Wrestling with Shadows: My Story & McMahon's Dark Side

00:03.13
Bruce Anthony
Welcome First of all welcome this is unsolicited perspectives I'm Bruce Anthony your host here to lead the conversation in important events and topics that are shaping today's society join the conversation by following us wherever you get your audio podcast subscribe to our Youtube channel to get our video podcast rate review. Like comment share share it with your friends share with your family hell even share with your enemies on today's episode I'm gonna be opening up a little bit and telling you about something that I've not really ever talked about and I'm gonna share on the show and then we're also going to talk about the moral dilemma. When your favorite actors musicians entertainers do something that makes you question if you can even enjoy their entertainment but that's enough of the intro. Let's get to the show.

01:00.86
Bruce Anthony
This show like I said is gonna be very personal to me and there's a larger theme throughout the show. So follow me, y'all know how I like to web themes in my individual shows to to make ah a larger point that. You probably not gonna see the full picture until I completed at the end of this episode but bear with me I'm going to bear my soul in this first segment to set up the second segment so follow with me and I shouldn't get emotional when talking about this but I'm gonna be raw and real. Was interviewing somebody recently. They're an author and they expressed how writing is cathartic for them and it is a form of therapy now I've taken therapy before taken therapy I've done therapy before ah and the story I'm about to tell you was the actual first. Real real attempt to for me to do therapy. Um that I and a therapist didn't really click and then I didn't really do therapy for another sixteen years after that. Um but therapy is really really important talking about your emotions and your feelings are really really important. So let me start at the beginning. It's 1996. It's the summer of 1996 I'm sixteen years old my father has gotten a new job that's going to move the family from Lynchburg Virginia that's about 4 hours away from Washington Dc and we're going to move to DC.

02:34.40
Bruce Anthony
Now I'm in the summer of my sophomore year going into my junior year high school a lot of these friends that I have I've had since I was eight years old Lynchburg as segregated and closed off as it is has been my home for the past. 5 6 years right? So it was really coming of age and as a young person young kid teenager. Um in this area and I'm going to be moving to Washington d c now. I'm sure you guys can gather that Lynchburg Virginia and Washington Dc the demographics of which are very very different. Um, but this is also when I found out that I really really enjoy different cultures different people. Different races different lifestyles that I really love learning about people and getting to know people and Lynchburg I really didn't have an opportunity There's a white side and a black side I think there was 1 or 2 ah. Kids that I grew up with that weren't white or black I think one was asian and then one was um I think she was adopted. She was polish um, but other than that really didn't have any other nationalities living in Lynchburg and and once again, this is kind of like my coming of age right? like.

04:04.55
Bruce Anthony
Preteens into my early teens this is where I lived in Lynchburg Virginia also during the summer of 1996 my grandfather is slowly but surely deteriorating from prostate cancer. This is the first ah family member that. I'm watching wither away and die right? This is the first time I'm going to have a family member that I actually like know I have a relationship with past and once again I'm sixteen years old and my grandfather is like a hero to me I mean he was this big giant man that was to me. He was a gentlest giant. And the world. Um, my dad tells different stories but grandkids grandparents are always different to their grandkids. He was my hero I I literally known him all my life I know it's funny because my mom side of the family when we were living in Illinois. Lived all the way over here in the East Coast so for like those formative young years I didn't really know that those grandparents so my grandfather and my grandmother my paternal grandfather and grandmother were really the only parents that I knew until I don't know around 8 so there was a bond that was forming like when we moved. To Virginia from Illinois he got a janitor's job and and he would take me to the school and let me play basketball while he was cleaning up and that was you know quality time that we spent together very very important man in my life at the same time.

05:37.15
Bruce Anthony
That summer somebody who is like an older brother to me still to this day is like an older brother to me is getting ready to face serious jail time real serious jail time for very serious crimes at the same time. Another person who I was fairly close with had just been murdered. So I've got a lot going on. Um, so that summer when my dad got the job I was playing basketball and I was a decent high school basketball player. You know definitely had some d one potential. My friends now would say no, you didn't but no I absolutely did I was getting college interest letters and getting interest from colleges as a freshman so and d one colleges so I I had some skill right like i. Was more than above average. Um, so I'm gonna be going to a new high school which is a a different experience for me because I spent my freshman and sophomore year at this one particular high school high school I'm in the program I'm ingrained in the program I know what my trajectory is I know what my role is. But I'm gonna experience something different and so I got accepted into a very very prestigious private school in the Dc area and also at the same time a basketball power so it was a fantastic.

07:09.58
Bruce Anthony
Opportunity for me, not on not only for my what I thought at the time was a basketball career but also academically like you don't get these opportunities and another thing that my friends say where you weren't that good I was the first player ever in that coach's history and that coach had coached for. Probably thirty years prior the first player in that coach's history that they ever accepted to transfer in typically to be involved in that program. You would have to join in as a freshman and work your way through that program here I was coming in as a junior and gonna be. Playing on the basketball team. So here's the problem though because I have to start school early or start school on time. Um, my mom brother and sister we hadn't sold the house shit hadn't decided what we were gonna do the house and. In Lynchburg but my dad had to start his job in Dc so me and my father moved into a corporate temporary housing apartment. You know one of those corporate apartments that's already furnished that that his company had provided for him. It's already furnished. Um. And this town in Maryland called Gaithersburg now let me explain to everybody who is not familiar with the Dmv and the dnv stands for the district the state of Maryland and the state of Virginia the reason why it's called the Dv is because these states.

08:39.24
Bruce Anthony
And the most part are very very connected northern part of Virginia and I guess it would be called the southern part of Maryland are connected to Dc. It's also connected. Ah not just because they're literally masses of land that are connected to each other but they're also connected through a metro system. So the metro goes through. Multiple counties in Virginia and in Maryland so we call it the Dv where we move to is at the top of 1 line where I have to go to school is at the bottom of another line plus a shuttle ride from that metro station to the school. So. Put this all in context for you ladies and gentlemen I'm sixteen years old I am leaving my mom. My brother and sister. It's just me and my dad I am dealing with the family member who's passing a friend who passed away another. Older brother simple who is going away for a long time I'm moving to a new area. A new area where I know nobody the school I'm going to I forgot to add. This is a prestigious private school but it also is an all boy school and you have to wear. Ah, uniform suit and tie blazer for you people that ah known me and listen to the show. You know I'm kind of a free spirit to constrict me to make me assimilate into a certain type of group or structure is really really difficult for me.

10:13.20
Bruce Anthony
And knew all these things going into it but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up so I'm dealing with all this stuff on top of that the travel to get to the school is not easy so to give you guys an example I'm riding this train and for those people that live in New York they're like what? Ah what big deal is this for me. It was a very big deal coming from Lynchburg Virginia where. We didn't even have a train. Um I'm traveling an hour one hour on the metro train and then taking a shuttle which is about a 10 minute ride now if I missed the shuttle I have to walk to the school and to walk to the schools maybe like two and a half maybe three miles. But I have to walk to the school if I miss the shuttle because the shuttle picks up at a specific time and then that's it. Ah, it doesn't run continuous loops. So another thing that I got to add is you know like I said my dad is starting a new job so when he's starting a new demanding job. So I'm on my own a lot. And it's not anybody's fault. It's not my parents' fault. This is a great opportunity for my father. It's a great opportunity for the family. Um, and my parents were young. My parents were at this time were younger than I am right now. Um, and I'm not the one to share this is this is part of my problem I'm not 1 to share about things that I'm dealing with hell sometimes at that age I barely knew how to express the things that I was dealing with so this was a very very tough time and a tough adjustment for me if it had just been the school alone that would have been a tough adjustment.

11:48.71
Bruce Anthony
Had it just been my grandfather dealing with that that would have been tough for me to deal with had it just been my big brother ah going to prison for a long time that would have been tough to deal with if it had to been just my acquaintance being murdered that would have been tough to deal with but but all of these things going on the same time and. I'm alone. Ah I'm alone completely alone because I don't have any friends where I live because the school is so far away. It's not like I can hang out with my friends after school I've got to go home right? because you know you're on a metro system and things like that. Not like I can hang out with my friends on a weekend because on the weekends we're going back and forth to my grandparents house because we're dealing with my grandfather passing the way I'm alone I can't say that I don't have anybody to talk to but I don't know how or who to talk to It's tough to talk to my father. He's got a lot of things on his plate and he if he knew if my parents knew what I was going through. They obviously would have been there for me but they had no idea because once again I didn't know how to express it I didn't even know what I was feeling I had no idea what anxiety and depression. Truly truly was this is the mid 90 s this wasn't a conversation that is brought up like it is today. It is just you know sometimes you fill the blues. Well this was filling the blues every single day and it's tough when you're dealing with that because you don't know how to express it to your to the to your loved ones.

13:23.97
Bruce Anthony
Don't even really know how to express it within yourself and so like I said it was a tough time and I was not handling it well I was sort of rebelling because I knew after the first week of going to that school that something had to give. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to conform to what that school needed me to be to be a student and it's not the academics. You know I'm smart enough to be in that school I'm smart enough to get good grades that was never an issue. It was a social element and as much as I talk about how I'm an introvert. Um, an introvert extrovert. Even if I don't talk to people I need to be around people and I also need to be around the opposite of sex like I need women in my life like that I did not realize that up until that point. But at 16 years old I knew I needed women in my life and there were no. Women there were no young girls that I could talk to or things of that nature. There was no places I could go. You could go to the mall but you're not going to walk up to a group of people and be like hey do you want to be my friend and all of the friends at that private school that I went to they all lived in different parts of the d andv. And it's not really easy to get to. Yes, there's a metro kind of connecting everything but the metros is like a metro stop and then they might not live close to a metro stop. So I was completely alone and after the first week of going to that school I told my dad I was like I don't want to go to the school dad. This isn't gonna work for me.

14:55.84
Bruce Anthony
And he said that's cool with me. You know, just talk to your mom and you know tell her what you want to do and we'll get you in local public school because I really wanted to just go to a local public school I just wanted to be around I can start new again right? like I can make friends. That's not really that big of a deal with me but I just wanted to wear my own clothes be my own spirit. And be around some women you know and my mom was like no, you're gonna stay in that school. It's an academic opportunity of which most people do not get first of all, it's private school so you have to be accepted in academically right um. And so she was just like no this is gonna open doors for you. You're gonna stay in the school me and my mom have a very special relationship. There was a time when I was younger where I used to go to my mom and talk to her about everything as I got a little older it became tougher to talk to my mom about certain things because you get older. You're a teenage. Boy. You don't want to talk to your mom about certain stuff and I didn't really talk to my dad about certain stuff. Um, so I just pretty much held things inside but me and my mom always had a really close relationship so when she said no that really really hurt me and I didn't speak to her for a long time I did not speak to her. For a very long time because at that time I couldn't express to my mother and father why it really was that I wanted to leave the school I you know I said I want to wear my own clothes and girls but it was more of I felt constricted and in my own self-expression and I needed that outlet.

16:29.16
Bruce Anthony
In order to just be able to take a breath I can understand that now looking back at 16 year old self now that I'm 43 years old but it was a very very tough tough tough thing for a sixteen year old and in the mid 90 s to explain to his parents who are. Extremely educated. But once again, we don't really understand about mental health like I I couldn't tell them that the anxiety and depression was weighing on me. Um, they that wasn't things that that I even knew about at that time and wasn't things that was well versed in society. So I rebelled. And I rebelled in only way that Bruce could rebel I basically didn't go to school because remember I'm on my own and my parents didn't know for some strange reason the school didn't call and tell them I would make a appearances I would just be late right? and I literally tried to flunk out of school. It took me a long time to pull my gpa back up from just. A quarter. Not even a full semester just a quarter report card. It was horrible I figured if I can't play basketball and I flunk out of school. They got no choice but to send me to the local public school. The reason why I will not name this school is because even though my grades were bad that. Assistant coaches came to me and said your grades are bad. You can't try out for the team I said okay not a problem because remember I'm trying to get out of school anyway. Well it just so happens that even though I did not change any of my habits a week later

18:04.50
Bruce Anthony
The same coaches came to me and said all right, you're clear to ah to come out to practice I was like well wait a minute trials is over ah you already have your team and my grades didn't change. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're cleared to come out to practice. Ah I like my parents weren't letting me out of the school and so I was like okay I'll go to the practice. You know, whatever finally something happened where I was finally allowed to to get out of school and that's really private and I'm gonna keep it keep keep that private only people that need to know what happened are me my parents and the school administrators. Let's just say I found a way out of that school. But um I bring all of this up because because I was alone because I was dealing with stuff that I I could not describe the way I got through it. Was through certain forms of entertainment. One of those forms of entertainment was professional wrestling now I've always been a fan of professional wrestling I tell it I don't know how many times maybe every 3 episodes of how. Used to own a piece of a wrestling company here in Washington d c and I was the creative and marketing director of that company and I wrote the scripts and I planned the shows and all that stuff and and that was one of my dream jobs right? like that was one of my dream jobs. But I've always loved wrestling ever since I saw Hawk Hogan walk down the aisle.

19:36.52
Bruce Anthony
Right? Um, so we're talking eighty five eighty six when I'm a young kid you know I cried when macho man hit ricky the dragon steamboat in the throat with the bell you know cause Ricky Dragon Steamboat was my dude I had the action figures I would tie my dad's ties. Ah ah around my ankles and wrists. And pretend that I was the rock and roll express who was my tag team before the rockers became I watched all wrestling I watched Jim K crockcker promotions the and nwwe later became wcw but the main company that I always watched even though there was a brief period from like 12 at the age of 12 where I kind of stopped watching became right back when I was 13 the main company that I always watched was the w wf now called the Ww and everybody knows the w wf w w everybody knows the rock everybody knows Hawkcogan everybody knows stonecot these are household names and. 9096 wrestling got me through one of the toughest times that I could that I that I dealt with at that point in my life because it was a point in time where I can escape and I find it funny. Because a lot of my male friends asked me Bruce I don't understand you used to be such a sports fanatic. Why are you no longer, a sports fanatic and you have to think about why men in particular but people in general are sports fanatics or.

21:09.47
Bruce Anthony
Loved lorded the rings or loved stranger things. It's an escape. It's it's a moment in time where it's an hour two hour hour 2 hour hour two hour hour 2 hour hour two hour hour 2 hour hour two hour hour 2 hours 3 hours all day long if it's football or something like that where you don't have to worry about your problems. You don't have to deal with your problems. You can be in the moment you can put yourself in that moment of that tv show or that spawning event and escape and that's what wrestling was for me for those for those 2 hours on Monday for that hour on Saturday no for 2 hours on Saturday for that hour on Sunday those moments that I did not miss I could not miss were an opportunity for me to escape and people do this all the time whether they vibe out to music. Or they're watching their favorite Tv shows or they go to the movies all day long people need sometimes an escape a healthy escape because there are unhealthy escapes right? There are substances that you can use to escape whatever issues that are going on your life I'm not talking about that talking about entertainment. People use entertainment to escape because real life is hard real life is challenging. There's a lot of people out there that feel like they're alone. There are a lot of people out. There are listening to this podcast right now that feel like they're alone that feel like that. There's nobody that they could talk to to feel like there's nobody that can share themselves with.

22:41.37
Bruce Anthony
And that's a scary and lonely feeling and ah that entertainment gives them the opportunity to not have to think or worry about their problems. Even if it's just a brief moment in time. It's an escape and that relief from that anxiety or that depression can make the world a difference in your mental health and like I said for me is professional wrestling and I needed that I used it and it got me through it got me through. 1 of those tough times as a young individual where I had no other way to release it because basketball would normally be my release but that was stressful in and of itself. What I was going to do with my junior year because my junior year was basically shy. You know transferring in between schools and things of that nature. So basketball wasn't in release and at that point basketball became a stressor because it was no longer fun. It was about business then it was it became about business. Not actually me getting money like I never got any money I got you know trophies and gifts and stuff like that but never any money but the business of basketball was coming. Because college was coming college was right around the corner so basketball became a lot more serious and the fun was gone that was no longer a release that was no longer escape professional wrestling wasn't escape now I told that story and I brought all that up because something very very important happened.

24:13.86
Bruce Anthony
Just this week in professional wrestling and this is when you have the crisis crisis of conscience when morally when their entertainers do something that you are morally against can you still enjoy their entertainment. I'm going to attempt attempt to answer that question. Next.

24:44.87
Bruce Anthony
Okay, all right now we're gonna get to ah what I used to to deal with it like I said in the first segment I used professional wrestling So when my grandfather passes and my older brother. Older brother figure is sentenced um wrestling becomes even more and more important to me and I'm watching it as much as I can consume it and wc W world championship wrestling that was owned by a turn of broadcasting.

25:19.20
Bruce Anthony
Ah, created a hot little storyline called the new world order where Hawk Hogan everybody knows who Hawk Cogan is turned into a bad guy and some some of the wrestlers from the w wf left w wf and joined wc w so they created this. Fake invasion angle like it. They were all major stars from wwf that had joined the wcw. It was a major major cool time. Ah Brett Hart who is my favorite wrestler was wrestling and wwf and like storylines that were going on very much. Using these things in order to deal with life. So w wf to me has always been a major company. So let me give a little history about the ww wf and it's former owner Vincent Kennedy Mcmahon so Vi Mcmahon was born ah he was a world war 2 wo baby August Twenty Fourth 1945 a leo in North Carolina he was the son of a wrestling promoter and began working as a ringside announcer for his father's business. The capital wrestling corporation which would later become the world wide wrestling federation that would later become the world wrestling federation that would later become. World wrestling entertainment. Um, he bought the company from his father in 1982 and decided to change the trajectory of wrestling wrestling was basically territories so think of it as a crime syndicate because he's often described as a crime syndicate where.

26:47.25
Bruce Anthony
All of these different promoters had different territories different locations in which they ran their promotion. Um Vince big manon his father ran a promotion in and northeast part of the United States there was a midatlantic promotion. There was a Georgia promotion. There was a Florida promotion. There were several promotions in Texas. It was a mid south promotion that that accompanied ah that accompanied Oklahoma and Louisiana there was a northwest promotion that was based out of Portland so they had all these different promotions what he did was is when he bought his dad's company. Ah everybody had regional television rights or if they had television rights. They were regional. He wanted to take his company national. There was unwritten rules that you would not promote your wrestling show in other territories where he broke all the rules he offered other promoters their company some sold. Ones that den it he was going in that territory anyway and he had the biggest star Hawk Cogan who he took from the aw a which was a company based out of ah it was based out of Minnesota but it ran pretty much like I knew it because it was while I was living in Illinois like aw was a big thing. He was a huge star in aw after rocky three that man saw the star potential in him signed him up brought him to wwf put put rock and wrestling when they made an agreement with Mtv that was ah a new channel at that time created rock and wrestling.

28:16.49
Bruce Anthony
And started doing these big events that eventually led to wrestlemanian everybody knows what Wrestlemania is if you know anything about wrestling know about wresemania along the way there have been some allegations of sexual misconduct within the company. So realize that. Not only is it a wrestling and promotion. It's a company so there is a corporate side. They have corporate offices in Stanford Connecticut. There's a corporate side to the entire company right? It's not just wrestlers and bookers and writers. There's also legal staff and people that do admin and payroll. It's it's a it's an entertainment company. So it's not solely the performers. There's also people like you that work in an office that work in the office. The headquarters ah Wwe W and there've been some sexual assault allegations through the years right a former wrestler a former female or ah, wrestler was accused other wrestlers of sexually assaulting her during her overseas trip years later whether this connected or not she committed suicide. There has been a ring boy scandal. There's been some. Um there's been some sexual ah sexual assault allegations and 2022 Vincent Mcmahon resigned from his post because his company is a publicly traded company and they found out.

29:52.56
Bruce Anthony
That he had been paying hush money ah to certain employees that he had had a sexual relationship with this big man. This is a family run business for the most part right? like he bought it from his father his kids were running it with him high ranking executives his wife. Um, was a high ranking executive in the company as well. But when he went public. You know you have a board of directors and they found out about this found out. He had been paying people with hush money. Um, and that the hush money that he was paying was because he sexually assaulted somebody and so he resigned he looked he later Two years later forced his way back in ah because he's still the majority stakeholder in the company forced his way back in led to a sale to the company that own a Ufc and they merge Ufc and ww e together to become tk o now ufc still. Has their own thing wwe still has their own thing but they're part of a larger company called tk where he was a board director and it was a high ranking. He was an executive in a Ww. Well that hush money that he paid and then n d a became null and void. As far as this person was concerned because he didn't pay all the money he paid 1000000 of the $3000000 that he was supposed to pay so a former Ww employee Janelle Grant filed a federal lawsuit accuseding visk man and other w executive of serious sexual misconduct this all came out.

31:27.92
Bruce Anthony
This week and before a major event the royal rumble which is the start to the role of Wrestlemania so if you guys out here are paying attention to the actual specifics of wrestling is not very very important to what I'm saying but I want to give you guys context. Everybody pretty much knows who W Rusemania is even if you don't follow wrestling. There's certain things about wrestling that you know you know how hoke you know Hawk Hogan you know the rock you know Stone Coast Steve Austin you know wrestle Mania that is synonymous as a super bowl. Even if you don't watch football. You know what? the super bowl is if you know if you don't watch cos basketball you know what? the final 4 is. Even if you don't watch baseball. You know what? the world series is so that's what Wrestlemania is so it's a known thing and we're on the royal rumble is the start to the road to Wrestlemania so think the start of the and nca tournament when everybody fills out their bracket. This is the start of it. Yes. The final four is the major conclusion of this of those brackets being filled out right? That's the end goal. That's the big event but this is all part of some larger event and the road to rusemanius begins at the royal rumble which determines kind of what the main event ah of Wrestlemania is gonna be so. Russell Mania happened this past Saturday January the Twenty seventh I believe Saturday night and it's a big deal. It's to start to the world of W Rust Mania these allegations that I'm about to describe to you came out on Thursday remind you, he's still an executive.

33:00.59
Bruce Anthony
For a high rankking executive. Basically the man is still in control of the Wwe W even though he has a board to answer to right? So these this lawsuit comes out the lawsuit accuses mcmahon of sexual assault trafficking and physical abuse. And alleges that being man promised a job and later promotions at the Wwe W in exchange for sex. This is with Janelle Grant this is what she's claiming in her lawsuit. The lawsuit also includes allegations that mcman trafficked her to other men inside and outside of the company at the end of her employment. And their sexual relationship may man allegedly pressured grant into signing a nondisclosure agreement in exchange for payments over several years totaling $3000000 he only paid a million so she pissed and she. She's coming back after him. The allegations are coming back out in response to these allegations vix mc man resigned from his role as executive chairman of Tko the parent company of the Ww. So he just did that just as past I think it was friday. Friday or Saturday right before um the paperview now I'm not going to get into the the the nasty nasty details of this sexual assault allegation. But it's some heinous stuff that Janelle Grant his accused events been man of.

34:28.15
Bruce Anthony
And um, I'm gonna be real honest I believe her I do you I'm I'm a fan of the Ww I'm a fan of ah I'm a historian of the Ww to a certain extent I've been watching it for almost forty years now right um. Know storylines I know when things happen and I know sometimes the product and how he treats his performers so it's not hard for me to imagine that some of the things that he's had his performers do that he would have employees in the office. Also do he's degraded. A lot of his performers. It's not surprising to me that he would degrade people in his personal life and I'm not making the connection I'm just saying that he and Donald Trump are really really good friends I'm not making that connection I'm just I'm just stating things that are facts he and Donald Trump are really really. Good France but some of the things that that's aeged in the suit are absolutely horrific. Um, the way he treated. This woman is absolutely horrific the response on the internet from wrestling fans some not all. Some has been absolutely horrific. There's a bigger question to be examined of how we treat sexual assault victims in this country in this world. Sexual assault is a real real thing I can almost guarantee. Ah.

36:04.59
Bruce Anthony
That there's people out here that are listening and watching us who don't personally want to be sexually assaulted and unfortunately I know some of you have and the only greater crime to me is violating. Then Violating somebody's person is doing something to kids. They're not neck and neck because you should never harm a kid and then violating a kid is the ultimate worst crime that I'm sorry I could never forgive you for but violating a person. Is heinous because nobody would want that done to them. So Why would you do that to somebody else the response and the excuses that we make for the people that actually violate She shouldn't have been walking down that alley with that dress on she should have known that she couldn't control himself. Are you kidding me. And there are men and women that say these things I've heard them I've heard sexual assault victims actually say these things I don't understand why there's such a lack of empathy for people who have been violated who's had their person. Violated Where's the empathy and I know where a lot of it comes from from some of these wrestling fans who are actually saying well innocent into a prove and get guilty. They're absolutely right.

37:34.87
Bruce Anthony
This man is innocent until proven guilty under the courts of law here in the United States legally but we know what the answer is morally right there there are people that defend Bill Cosby some of those women took the drugs voluntarily. So that excuses his actions that excuses him violating them. What about those women who didn't just because somebody did take him violent voluntarily the excuses actions for those women that didn't take him voluntarily I mean these are questions you got to ask? why? why. Why this is a question I'm asking out to all the community here to listen to the show. Why are so people so quick to make excuses for those people that are in power this idea that because people are in power are morally or better just generally better. Those people and should be looked at as something more than there are people who legitimately talk about um former president Donald Trump as this great man because he ran successful business. Well yes, and no right like he is successful. He's also bankrupted a lot of times. Which in business right? You fail you win some you lose some I'm a prime example of that I've failed in business. Not once but a few times right that that doesn't determine. You know if you're of a failure successful as a person. But.

39:05.70
Bruce Anthony
Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you're this benevolent person and it just amazes me when there's labor disputes. How people routinely unless you're involved in it side with the people that. Control the purse strings that there's some of that in this as far as people defending him because some people are saying it's innocent innocent. He'll prove a guilty. Let's wait for all the facts of the case other people are saying with some money grabbbed. She's just out here doing it. Ah. Ah, how can you force somebody to do certain things that they don't want to do easily. We're all forced to do things that we don't want to do sometimes we're all put in positions where we're the beta I know there are so many ah men out there that feel like they're alpha go to jail go to jail one time. That determines if you're alpha a beta there's a lot of alpha males out there right now that will become extreme betas in jail situations determine if you're an alpha abated nobody is majorly one or the other and sometimes we're in situations where. We have no choice that there are no options that it is a tough out and I believe Janelle Gray I believe it was a tough out. Did it start out as you know a mutual thing where you know they they have sex as she gets advancement. Maybe.

40:36.61
Bruce Anthony
That doesn't mean that she agreed to be in traffic to other people and some of the details are you know Vince Mc Manon and another person who's also John Lourenitis who was in high ranking executive for for world wrestling entertainment um had her in her office and. Sexually assaulted her while people were outside you know working now I'm not blaming the people outside working they may not have known what was going on in that office. But you know there's been allegations in this suit that he shared personal information pictures videos that she sent to him to everybody else. That he showed people right that she didn't intend for that to be the case that there's even a claim in the lawsuit that in order to sign a performer. He told the performer you can have her you can have your away with her and gave the performer. Her phone number to call out to say hey I'm about to finish this deal but you're a part of that deal. He pepped her out you pinned her out and I believe her I do but that's enough about the allegations of what's going on and lucky luckily I'm not in a crisis because. He actually resigned so now he is no longer a part of the organization. So I don't have to question whether or not am I morally wrong still supporting the show. He no longer has any connection to the show whatsoever. But I brought up.

42:12.17
Bruce Anthony
On the most recent show with my sister Michael Jackson's new biopic and the fact that this is where I I'm a hypocrite and I I understand that I acknowledge that as much as I hate hypocrites this is where I'm a hypocrite I won't watch or haven't I've been say I'm going to but I haven't watched the documentaries that are surrounding. Allegations with Michael Jackson and kids these documentaries are very very convincing right? because documentaries are are kind of like papers. There's a thesis statement in there and and any paper or any thesis statement. You are going out to prove your thesis statement. So you're going to have evidence. And things to back up your thesis statement and the basic point of these documentaries is to basically prove that Michael Jackson was a child molester which I've said right here on this show is the absolute worst crime right? I don't know if i. Don't believe it or don't want to believe it and and that's the reason why I don't why she's documentaries is's probably I don't want to believe it I but I also don't believe it but I don't know right like I I don't know because I what I do know is that I don't want my. Michael Jackson taken away from me I don't want that feel goodd taken away from me and a lot of people will defend an artist or defend a Vince Mcmahon for their hand his actions because they don't want to lose that entertainment why entertainment is an escape.

43:46.90
Bruce Anthony
You're already dealing with your real life. Whatever stressors stressors or issues that are causing you anxiety depression. This is your release that musician that might have been accused of sexual assault or might have even gone to jail for sexual assault has written and performed. Some really good songs that mean something to you. Emotionally it's connected to a time and a place you don't want to give that up because then you had to give up that connection. Then maybe you got to deal with whatever it was that you were trying to escape from this is tough I understand that crises. Of can you separate the artists from the art and I don't know what the answer is why is it that I'm that I only listen to two r Kelly songs as 2 r Kelly songs I can't give up why because there's a there's an emotional connection to those songs but I won't listen to his catalog. Then I have friends of mine I was just like look what he did was heinous but he made good music some keep listening to his music I ah like how can you support somebody that did that right? if Vince may was still part of this wrestling company I would have to stop watching it I would have to if he comes back. I have to stop watching and I really really enjoy it I don't really use it as escape anymore I just ah think that it's really really good storytelling I mean this male soap opera where they fight each other at the end I mean it's it's really, really, really cool I have other outlets now to to deal with anxiety or stress.

45:18.48
Bruce Anthony
Working out is a huge outlet of stress I don't want anybody out there worried about me saying is Bruce going through something that he don't want to give up wrestling but I don't want to give up wrestling I will though if he comes back now I know that now that I know the full scale of these allegations because beforehand we kind of knew that there was something there. But we didn't know the details and then that always the problem right? We knew R Kelly situation for decades but just when those documentaries came out and the details came out when there's video attached to these these atrocities to these crimes that's when it hits home because if it's just out there and words and it's not very descriptive. It's not very detailed. We can escape it right? We can push it aside and not deal with it. And I don't know I don't know what the answer is I know that I can't judge people I can't judge people for not wanting to give up the thing that they use to escape because it's connected to something really horrible. Because maybe what they're dealing with is so horrible and they have no other escape that that's the only way that they can deal I can't judge them because I do the same thing with Michael Jackson I do the same thing with the couple of songs of r kelly

46:46.66
Bruce Anthony
I'm still going to watch old paperviews that Vince Mcmanner are associated with when I know for a fact that these allegations were going on. Not these specific because these specific allegations said they would start sometime during a pandemic but there's been smoke around him since the 80 s since the 80 s and you know a lot of things when you have money you could pay and ndas and things just kind of gets swept out in the rug and gets pushed away. But these things that are happening to people the harmful things that are happening to people are real and the harmful things that the entertainers are doing things that we love and enjoy are doing it it's tough to enjoy that entertainment when you know that it's connected to somebody or something or some group or some company. That's just done horrible things. We. Enjoy our cars and our jordans our tennis shoes when it's essentially slave labor overseas. We don't want to think about that we don't want to think about kids in sweatshops making these shoes. Creating these products for us because we use these shoes we use these televisions we use these cars we use these clothes as things to escape whatever horrible things that we're dealing with buying the shoes makes us feel good. We like looking good. We like being looked at.

48:22.50
Bruce Anthony
That makes us feel good that takes away some of our anxiety and our depression last thing that we want to deal with is how these things are being made and being created. It's tough and like I said I was attempting to answer the question I don't know that there is an answer to this question. I Don't know that this question can be answered I think that at best at best we can examine each situation and you can desire for yourself because that's really all it comes down to right is a self decision. You can only decide for yourself. What you're willing to. Morally sacrifice for your mental health I mean there there it is right? there. What are you willing to morally sacrifice for your mental health I mean it if it comes to a point where look I need this escape because. If I don't have it I might kill myself. Well there' was a lot of things that you'll morally let slide if that is if that's gonna be the end result then that's understandable and nobody's going to judge you or nobody should judge you for that. That fact in the matter is people shouldn't be out here judge it and I'm. I Need to take my own advice because I'd be out here judging I'd be judging folks a lot I try not to but some of y'all are are kind of dumb. Ah yeah, it's true. Sometimes I talk to people and I'm like is that really what you think? Wow. Okay, if you like it I Love it I guess.

49:55.15
Bruce Anthony
And that's a black expression if you like it I love it means we don't really love it. We just you know we're humoring you but I don't know this is this was a thought piece All of it was all the whole show was a thought piece then I'm not trying to answer the questions for you guys. Um I don't want to answer the questions for you guys I don't want to have that type of authority over people I don't I shouldn't have that type of authority over people like I don't I don't have answers all myself I'm still trying to learn myself I'm still trying to grow and evolve myself. But I guess that's the point right is to sit in thought and question. These things and question. You know where is your moral compass. What are things that you are willing to give up and willing and things that you're not willing to give up and why and why? why are you willing to give up certain things and why are you not willing to give up certain things and if it's for your mental health I get it. But also therapy is a thing and I strongly recommend it like I said the top of the show when I was 16 I tried my first hand in therapy my parents realized that something was going on with the fact of me skipping school and and all these other things and and got me with the therapist me and that therapist just didn't connect and. At the time it was oh I'm just being difficult but now that I've gotten older and mental health professionals will tell you you know sometimes you know therapists and clients don't mesh I mean it's a personality thing sometimes right like.

51:23.40
Bruce Anthony
Like you can hire a personal trainer. You can you can you can get with a doctor you can get with a dentist is sometimes a match just isn't right? That's the same with mental health professionals. So just because you try something try therapy and it doesn't work with 1 individual doesn't mean that it won't work with another individual so mental health is important. And it's cool to have things that that we use to escape there's I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with that. Just maybe examine. All of us should examine what it is that we're trying to escape from if it's just a mental escape sometimes we need that if there's something bigger. You need to address that issue and the the video games and sporting events and Tv shows and the music is not gonna solve the problem. It's a temporary fix. You need real help. Um, that's the overall theme to the show is mental health. Awareness if you guys haven't picked up on that mental health awareness. It's a real thing and there's so many macho guys out there. They're like I don't need to talk to anybody. But you're using things as a crutch you're using sports using alcohol using weed as a crutch because you don't want to address your problems. That was a side tangent but the main tangent is when it comes to entertainment entertainers and morally and them having morally corrupt actions. Whatever you decide in your mind is morally corrupt. There's a question that you must ask yourself.

52:56.96
Bruce Anthony
Can I give this up can I not give this up and what are the reasons why I can assure you if Vince Mcmahon comes back to this company. He resigned if he forces his way back to this company I will no longer be watching wrestling because I think those actions that he did. Were heinous and unforgivable and I try to forgive everybody I try to live christ like but I ain't Christ. so so I so I try to but I ain't iin't him but on that note, ladies and gentlemen I know this was a very serious show. It was a thought piece sometimes people would dig it sometimes people don't. Were not a whole lot of laughs and jokes. Don't worry the sibling happy hour being just a couple of days and there'll be last and jokes 10 but as always I want to thank you my audience for giving me this space to open up and share and let you into my life. A little bit. Definitely let you into my head. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching and until next time as always a hollow.