WWE Hall of Famer JBL defended Vince McMahon’s controversial decision to continue running WWE shows during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite widespread opposition. Speaking on the “Something To Wrestle With” podcast, JBL revealed that McMahon personally asked him to return to commentary to provide a sense of familiarity and continuity for fans during a turbulent time.
JBL described the eerie atmosphere of empty airports and the widespread fear of the unknown, emphasizing the uncertainty that defined the pandemic. He acknowledged that most people within WWE and the media criticized McMahon’s decision, but McMahon believed it was necessary to honor WWE’s TV contracts and safeguard the company’s financial future.
By maintaining live shows, even without an audience, WWE preserved its TV deals, which later became even more valuable. JBL praised McMahon’s leadership, crediting him with saving the company and securing billion-dollar contracts. He described McMahon as a visionary who consistently stays ahead of the curve in the wrestling industry.
Here’s what the former WWE Champion said:
“During COVID, Vince called me and he said, ‘I need an old voice on television. Are you coming?’ ‘You know I am.’ I said, ‘Where are you?’ He goes, ‘We’re in Orlando. We got no audience. I need an old voice, the old commentary, somebody that people recognize.’
There was nobody in the airport… Everybody was sitting up front, first class. I said, ‘I think I’m gonna sit in the back’, like 15 seats on both sides of you because you didn’t know what was going to happen back then. You didn’t know if the whole world is going to die or you’re going to get it and die. Everybody thinks they’re going to die.
I can tell you, almost everybody in the company was against Vince running. Everybody was against it. All the press was against it. Everything, it was, ‘This is horrible. How dare he do this?’ He said, ‘If I don’t, I will lose all my TV contracts.’ Those TV contracts of live events became worth exponentially more.
You thought they’re gonna be worth exponentially less, is what you thought during COVID, because we didn’t know if the world was ending or not. Everybody wanted out of those TV contracts. But because he did that, he got these billion dollar TV contracts out of it. He saved the freaking company with that.
It was unbelievable what he did by doing all that, Vince, his entire life, has constantly been one step ahead of everything and everybody else in wrestling.”
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