Teddy Long: “We got to get Vince McMahon back so we can do this thing right”
While speaking to TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long commented on the state of wrestling in 2026…
“A lot of talent is out there now. Some guys are doing great, and some guys are not. And it’s based on the creative people, the people that are in charge of what you do out on that TV. That’s how your career is based. You can go out there and do something one night and it will kill you. That’ll kill your whole career. And they know how to do that to people.
A lot of guys that are in charge don’t do it because you can do the job. They’ll mess with you because they got the power. They know that they can. So, it’s changing a little bit now, but I think what we got to do, we got to get Vince [McMahon] back so we can do this thing right and get the fans back on board, man.”
Long also addressed the possibility of Vince returning to wrestling…
“I don’t think the chapter has ever closed with him. Like I said, I don’t know what happened or any of that stuff, but in my knowing him, this [wrestling] was his life. He loved this. This was his life.
I had a chance to ride on the plane with him one night, and as soon as we took off, he talked about wrestling until we landed.
And so, he loves this. This is his life. I watched him at his [80th] birthday party during the rehearsal. They had a band and some singers there, a choir, and they were rehearsing before they got ready to go. I saw him, and he had his headset on, and Kevin Dunn was there. Kevin has always been his right-hand man. He’s looking at Kevin: ‘Kevin, get him over there.’ You know what I mean? He’s doing his thing. He’s at home.
I looked at him and I’m like, this is him. This is what he does.”