Few entertainment moguls have hit a rival over the head with a trash can. Vince McMahon, however, has taken the role of a hands-on executive to a new level. The chairman of the publicly traded, family-run World Wrestling Entertainment mostly has given up the tights to focus on growing his business into a global brand. In addition to producing (soon) six hours of TV a week, WWE Films last year inked a first-look deal with Fox to distribute theatrical films and direct-to-DVD releases. And on April 5, McMahon will preside over WWE's 25th edition of WrestleMania, which scores about 1 million pay-per-view buys every year. He spoke with THR's Georg Szalai.
The Hollywood Reporter: How has your business changed since the first WrestleMania?
Vince McMahon: 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.
THR: WWE has been a pioneer in migrating content across multiple platforms. How diversified are you now?
McMahon: There is no entertainment company in the world that is in every media form the way we are. We distribute our own music, and musical acts that associate with us are extraordinary, from AC/DC to an act we're breaking. We're also in the film business -- not just with feature-length releases but also DVD. We have 21 hours of TV in the U.S. alone every week when you add in Spanish-language and reruns, plus we are on-demand. Our shows, of course, also put us in the live-event business. We have our merchandising and licensing, from toys, video games, apparel, books -- you name it. And we publish magazines in English, Spanish, German, French. We are also online with our Web site and e-commerce, and we are on digital mobile services. Whether it's Disney or anyone else, no one does it like we do.
THR: Some have said your TV ratings were a bit weaker than hoped for in the past few weeks. Is that a cause for concern?
McMahon: 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.
THR: How has the success of UFC and other mixed martial arts programming impacted you?
McMahon: 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.
THR: Any concern about TNA Wrestling, which has had lower ratings on Spike but is another organization that competes for your audience?
McMahon: 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.
THR: But you recently had an episode of "Raw" where one of your champions, HHH, went to his WrestleMania opponent Randy Orton's house with a sledgehammer. That is OK to show?
McMahon: Right. What we try to do in situations like that is use things that you can't find around the house. You will never see us use a baseball bat. You don't find folding metal chairs around the house. We are very selective. You can go up to the line. It's storytelling; that's how our business thrives. If you have well-defined characters and put them in the right story line against other characters, people care about their welfare.