Teddy Long reveals why Vince McMahon never priced out WWE fans the way TKO is right now (Exclusive)

Teddy Long was asked point-blank about why Vince McMahon had such a different approach as compared to TKO when it comes to ticket prices. The former SmackDown General Manager gave a very interesting insight.

On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, host Mac Davis spoke extensively with Teddy Long and Bill Apter about the increase in price for tickets for big WWE shows, and Davis slammed TKO for what has been perceived as a chase of short-term profits.

It was mentioned that Vince McMahon intentionally made tickets affordable for families, and Teddy Long stated that Vince McMahon's extensive experience in the business was the reason he never pursued profits from ticket sales the way TKO has done. Long also pointed out that TKO executives are fairly new to the wrestling business:

"Vince [McMahon] is a businessman, and he knows exactly what to do. A lot of these guys coming into the business don't have a clue about it, and they're just doing what they want to do and not what people want."

You can watch the full video below:

Teddy Long revealed he was a part of Vince McMahon's 80th birthday party

There was a lot of buzz around Vince McMahon's big 80th birthday celebration at the luxury Baccarat Hotel, where it was revealed that no phones were allowed. Some of the major names who attended included Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, R-Truth, and icons such as Sgt. Slaughter, Bruce Prichard, and Jerry Lawler. Teddy Long was one of those names.

On a previous episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, Teddy Long revealed that he and John Cena were the only talents who sat down at Vince McMahon's table:

"The first night was very good, just the opening and stuff. I had a really good conversation with Vince [McMahon]. Some of the things I won't repeat because that was between me and him but first thing he said to me was, 'It's so good to see you', and I thanked him for everything he had done for me and Saturday Night for the birthday party, I went and sat down at the table and the lady said, 'You're Teddy Long? You're at Vince's table'. So the only talents that were at that table were me and John Cena, I believe that was it. I saw R-Truth come down and sit, but he wasn't at the table."

It should be noted that while the topic of McMahon is quite taboo among wrestlers and talents to discuss openly, Teddy Long has always maintained a position of strong loyalty and gratitude towards his old boss. He has reiterated time and again that, regardless of the controversies, he wouldn't have achieved the success he had in life the way he did had it not been for McMahon.

Ultimately, that's where nuance comes in, as social media is filled with black-and-white takes. For those directly involved, especially when it comes to their livelihood, the dynamic with a polarizing figure like McMahon is very nuanced.

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If you use the quotes from the first half of this article, please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the episode of The Wrestling Time Machine.