A recent podcast featuring two WWE veterans included notable commentary from the Vince McMahon era.
During an appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Michael Hayes said he often encourages younger wrestlers to let their personalities show once the bell rings.
A strong in-ring performance can be enough, but he wants to see a character emerge, he said. Hayes recalled asking Chelsea Green where her character landed during a match and joked that the question usually got him in trouble.
Stephanie was surprised he raised it, yet Hayes praised Green as a tremendous talent and said not everyone could be like her. He told Green she could not rely on good moves alone, and she understood immediately, which he attributed to her intelligence.
The comment drew attention amid the WWE: Unreal controversy. Green was upset when she first saw Hayes expressing doubt about her potential, but she later said his criticism motivated her. At SummerSlam, her mother approached Hayes, introduced herself, and confronted him over the show, and Hayes later discussed it openly backstage. On this occasion, however, he offered only praise.
Stephanie also described how Vince McMahon pushed social media. She said her father preferred to stay just ahead of the curve and recognized social media’s value before others did.
While Stephanie oversaw digital and social efforts, she said that after returning from a conference, it should be a small part of everyone’s job—about one percent of each person’s work. Vince, however, said it should be all of it. Soon, every department head was required to report on social media activity, and employees disliked the policy because they did not see how their work connected to it. Hayes remembered Vince putting Michael Cole in charge of social media.
