Another day, another piece of evidence that Vince McMahon is losing grip on the very basic definitions that form the foundation of the industry he claims to lead. With Vince McMahon being a coward at heart who isn’t willing to speak to anyone on he record, we continue to learn of his presence behind the scenes through the words of others.
The latest tidbit comes via Fightful Select as they recently spoke to former WWE NXT coach Scott Garland, better known to most fans as Scotty 2 Hotty. In the interview, Garland discussed the lack of communication behind the scenes as NXT shifted to their NXT 2.0 era.
While the changes since the implementation of NXT 2.0 have gotten some positive reactions from many fans, Garland noticed several key changes like the departure of Adam Cole that none of the coaches were ever informed of until after it had actually happened.
Garland saw the writing on the wall and got out before Vince McMahon burned down whatever was left of NXT along with the coaches and independent contractors they’d deemed expendable, but prior to that exit he actually had an intriguing interaction with one Vince McMahon.
WWE has leaned towards younger talent as of late, and their recruiting is often focused primarily on athletes. This includes their totally not predatory NIL program targeting collegiate athletes to seize control of the name, image, and likeness the NCAA just gave those athletes control of.
However, Garland had a different idea as he felt WWE could do some recruiting targeted at Broadway performers and stage actors. It seems like a brilliant plan, except that Vince McMahon immediately shot it down by saying “we are not actors, we react.”
He’s partially right, in the sense that Vince McMahon has only ever known how to react and doesn’t seem to even comprehend the very concept of proactive planning in the modern era. That’s where the logic ends, because an “actor” is defined as “a person whose profession is acting on the stage, in movies, or on television.”
It’s worth noting the most closely associated synonym with “actor” is “performer,” which is defined as “a person who entertains an audience.” In cult classic documentary Beyond the Mat back in 1999, McMahon said “we make movies” when speaking about what WWE creates.
It’s a concept that has consistently evidenced itself over the last few decades, as WWE has shifted as far away as possible from ever admitting that they’re in the wrestling industry. Despite the fact that WWE desperately wants to be seen on the same level as massive media properties like Marvel or Star Wars, they simultaneously crave mainstream sports media attention from outlets like ESPN.
It all seems to make very little sense, but the root and reality is that Vince McMahon doesn’t know what words mean. Words mean what he wants them to mean. If he gives it a new meaning, that’s what that word means, pal. Maybe Vince will learn how to react to reality, but considering Scott Garland also said “he didn’t think Vince McMahon remembered who he was,” it seems more likely that Vince has already departed this reality and transcended the concept of words themselves.
