Powell's Blog: Vince McMahon puts on another show for his cronies, WWE attorney Jerry Devitt puts on his own show for Vince, the mainstream media turns a blind eye to the Waxman report on steroids in pro wrestling

Wednesday, January 7 – 1:05 P.M. (CT)

-Vince McMahon and attorney Jerry McDevitt put on a hell of a show when they were interviewed by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Dec. 14, 2007.

The WWE Chairman of the Board was confrontational from the start, as he made it clear that he was too important to go through the formalities of stating his name and position with the company. "I'm the chairman," Vince said. "Do we have to go through this rigamarole? You know who I am, you know what my position is. Why don't we just get to it?"

Vince set the tone for the interview with that statement and hammed it up for anyone who might read the transcripts. Likewise, McDevitt, who was cordial throughout most of Stephanie McMahon's interview, lashed out at the panel as if he were putting on a show for the man who employs him throughout the session with Vince.

"He didn't even testify in his trial," McDevitt said when the subject of the trial of Dr. George Zahorian. "We whipped the government's ass in 19 days without putting a witness on. Get your facts right."

There's no denying that McDevitt has been a tremendous lawyer for Vince McMahon and WWE over the years, and he had a duty to point out the error made by the interviewer. However, I still question the approach that McMahon and McDevitt took during this interview. I don't know if the government will followup on the Waxman report since there's no real public outcry for them to do so, but I don't see how any good could possibly come from showing up a panel of investigators?

The McMahon interview is a tremendous read and I laughed out loud at some of the comments that Vince and his attorney made during the session, but I strongly question the approach that the chairman of a publicly traded company took in this interview.

Could you imagine what the media reaction would be if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, or NBA Commissioner David Stern had put on such a display of defiance when they were interviewed during the steroid hearings last February? The media would have had a field day and there would have been a public outcry for them to resign from their positions.

Would it have been so hard for Vince McMahon to show some humility and answer the questions in a respectful manner? Sure, there were times when the questions called for McDevitt to interject on behalf of his client, but that doesn't mean Vince had act like he was sitting backstage at WWE Raw ridiculing Michael Cole for the amusement of himself and his cronies.

I'm sure the mainstream sports commissioners were frustrated by various comments and questions asked during their hearing, but they bit their tongues and acted in a professional manner, just as Vince should have done in his interview.

It's a shame that Vince and his attorney were unable to attend the steroid hearings along with the heads of the mainstream sports, as I can only imagine how much press McMahon would have generated had he exhibited such behavior with the mainstream press watching so closely.

My guess is that Vince would have put on an even bigger show, and the mainstream media would have taken a much bigger interest in the steroid issue in pro wrestling. As it played out, the media moved on from the steroid issue by the time the Waxman report on pro wrestling was released, and now Vince has a transcript that he can show to his friends in his latest desperate attempt to prove that he has balls the size of grapefruits.

I had much more to say about the interviews granted by Vince, Stephanie, Linda McMahon, and TNA President Dixie Carter in a Member Exclusive audio update yesterday. If you would like to listen to the 47-minute audio commentary and gain access to all the perks of Dot Net Membership for only $5 per month, visit the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.