WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque has briefly addressed the abuse and trafficking allegations against Vince McMahon.
He also spoke about his relationship with Donald Trump, the evolution of the WWE product, and the legacy of Hulk Hogan in a wide-ranging interview published Friday with UK-based podcast The Sports Agents.
On Vince McMahon
When asked how the company has dealt with the fallout from the allegations levied against Vince McMahon by Janel Grant, Levesque emphasized that his focus is on moving forward with the creative product.
All we can do is move forward. For us as a company, creative, all we can do is move forward.
And allegations are allegations, right? It’s a complicated relationship for anybody in life. Nobody is perfect. But accusations are made, and that’s a whole legal thing that is totally separate and aside from what we do. My job is to put on the best creative product that WWE can do.
Speaking on his own transition into the lead creative role, Levesque said he had been sitting under the “learning tree” of McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Jack Lanza for years. He described his current role as both “slightly overwhelming” and everything he expected it to be, crediting a strong support team of writers, producers, and performers.
The Legacy of Hulk Hogan
Earlier, the conversation turned to the late Hulk Hogan, whose contributions Levesque said “can’t be measured.” He credited Hogan’s charisma with launching WWE into a new level of mainstream popularity in the 1980s.
His charisma, his character, he just became one of the biggest global icons, arguably in that time, in the mid-80s, one of the most recognizable people on the planet. Transcended what we do, transcended sports entertainment in a way that nobody had done before, was a household name.
While acknowledging that Hogan is a “complicated” figure for many, Levesque stated that his personal and professional dealings with him were always positive.
I can only talk about how he treated me, really. And he was always great to me. You know, he was very business-minded, very steadfast in his beliefs of business, but was professional and easy to work with. And, you know. a great person to be around.
On Donald Trump
Levesque also briefly commented on his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. He was asked whether he had described Trump as a “genius”:
I think in many ways…he is one of the most intuitive people I think that I’ve met. When he has a plan and he knows that it’s correct, he will stick to that. And I think, over time, many times that’s proven to be correct, but I think he admits when it’s wrong, also.
You know, my world is not a political world. My world is a world of entertainment. I’ve always enjoyed my interactions with him when he’s been here. And, you know, he’s in our Hall of Fame. So, my hat’s off to him.
A ‘Reflection of Society’
On the evolution of the WWE product, Levesque was asked if there was too much objectification of women 20 to 30 years ago.
In the ’90s, you know, in the Attitude Era, yes, the product was very different. Yes, a lot of the things that we did then we would not do now. But it was sort of where society was. It was sort of where television was. Shock television, shock radio hosts — that was a big piece of of the world at that time. We are now a reflection of the world we live in now.
He pointed to the new Netflix documentary series, “WWE Unreal,” as part of this modern approach. Levesque hopes the behind-the-scenes show will attract new viewers in the same way “Drive to Survive” did for Formula 1.
WrestleMania in London?
Finally, Levesque addressed the continued speculation about WrestleMania taking place in London. While he stopped well short of a confirmation, he reiterated the company’s strong interest in the city as a host for major events.
I cannot confirm, but we’re wide open for business. And as we said with the Mayor when we were there… we’re open for business. And if we can find the right time with the right opportunity and the right terms for everybody involved where it works, we’re a global company, and we want to bring our biggest events and our best events all around the globe. London has always been a second home for us.
