Vince McMahon apparently did not take kindly to TNN messing with WWE RAW’s broadcast — and former network executive Kevin Kay says Vince responded by creating a standards-and-practices nightmare on purpose.
While appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Kay opened up about WWE’s ugly split from TNN before RAW returned to USA Network. WWE had already decided to leave, but according to Kay, the company started using TNN’s own television time to promote the move by handing fans USA signs and encouraging “USA” chants during the show.
Kay said he wasn’t about to sit there and let WWE advertise another network on TNN’s dime. After arguing with Kevin Dunn, he took the issue directly to Vince and warned him that the network would start cutting RAW’s audio if it continued. Kay then made it clear things could get even uglier if Vince kept pushing.
“I called Vince and he said, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ And I said, ‘Well, if you keep doing that, I think I’m just going to—first thing I’m going to have to do is cut the audio, and you don’t want that.’”
“And then the second thing is, if that doesn’t stop, then I’m going to have to, like, go dark. And he’s like, ‘You’re not going to do that.’ And I did.”
Kay clarified that TNN actually cut RAW’s audio, although things never got to the point where the network had to completely black out the show. That apparently didn’t sit well with Vince.
According to Kay, WWE came back the following week with four of its female performers entering the ring by crawling underneath the bottom rope while the camera was positioned behind them. Kay claimed they were not wearing underwear and said he believed the entire thing was intentional.
“He sent the divas into the ring. They crawled over the—you know, under the first rope—and the shot was from behind and they weren’t wearing any panties.”
Helwani immediately asked if Kay believed Vince had done it specifically to mess with the network after the audio showdown. Kay didn’t hesitate, saying, “Oh, it was absolutely on purpose.”
The stunt got the network’s attention immediately. Kay said TNN’s head of standards and practices called him while he was watching the broadcast and made it clear that whatever had just happened could never happen again. That sent Kay right back to Kevin Dunn, who told him Vince wanted another conversation. Kay said Vince got on the phone and started unloading on him over TNN’s broadcast standards.
“He started screaming at me and telling me, like, you know, what an idiot I was and all this stuff.”
Kay said Vince complained that the network’s rules seemed to change constantly and finally challenged him to explain exactly what TNN considered acceptable. Kay’s response was about as direct as it gets.
“He goes, ‘So tell me what your standards are.’ I go, ‘How about we start with no vaginas?’” And, you know, he hung up.”
The entire story paints a pretty insane picture of WWE’s final stretch on TNN before RAW returned to USA Network. Ringside News has covered plenty of stories about Vince McMahon clashing with television partners, including an incident where he allegedly used John Cena to mess with USA Network executives during the WWE Draft. RAW’s connection with USA would ultimately become one of the longest-running television relationships in wrestling history before the industry’s media landscape changed dramatically decades later.
Whatever was happening behind the scenes during WWE’s TNN exit clearly wasn’t a friendly goodbye. If Kay’s version of events is any indication, Vince wasn’t interested in quietly riding out the final weeks — he was willing to push things right to the edge just to prove a point.
What do you make of Kevin Kay’s story about Vince McMahon’s reaction to TNN cutting RAW’s audio? Do you think this sounds like classic Vince behavior, or is this one of the crazier behind-the-scenes WWE stories you’ve ever heard? Leave your feedback in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
