Teddy Long Says Vince McMahon “Made a Man out of Me”

As a referee and a manger in WCW, Teddy Long never seemed to have any trouble standing up for himself. Yet in a recent conversation with TMZ, he says that it was in WWE, where he’s best known for being general manager of Smackdown, that he really learned how to be a man. In addition to standing up for yourself, you also have to learn when to stand down, and evidently Vince McMahon was the guy to make Long do just that. One player, you might say, who won’t be hollered at.

Earlier in the conversation, Long seemed to brush off negative allegations against McMahon, and what followed may explain why. He feels McMahon is the one who “made a man out of me.”

He clarified, “Because Vince was like this. He get right in your ass, brother. You didn’t have a chance. I seen him in action. He got me one time, and I said that that’ll never happen to me again. And I made sure, but all you got to do is keep him happy. Do what he says, you know? Don’t tell him what you’re not going to do. Don’t run the company. This is his shit — it’s just that simple.”