Chris Jericho On Vince McMahon Dealing With Prima Donnas, Vince Going To The Gym Even After Drinking
Chris Jericho has always been willing to publicly and privately dole out praise for Vince McMahon. In his latest book, No Is A Four Letter Word, Jericho writes a lot about what he's learned from McMahon over the years. He stopped by Q with Tom Power and discussed his respect for his boss.
"He's a very unique character, he's a billionaire that's built this. Even if you don't know Vince you know the WWE or the WWF, he's built this entire empire, a mainstay in the fabric of pop culture in the world and will be, WWE will never go away," Jericho said. "He's a billionaire, he's a genius, interesting, lots of different dichotomies within that guy. He will never write a book I don't think, he doesn't like talking about himself, but I do. He's one of my favorite characters in the world, I love writing about him."
As with any boss-employee relationship, Jericho admitted there have been ups and downs. But he said he's willing to do things he doesn't want to because he respects McMahon's authority.
"I've worked with him for 17 years, he's my boss. You don't always love your boss," Jericho said. "Tell me somebody that's been working somewhere for a long time that's had nothing but wine and roses with their boss, and I'll tell you that you're probably lying. He's in charge, sometimes I have to do things I don't want to do because he is the boss. I trust him, but even sometimes if I don't, I have no choice. He's the boss, either I do it or I quit."
Jericho said he trusts McMahon because he'd never force a wrestler to do something that would make them uncomfortable. He told a story about McMahon's work ethic, which is even greater than his own.
"There's nothing that he would ask you to do that he wouldn't do himself," Jericho said. "We were in Orlando doing a show, I had to do press in New York early in the morning. He had me come on his private jet, we flew from Orlando to New York, had some drinks, listened to some tunes, had a great time, landed at 4:30, both drunk. He goes, 'What are you doing?' I was going home to pass out because I had to get up at 6:30 for press. He goes, 'I'm going to the gym, come with me.' I'm like, 'I'm not going to the gym at 4:30, what's wrong with you?' He's like, 'I have to go to work.' 'So do I.' And I get a text when I wake up the next morning at 6:30, super-hungover feeling like crap, from my 72-year-old boss who's bench-pressing 275 pounds giving me the finger? That's him, he just works, and it rubs off on you."
Jericho said McMahon has fostered a culture in WWE that has eliminated all prima donna behavior. He said wrestlers know they have to do their jobs or they won't be successful in the business.
"Vince McMahon's way of doing things is, there's no prima donnas allowed," Jericho said. "You get the job done, you go do the press that needs to be done, you do the meet-and-greets that need to be done, you do the due diligence for your character, you train, you stay in shape, and that's part of your job. If you can't do that, you won't last and you won't make it to the top? You don't last, not anymore. Reality will strike you very quickly when you end up being the opening-match jobber to The Tulip or Funaki or whoever they bring in."
Source: Q with Tom Power