Kevin Kay Says Vince McMahon Retaliated After Spike TV Cut WWE Audio

Former Spike TV President Kevin Kay revealed on The Ariel Helwani Show that WWE’s departure from the network involved backstage friction, rating struggles following The Rock’s departure, and a retaliatory broadcast stunt orchestrated by Vince McMahon. 411mania.com reported the details from Kay’s interview regarding the turbulent transition to USA Network.

Ratings Drop After The Rock Exits

Kay recalled visiting Vince McMahon at corporate offices in Stanford, California, after viewership for Raw plummeted from eight million to five million weekly viewers following The Rock’s departure. During the meeting, Kay asked McMahon how long it would take to build a new star for the company. McMahon responded that it took ten years, prompting Kay to reply that he only had about ten weeks. McMahon then told Kay to get out.

Kay noted that the exchange was somewhat playful yet carried a clear dismissal of his concerns. It ultimately took several years to build John Cena into a star, by which time WWE had already finalized its decision to leave Spike TV and return to USA Network.

Audio Censorship Over USA Network Promotion

Tensions boiled over when WWE began promoting its upcoming move to USA Network during broadcasts on Spike TV. Audience members were handed USA signs and led in chants of USA inside the arena in the weeks leading up to the network switch.

Kay contacted head of production Kevin Dunn and subsequently spoke directly with Vince McMahon about the promotional stunts. Kay warned McMahon that he would cut the audio feed and eventually go dark if the promotion continued.

Spike TV did cut the audio during the broadcast after McMahon asked what the network planned to do about it. The station never reached the point of going completely dark, but the intervention sparked a severe reaction from McMahon.

McMahon Clashes with Kay over Uncensored Broadcast

In retaliation for the censored audio, McMahon arranged for several Divas to enter the ring the following week by sliding under the bottom rope while a camera captured them from behind without underwear. Kay watched the broadcast from home before receiving an immediate call from the head of Standards and Practices, who flagged the segment as unacceptable.

When Kay called Kevin Dunn the following Monday, Dunn directed him to speak with McMahon directly. During their phone conversation, McMahon yelled at Kay and criticized the network’s standards.

Look Vince, I just can’t — I can’t do that. That can’t happen again. Like I don’t understand, you know what our standards are. [Vince said] I don’t know what your f**king standards are. They change every day. Every time this happens, there’s a different standard. And he goes, So tell me what your standards are. I go, How about we start with no vaginas? And he hung up.

The Ariel Helwani Show