The Hollywood Reporter has a Q&A up with Vince McMahon at this link discussing a variety of interesting topics. Here are some highlights.
On how business has changed since the first WrestleMania:
“WrestleMania is not just national but international. We have grown into stadiums. It’s built into the lexicon now not just of Americana but almost every place. So the business has changed, but it has always been our Super Bowl, Emmys, Oscars, World Series.”
On weaker TV ratings going into WrestleMania 25:
“Quite frankly our TV ratings have been very good. We averaged over a 4, I think, three weeks ago. Last week and the week before it was a bit less so because of a number of factors: how many people watched TV and one-off events. What you have to look at is our overall reach in the course of a week. On TV, we reach over 15 million people each and every week, 52 weeks a year.”
If he sees TNA as a competition or a cause for concern:
“My concern with TNA is not in terms of competition. My concern with TNA is that they are TV-14, and we are PG. They have to change with the times. I think some of the things they do on television are reprehensible, but it is a TV-14 rating. That’s the only bone I have to pick with them. Their TV ratings are a fraction of ours.”
If the success of UFC has affected WWE business:
“Most people thought at one point that we would be competitors. But it turns out they are not competition to us at all, or hardly at all. They are sport, we are entertainment; it’s a huge difference. The revenue they have cut into is that of boxing.”