Vince McMahon: USA Network CEO Kay Koplovitz Shut Down Billionaire Ted Skits During Monday Night Wars
As WWE and WCW went head-to-head in the Monday Night Wars beginning in September 1995, the two sides would often throw shots at each other.
WWE aired Billionaire Ted skits, poking fun at Ted Turner and the ages of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.
The skits were eventually put to a stop.
“I said, ‘We’re trying to have some fun with him’ and then Kay Koplovitz shut us down,” Vince McMahon recalled on “Mr. McMahon.”
Kay said, “It was really distasteful. We didn’t like it particularly, even though we were competitors with Turner. It just didn’t belong on our air. It wasn’t who we wanted to be at USA.”
Vince responded, “Kay Koplovitz made us stop because Ted was a friend of hers.”
Kay confirmed, “We’re friends. Friendly competitors, I guess you might say.”
Bruce Prichard said, “USA Network suggested we stop because they were receiving heat from folks in the Turner organization saying, ‘This is over the line and now you’re talking about how much lithium he takes.’ In hindsight, I wish that we hadn’t done that. I think we should have been above it. But we did.”
Eric Bischoff said that Ted Turner found the skits funny. Fans can read Bischoff’s full comments by clicking here.
All six episodes of “Mr. McMahon are now streaming on Netflix.
Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit in January against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis. The lawsuit accuses McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking. On May 30, Grant agreed to pause the lawsuit for six months while the federal investigation continued against McMahon, who resigned from TKO/WWE following the lawsuit being filed.
Victim Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline
Hours: Available 24 hours
1-800-656-4673
