Vince McMahon has ‘no sympathy’ for people who retire, tells them to ‘go die’
The final episode of Netflix’s six-part Mr. McMahon series includes interviews with McMahon himself giving his thoughts on retirement.
Interviews with McMahon for the docuseries were filmed before he resigned from TKO Group Holdings in January.
When asked if he ever plans on taking a step back or even retiring, McMahon responded:
“No, I don’t see myself ever retiring. I never understood why people stop growing. When you stop growing, you die.
Some people are like ‘I want to retire one day.’ What are you going to do when you retire? I have no sympathy for people like that. So, go die.”
It’s not clear when exactly McMahon made these statements to the Netflix producers, but McMahon did announce his “retirement” in July 2022 before returning to WWE as its executive chairman in January 2023.
“Vince will never retire,” Hulk Hogan says in the documentary.
“Do I think Vince will ever stop? No. I don’t think he’ll ever stop because he loves it, it’s not work to him,” John Cena said.
“I cannot imagine a life with Vince McMahon not being the main dude in WWE. As long as he has breath in his lungs,” said Shawn Michaels.
“What do I think it would take for Vince to retire? A nuclear bomb exploding,” Booker T said before the episode cut to coverage of Vince stepping down amid a misconduct promo in 2022.
When McMahon announced his retirement over two years ago, he sent the below internal memo to WWE talent:
To all WWE Superstars: as I approach 77 years old (OMG am I really that old?), I feel it’s time for me to retire. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing my passion, wisdom, and love of the business with you. No longer will you see the smiling, docile, level-headed, calm presence at Gorilla every week.
Your dedication to WWE will ensure that our company will continue to grow and prosper. Our organization is nothing without you. You are WWE’s only natural resource, chosen to perform in front of a global audience.
You are all WWE Global Ambassadors. Carry the WWE flag wherever you go. Wave it high and proud. And bust your ass to be all you can be as a person and as a performer.
One other thing-I won’t be with you, but I’ll be watching. Remember to keep your hands up, grab a hold, and sell. Btw, SmackDown airs live tonight at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central on FOX.
Vince