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Highlights from Vince McMahon’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show

Aaron Rift

Vince McMahon appeared on Thursday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show and talked about running the WWE product and his approach to the business. Here were some quotes and highlights…

* McMahon was late to the interview but said that apologizing for being late means nothing. McMahon added that if you’re going to be late, at least look good.

* “I don’t believe in ceilings.. I don’t think milestones or pats on the back, I just think about enjoying what you’re doing & doing it.”

* “If you listen to the positives you have to listen to the negatives.. if people think you’re an asshole you can’t change that.”

* McMahon said it took him 30 minutes to decide on “getting the F out” and switch WWF to WWE.

* McMahon said that none of what he does is work as he loves it.

* McMahon announced that he will be inducting The Undertaker into the WWE Hall of Fame.

* McMahon talked about how he is never against bringing anybody back to WWE if that is what the audience wants. “Creatively I listen well & I think that’s important because you can’t learn if you’re talking… well I can sometimes.”

* “I’m probably one of the few people in the world who enjoys confrontation.. I learned as a kid that if I live thru that beaten I win & I’m just wired differently.”

* In regards to talent cuts, McMahon said it is sometimes best to cut dead weight and it’s not personal.

* In regards to favorite WWE moments, McMahon cited Wrestlemania 1 as it was very important to him because of everything he had on the line.

* McMahon talked about how he trains from 1:30 to 3:00 AM and has a bad habit of over-training. McMahon said he trains mainly to blow off steam as it helps him mentally handle his workload. “I do this for my head more than I do my body.”

* In regards to Saudi Arabia, Vince said Saudi fans are the same as fans everywhere. McMahon talked about how people love western culture but not their government. “Cultures are cultures, you have to respect that.”

* McMahon said that most decisions he makes come down to common sense.

* McMahon talked about how he loves branding. McMahon said the word “stupendous” isn’t used often, sounds grand, and is attention grabbing for Wrestlemania.

* In regards to why wrestlers are called superstars, Vince said “anyone can wrestle, either poorly or well.” Vince said that a “WWE superstar” sounds better than a “professional wrestler” and it is a team effort to make someone a superstar.

* McMahon gave praise to McAfee and then offered McAfee an opportunity to compete at Wrestlemania. McAfee accepted and Vince said he’ll find an opponent for him.

* In regards to creative freedom, McMahon said he tries to give people more creativity as possible because it makes them more invested but added that “you do need to lead.”

* McMahon said WWE has a focus group every night and partially listens to social media feedback.

* McMahon called Brock Lesnar a “smart son of a bitch.”

* McMahon talked about loving live TV because nothing can go wrong if the audience doesn’t know what was supposed to happen.

* McMahon jokingly referred to Michael Cole as a “horrible human being” and everyone in the studio burst out laughing.

* In regards to being a good heel, McMahon said “you want people to honestly dislike you.”

* McMahon talked about how he prefers being off camera so he doesn’t miss out on directing and producing. McMahon said he gets to live vicariously through all the other performers on the show.

* “Nobody is ever going to know if I’m tired.”

* The interview ended with McMahon saying, “I’ve enjoyed this guys, thank you very much.”

Here are video clips from the interview…