On the latest edition of the Kurt Angle Show WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle spoke about WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and how McMahon essentially became a superstar for the company during the height of his heel run in the Attitude Era. Highlights from the podcast can be found below.
How Vince McMahon became a WWE superstar:
“I think the reason Vince McMahon did this is because he actually became a WWE superstar. The fans wanted to see him, they demanded him. I don’t think Vince wanted to step in there and do it, I think he did it because he had to because of the fans. They reacted to Vince like no other, he was the guy, man. He was entertaining, he was funny, he pissed people off, he had a lot of ammo. He was one of the biggest stars in the company at this particular time and I think Vince finally smartened up and said I need to back off, stay away from TV and let these wrestlers become the bigger stars.”
Says McMahon and Stone Cold were great improvisers:
“It’s a quick walkthrough, it lasts one minute. Vince brings you to his office, he says ‘Listen, we’re going to do this promo. I say this, you say that, I’ll say this, we’ll be done.’ You go out there and you basically don’t go by the script, you have to improvise because we didn’t rehearse it enough to go by the script. Vince McMahon is more of an improv guy and he’s the best at it. The only other person that I know that’s just as good is Stone Cold, he was also a great improviser.”
What McMahon told him to cut from his Hall of Fame speech:
“I had, ‘I want to thank Vince McMahon for everything he did for me,’ and he said, ‘Kurt, take that out. He said, ‘I don’t want anybody thanking me, I do not want a thank you. I don’t even want you to thank the company. I want you to thank the fans and whoever else you want, but do not thank me or the company. Leave my name out of it.’ That’s how Vince is, he never wants the credit for anything.”
(H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Inc.)