Reported by Brian Farmer of WrestleView.com
On Thursday, September 29, 2005 at 3:44 AM EST

- Hulk Hogan, Vince & Linda McMahon, and Steve Austin were guests last night on CNBC’s “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch, who took a look at the business of professional wrestling. Following is a recap of the show.

Interview Segment w/Hulk Hogan

- Hogan speaks about the interest of “Hogan Knows Best” being due to the real-life family setting. Says Hogan, “We’re different from the Osbournes—we’re not as crazy, and the whole family’s not in rehab.”

- On the returning to wrestling at 52, Hogan revealed that the plan started off as being a re-launching of the Hulk Hogan brand, building him as the “Babe Ruth of wrestling.” But, they realized that there was something more to be done, and Hogan came to find that his knee and hip were stronger than he had thought. This led to the brief in-ring return.

-Hogan stated that the unchangeable element of his character is a positive attitude, as this is what actually works in real life. All-American hope is a key to his character. The change to “Hollywood Hogan,” which worked for awhile, didn’t last, according to Hogan, because “people get tired of the negativity.”

- Hogan then spoke about how current events can sometimes drive wrestling’s direction, as the business changes with the times as necessary.

- When asked about his responsibilities as a wrestler and entertainer, Hogan spoke out on how the entertainment industry’s gotten huge. Wrestling, however, has been around since day one, and good always prevails over evil in the end. Once again, positive thinking prevails. Hogan challenged entertainers everywhere to realize that someone’s always watching how they live. Entertainers, according to him, are the property of the public, and must live with that thought in mind.

Interview segment w/Vince & Linda McMahon and Hulk Hogan

- When asked by Donny Deutsch whether Hogan or McMahon “knows best,” Hogan replied: “In my household, it’s Mrs. Hogan who knows best—just like in Vince’s household.”

-When asked what brought Hogan and Vince back together, Mr. McMahon answered: “Business—and the fact that we should be together. We should never have been apart. Ever.”

- The topic then shifted to the creation of characters in wrestling, particularly the Hulk Hogan character. Hogan had the following to say:

“It always takes two. Vince basically molded the Hulk Hogan character…He gave me a guideline to follow—I didn’t do it on my own. It took two of us. I tried working with others, and was successful, but never as successful as with the McMahon family.”

Mr. McMahon made these comments on the same topic:

”A character must be comfortable with who they are as a human being and wrap that up. It’s more producing and directing on my end. There’s a fine line with everyone putting ideas in. But, in the end, it’s about the performer perfecting his craft—as Hulk does so well that people still can’t get enough.”

- Donny Deutsch then asked Hogan about the similarities and differences between Vince Sr. and Vince Jr., since he had worked for them both. Hogan made the point that Vince Sr. was much more modest about the wrestling business, and would not be putting out some of the things that Vince Jr. is currently promoting. However, Hogan stated that he likes running hard and pushing the envelope, so that works well for him. On similarities, he pointed out that when either McMahon said something, it could be taken to the bank.

- Hogan then spoke on the experience of working with Vince Jr. He pointed out one thing he always appreciated about Mr. McMahon is the fact that he was always there to advise him not only on what he should do, but what he shouldn’t do. He gives the infamous appearance on the Arsenio Hall show as a prime example of doing something that Mr. McMahon had advised him not to do. This was in the midst of the steroid controversy, and the entire ordeal blew up in Hogan’s face.

- When applying this same thought to creative ideas that the two disagreed about, Hogan recalled working with Mark Calloway on the set of “Suburban Commando.” He introduced Mark to Mr. McMahon, who presented the idea of Calloway becoming “The Undertaker. Hogan expressed his thought that the gimmick would never work. His response after all these years: “Boy, was I wrong!”

- When asked who his favorite wrestlers are, Hogan named Andre The Giant, “Superstar” Billy Graham (because of his inspiring many wrestlers, including Hogan himself, to get into shape), and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka (because of the incredible connection he had with the fans).

- In response to the same question, Mr. McMahon recalled taking a ride in a blood-red convertible with professional wrestler Dr. Jerry Graham in 1959. Vince recalled that Graham drove at high speeds, and would not stop his car for traffic lights, stop signs, police officers, or anything else.

- Both men were asked to share an embarrassing story about the other. McMahon recalled a point in time where Hogan had a helmet built with a fist protruding from the forehead of it, intending to wear to the ring. He did wear it one time during a live-event at the Meadowlands, and (for obvious reasons) never wore it again. Hogan told the story of how he and Vince crashed a television convention to which they hadn’t been invited. The big-time execs there began ragging on Hogan and the wrestling business. McMahon, who had displayed a calm demeanor throughout the night, was suddenly enraged and right in the face of major network executives.

- Hogan was asked what lessons he had learned from doing his reality series. Hogan stated that he’s learned that the more his family knows about the television production process, the harder they are to live with. Getting away to do some wrestling-related work is like a day off to him now.

- Deutsch then asked Linda if, while juggling being the CEO of the WWE and running her own household, she ever just says “enough” and doesn’t want to hear or think about the business. She responded that she and Vince have done a good job over the years of learning take a time-out from the business when they’re at home. It’s not easy, she states, as the phone calls and e-mails can be constant, but they’ve learned to take time for their personal life together.

- Hogan stated that the greatest business lessons he’s learned from the McMahon’s are never to watch the clock, and never to be satisfied until a job is completely done.

Hogan then asked Vince when he was going to step back into the ring with him. Vince’s response? ”I would advise you to be on your P’s and Q’s this Monday!”

When asked about a possible match with Steve Austin, Hogan stated that it was a dream-match, and now that he’s back in business with the McMahon’s, it was one that needed to go down.

Interview Segment w/Vince & Linda McMahon

- This segment began with a clip of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H’s appearance on the show, in which Stephanie stated that Vince was seeking to take “a more conservative approach” to the wrestling business.

- Mr. McMahon’s response to that statement was to say that everything is subject to change in life. He stated that on Monday Night at WWE Homecoming, they would not just stretch the envelope—they’d rip it open.

- Deutsch then brought up Spike TV's audio and visual censoring of the words “USA Network" this past Monday night on RAW. Vince stated that the move was blatant censorship, and that it startled him. He stated that Spike TV had sent no information on what they thought should and shouldn’t be said during the broadcast.

-Linda was asked about the public’s response to the portrayal of women in the WWE. Linda answered that the public response is that the WWE Divas are powerful females who are far from being wall-flowers. While she said that the Divas are definitely intended to appeal to the male demographic, it is done tastefully. Vince was quick to ad that, just as in real life, the women of the WWE are often superior to our males.

- When asked to comment on the Muhammed Hassan controversy, Mr. McMahon simply stated, “We have the ability to go in any direction. The reason it didn’t work out for us, by and large, was because of the individual playing the character.”

- In regards to the WWE’s financial status, Linda stated that television ratings have been steady, PPV buy-rates and live event sales have experienced an upward trend, and public stock is up over 80% this year. Deutsch pointed out that, according to Forbes magazine, The McMahon’s net worth is over 700 million dollars. Vince’s reply: “That honestly means nothing to me. It’s just a number. You can’t do what we do for the money—you have to do it because you love the business. He then added, in tongue-and-cheek fashion, “Oh, and it’s also about the money.”

Interview Segment w/”Stone Cold” Steve Austin

- Austin began this segment by stating that wrestling’s the greatest job he’s ever had. When asked about being on the road 250 days a year with little first-class service, Austin stated that being in the business means being in for the long haul. A wrestler isn’t off the road unless their injured, and that means they’re not making money. Despite this, the business is hard to get out of because of its addictive nature.

- When asked what it was about the “Stone Cold” character that clicked with the mainstream, Austin stated that he really didn’t know what it was. He mentioned that the WWE had brought him in as a mechanic—someone who could have a good match with anyone. When he came up with the “Stone Cold’ gimmick and had the opportunity to use it, things just clicked. Austin did attribute the success, in part, to the realism of the character. Says Austin, “Anything I said in that ring was 110% percent real to me. It was easy to believe in. People could live vicariously through the things that I did.”

- Deutsch asked Austin about his character being based on serial killers. Austin responded that one has to push the envelope in the business. He was trying to be hated, and saw a documentary on a serial killer that gave him some ideas.

- Austin stated his belief that he is a good role model for children. According to him, his real-life story of getting fired, bouncing back, working hard, and breaking every record the WWE ever had is a positive one.

On the topic of wrestling portraying violence, Austin made it clear that the business is about good versus evil, not violence. Violence, he stated, is sometimes a means to an end. The bad guy has to win sometimes so that the good guy can have a reason to come back, but ultimately, good always prevails over evil.

- The focus then turned to Austin’s work in Hollywood. He said that he had a blast working with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and the entire crew of “The Longest Yard.” While Austin admitted that the critics didn’t love the movie, he quickly stated that the movie business, just like the wrestling business, is about drawing money, not pleasing the critics.

- He then plugged his upcoming WWE Films Action/Adventure movie, “The Condemned,” which is currently without a distributor, but slated for a release in early 2006.

Final Segment

At the end of the show, host Donny Deutsch gave his top five favorite wrestlers of all time:

5) “The Golden Boy” Arnold Skaaland
4) Bobo Brazil
3 Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
2) Chief Jay Strongbow
1) The Fabulous Moolah

- Thanks to Big Hoss Daddy for sending word on this, as well.