I Am Vince McMahon -- Writer's Poke #302

Vince McMahon has a love/hate relationship with his job. He is so involved in the product, but he is a slave to the product. Sometimes, he seems like he'd rather be doing anything but professional wrestling, but he's never found a way out. He will always be a professional wrestling promoter, no matter how many other ventures he attempts.

For years, Vince has tried to remove the stigma attached to professional wrestling. First, he changed the name. He called it "Sports Entertainment," and he prohibited announcers from using the term "professional wrestling." Professional Wrestlers ceased to exist. Instead, they were called "performers" or "workers." Recently, he even attempted to change "Sports Entertainment" into, simply, "Entertainment."

I never appreciated the way Vince has tried to remove professional wrestling from the product, but it occurred to me that I have done the same thing with English in English classes. I've never wanted to be an "English teacher" that simply taught English classes. Instead, I have always tried to rebrand the experience for my students. I have always tried to show my students that English classes are more than their expectations.

So, maybe I have been wrong about Vince all along. Perhaps he's always loved the product. Perhaps he just wanted to expand our sense of what professional wrestling is, or what professional wrestling could be. It took me years to appreciate this fact, although in my own small way, I've been Vince McMahon myself for years.

Who are you like that surprises you?

"I have to do something with my mind, or I'll get trouble." -- Vince McMahon

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