you’re pitching him, and it’s a very long table, and all the “Raw” writers there and all the “SmackDown” writers are there, and Stephanie would be there, and Hunter would be there. There are moments where he’s in it and he’s following along with what’s going on, and you’re getting a lot of great feedback.
There’s minutes where you know he just came from a meeting about travel logistics and he has a meeting after this about budgeting for international touring, or whatever it is. You’re trying to get that focus, but you know he’s being pulled in eight different directions at once. And the fact that you’re trapped in that room until he comes in for the meeting. That meeting may be set for 11:00 AM, You might not first see him till 7:30, 8:00 at night.
And you’re just sitting there waiting. And it’s fine, and it’s what you do. And he’ll come in, he’ll eat this giant steak wrap that he would just bury in ketchup. No one else is eating. He’s the only one eating.”
