Post by Emperor on Mar 28, 2023 20:20:38 GMT
Journalist Abhraham Riesman wrote a biography of Vincent Kennedy McMahon, to be released June 22 2023.
The definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the world’s most influential media empires—and features never-before-seen research and exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent.
Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world.
In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit.
Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force.
Accessible to anyone, regardless of wrestling knowledge, Ringmaster is an unauthorized, independent, investigative chronicle of Vince McMahon’s origins and rise to supreme power. It is built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. Far more than just an athletics or entertainment biography, Ringmaster uses Vince’s story as a new lens for understanding the contemporary American apocalypse.
Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world.
In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit.
Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force.
Accessible to anyone, regardless of wrestling knowledge, Ringmaster is an unauthorized, independent, investigative chronicle of Vince McMahon’s origins and rise to supreme power. It is built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. Far more than just an athletics or entertainment biography, Ringmaster uses Vince’s story as a new lens for understanding the contemporary American apocalypse.
Riesman did an AMA on reddit today, I share some Q&A.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about Vince McMahon?
The biggest misconception from the mainstream is that it's all a joke, that Vince couldn't possibly do the kinds of things his character does. The press generally assumes, since wrestling is silly to them, that it's not worth looking into how the sausage gets made — or what its impact is.
The biggest misconception from the IWC is that Vince was always a rough-and-tumble delinquent. I did a lot of digging into his youth and found a very different story.
The biggest misconception from the mainstream is that it's all a joke, that Vince couldn't possibly do the kinds of things his character does. The press generally assumes, since wrestling is silly to them, that it's not worth looking into how the sausage gets made — or what its impact is.
The biggest misconception from the IWC is that Vince was always a rough-and-tumble delinquent. I did a lot of digging into his youth and found a very different story.
Did anyone from WWE or the industry try to kayfabe you about Vince?
Oh God. Everybody did.
What was the biggest discovery you learned while working on the book?
Oddly enough, the discovery that I found most interesting was that Vince had completely mischaracterized his childhood. I tracked down friends and family who had never spoken to a journalist before and got the real story.
[answering a similar question]
I was fascinated to discover the degree to which he had lied about his childhood and youth!
How intertwined are Vince and Donald Trump? I’d like to say that Vince is Trump’s only true friend, but how far does that influence go?
They are, according to my Republican-operative sources, about as close as Trump gets to anyone. Trump campaign adviser Sam Nunberg told me that Vince was one of only two people whose phone calls Trump demanded to take in private, rather than on speaker phone.
What do you think his relationship or views are like of race?
I think Vince was raised in a deeply, institutionally racist milieu in North Carolina, and is thus completely numb to racism's sting. He doesn't actively hate nonwhites, I don't think, but he certainly doesn't place a premium on their collective feelings.
What does Vince care most about?
Whether or not he's aware of it, he cares most about the love and respect of his long-dead father.
