Vince McMahon Says WWE, AEG Agreed On Move To L.A. At NBA Game

Shane McMahon (r) Makes Verbal Agreement To Move WWE Event

WHOSE HAND IS GETTING RAISED? Denver Post columnist Woody Paige said the NBA "won" the battle against the WWE. Paige: "Vince McMahon got the publicity, but he got out of town." L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said the NBA "performed a tombstone piledriver on Vince McMahon, that's how much they won this thing." But ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan: "How can you say that the NBA and the Denver Nuggets won? You have a guy going on national television telling everybody that you didn't believe enough in your team to leave the dates open for the conference finals. … That's negative publicity that you cannot get back, and it is all about publicity" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 5/21). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: "It's great pub for him because had they been scheduled any other night of the year, nobody would even know the WWE was in Denver” (“PTI,” ESPN, 5/21).

PUBLICITY GRAB: SI.com's Arash Markazi wrote, "From the moment that this scheduling conflict arose, which actually isn't that uncommon, McMahon was never looking to keep this event in Denver. He was looking to make the biggest and longest splash he could with this golden ticket he had stumbled upon. The predicament was better than winning the lottery for McMahon. He already has enough money; the only thing he hasn't been able to buy is mainstream publicity." But the problem is McMahon "doesn't care about accommodating his fans in Colorado, which were suddenly left high and dry," as it is "all about keeping this publicity train rolling for as long as possible." McMahon "isn't doing this to put on the best show for his fans; he's doing this to get one last ESPN highlight" (SI.com, 5/21).

Print This Article