50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
15. Vince McMahon Sr Was Proud Of Vince Jr
It was generally accepted for decades that Vince Sr disapproved of his son’s business tactics, but that might not be as accurate as claimed. In fact, Vince Jr told Netflix during their documentary series on him that his father did say he was proud of his efforts before he died. McMahon didn’t linger on that too long though, and there’s a visible point where he seems to realise he’s opening up to complete strangers.
The internal battle between appearing like a real human being and casting himself as some unstoppable robot who never slept during his time in charge of the WWF/WWE punctuated the Netflix series. Some of the stories Vince told on it will make your toes curl. It's more the way he told them, actually. That one about having three brains and one of them always thinking about sex? Yeah, awkward viewing.
There's always been a narrative surrounding Vince Jr's monopolisation of the pro wrestling biz in the 1980s. He tore down carefully-placed political barriers governing the territorial system, and pretty much did what he wanted without asking for permission from other promoters. Most believed that left a bad taste in Vince Sr's mouth, but McMahon Jr says his dad admired his ruthlessness.
He's glad he got to hear his father say that before he passed away. Promoters in other places like Florida, Atlanta, Texas and more didn't like the way Vince Jr was doing things, but he changed the entire industry by being so cut throat. That's something Sr relented eventually right before dying in 1984.