Power....
Greed...
Pride
"Born out of Vince McMahon's double-cross of The Rock at Wrestlemania was a happy family reunion with Shane and Stephanie. Don't expect it to remain that way. Their huge egos will split them apart."
WHY THE PEACE CAN'T LAST!
By Harry Burkett
FORGET THE EWINGS, the Carringtons, and even the Simpsons. The critics are right. The McMahons are the most dysfunctional family on television...probably in the country...and maybe the entire world.
At least old man Jock never smashed J.R. (Ewing, not Jim Ross) with a steel chair. Remember, that's what Vince McMahon did upon his return to RAW, clocking his son, Shane, who, as special referee, was doing his best to help The Big Show score a crooked victory over The Rock in order to end "The Great One's" WWF career.
The fans cheered loudly during that moment, but not as loudly as they did when Vince said his own daughter, Stephanie, should catch the next ride on The Godfather's Ho Train. As Vince's popularity soared, Shane and Stephanie's plummeted. Shane continued to screw The Rock at every opportunity, and Stephanie went as far as to smack her mother, Linda, on Smackdown.
Considering the bad blood cursing through the veins of all the McMahons, it was a shock when Vince nailed The Rock with yet another steel chair at WrestleMania 2000, causing him to lose the fatal four-way to WWF World Champion Triple-H. Vince reunited with his estranged children the following evening by stating his true hatred for The Rock and giving Shane and Stephanie the equivalent of gentle goodnight hugs.
"That moment was so touching that The Rock could barely hold back the people's tears," said The Rock. "Vince couldn't give a rat's [butt] about Shane, Stephanie, or anybody else. He was jealous because Shane and Stephanie were stealing his spotlight. Hitting Shane with the chair and calling Stephanie a tramp - which is exactly what she is, by the way - was his way of putting those two jabronis in their place. Vince can push them aside all right, but he can't upstage The Rock, and that's why he's trying to humiliate The Rock. A McMahon is worth about as much as 10 pounds of monkey crap!"
Given Vince McMahon's erratic behavior over the past few years, The Rock may be correct about the WWF chairman's need for attention. (He later explained that he betrayed The Rock because The Rock never thanked him for making him a star.) He was the central figure on WWF TV for 25 years until he lost all crediability at that 1997 Survivor Series. The best way for McMahon to remain on TV was to harass Steve Austin. When Austin put an exclamation point on their feud by thrashing him at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, McMahon remained in Austin's spotlight by becoming his ally. The "Greater Power" scheme saw Vince join The Undertaker. Jumping sides is a shortcut to generating attention, and Vince is the master.
Shane and Stephanie are avid students. Shane has switched sides almost as often as Vince, and Stephanie - who's been an active player in the WWF for less than a year - has already switched once. Betraying each other and reuniting again allows the McMahons to steal attention from legitimate WWF wrestlers. Even Linda McMahon, who seemed like the only voice of reason in the family, persuaded Mick Foley to retract his retirement pledge for a one night stint at WrestleMania and made herself part of the main event.
"I've been an unofficial member of the McMahon family for over 20 years," said WWF official Pat Patterson. " I love them all, but I do not condone everything they do. What you see on TV is how the McMahons act in real life. I remember going to one of their barbecues in Greenwich. Little Stephanie was putting on a show with Barbie dolls and here comes Shane with a Sgt. Slaughter action figure, which he used to beat up Ken and Barbie, then threw them in the barbecue pit.
"Vince came along, picked up Shane, and acted like he was going to throw him in the fire. Then Linda jumped on a picnic table and told them to stop. All the McMahons try to upstage each other."
As the family drama unfolds on TV, the stakes are much higher than Barbie dolls and WWF action figures. It's about power and control of the most successful wrestling federation in the world. It's about greed and who profits most from the $850-million company. It's about pride and who emerges as the dominant McMahon.
"I'm of the opinion that all relationships are power struggles to one degree or another," said Dr. Sidney M. Basil, PWI's psychological consultant. "It happens in every household. Family members argue over where to go on vacation, what to eat for dinner, and what to watch on television. People derive their self-worth from their perceived social status. Winning an argument, at least superficially, proves that one is important in the family structure. The McMahons are no different from any other family, except they're fighting for the WWF World Championship instead of the remote control. Don't expect their truce to last very long."
For generations, the McMahons kept their family turmoil private. Vince Jr. didn't confront Vince McMahon Sr. on the old Championship Wrestling show to demand an announcing job. He didn't gain control of the WWF in front of millions of viewers. Any philosophical differences between father and son remained at the office.
Now, after all the public bickering, the McMahons are trying to act like a respectable family. Will it last?
No chance in hell.