Vince McMahon played a villain in the ring—and was accused of abuse outside it

McMahon made WWE more graphic to compete with other outfits

In 1997, Vince McMahon ushered in a new era for the WWF, one that would later called the “Attitude Era.” In this clip, McMahon explicitly tells viewers what they can expect moving forward and shows how he thinks about his organization, mentioning Jerry Springer, soap operas and "Seinfeld."

Vince McMahon told the NJ State Senate that wrestling was scripted

In 1989, Vince and Linda McMahon testified under oath that professional wrestling was scripted, a move viewed as a cardinal sin. Had the heads of the organization just broken kayfabe? Maybe, but it was also a savvy political move to avoid the oversight of state athletic commissions.

Vince McMahon turned wrestling into a consolidated, national enterprise

In 1982, Vince McMahon purchased the World Wrestling Federation, which would later be renamed World Wrestling Entertainment, and quickly wiped out the WWE’s smaller regional promotions. By the late 1990s, he minted superstars like Chyna, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

In 1996, 'The Curtain Call' changed fans' understanding of wrestling

Maintaining kayfabe, or the fiction of the professional wrestling universe, was a long-held tradition in the industry. That changed in 1996, when four WWE wrestlers broke character after a match at Madison Square Garden in an event later dubbed "The Curtain Call." This podcast breaks down the historical aftershocks.

The internet has changed how fans understand wrestling

Maintaining the illusion of professional wrestling—or kayfabe—was once considered the most important aspect of running a successful promotion. That’s changed over time, with wrestling’s most serious fans growing as interested in the stories behind the scenes as they are in the matches taking place in the ring.

Wrestlers maintain the illusion of a fictional narrative through 'kayfabe'

Outsiders are often confused by wrestling fans’ emotional investment in predetermined matches. After all, how can you be invested in a scripted sport? That question misses a key component of fans' love for pro wrestling. They suspend their disbelief in the same way that readers of novels do.

Wrestling's superstars are capable of electric 'promos'

One convention of pro wrestling is the “promo”—a televised interview that allows wrestlers to develop their personas and articulate their characters’ motivations. The “Macho Man” Randy Savage is arguably the best to ever cut a promo, with his gravelly voice, memorable catchphrases and hilarious non-sequiturs making for great television.

Professional wrestling may be scripted, but it's not 'fake'

At its core, pro wrestling offers viewers an entertaining spectacle that may be scripted but is far from being “fake.” The athletes who compete in the WWE and other organizations still complete impressive feats of strength and put their bodies on the line every time they step in the ring.

1985's inaugural Wrestlemania turned pro wrestling into a pop culture phenomenon

WrestleMania I was a major event in the history of pro wrestling, marking WWE’s push to become a global entertainment entity and setting the standard for large-scale pay-per-view events for years to come. It was also a wacky, celebrity-laden affair featuring Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T and Liberace.

Gorgeous George was American pro wrestling's first superstar

George owed his popularity to the in-ring persona he created: a haughty, pretentious Anglophile who couldn't believe he had to stoop to fight his opponents. This 1950s film, taken from the "Wrestling From Hollywood" show that popularized professional wrestling in the US, perfectly illustrates what made this "heel" so compelling.

The story of Vince Lombardi, coaching legend

Born in Brooklyn in 1913, Vince Lombardi is best known for his time as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967, when he led the team to five national championships over seven years. His all-out approach and inspiring one-liners have left an indelible mark on the game, causing the league to name the NFL's highest trophy—the one awarded to the Super Bowl winner—after him. Read up on the legend here.

Professional wrestling's lexicon comes from the carnival world, where the spectacle began.

Vince Lombardi: the coach who put Green Bay on the map

Vince Lombardi experienced a legendary rise from his Brooklyn youth to the sidelines of Lambeau Field. His final years of life included a three-peat with the Green Bay Packers, his brief tenure as head coach in Washington, and a sudden, tragic death from cancer.

An ESPN documentary alleged that Bobby Riggs threw the 'Battle of the Sexes'

According to a 2013 report, Riggs intentionally lost his 1973 match against Billie Jean King in order to settle a debt to organized crime. The documentary primarily relies on information from a man who claimed to have overheard a conversation about the fraud. King maintains that Riggs played to his full ability but was simply overconfident for his age.

Vemma reached a $238M settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over its pyramid scheme-style recruitment tactics that targeted college boys to sell energy drinks in the early 2010s.

Philosopher Roland Barthes loved wrestling

In his essay "The World of Wrestling," French philosopher/literary theorist Roland Barthes analyzes the "Human Comedy" of professional wrestling, arguing the form is a legitimate dramatic genre.

Bikram Choudhury's abuse dismantled his yoga empire

The guru popularized a form of hot yoga that followed a 26-point script. In the process, he became incredibly wealthy and ostentatious. In the early 2010s, formal accusations against him began, ranging from harassment to rape. He fled the US in 2017 to avoid paying his former lawyer a sexual harassment settlement. In the US, the "Bikram yoga" style has been divorced from its namesake but is still practiced, often as "hot yoga." Bikram still teaches yoga outside the country.

Exposing a beloved British personality as a pedophile

After Jimmy Savile's 2011 death, comments damning him began populating an online networking site for an "emotionally disturbed girls" residential school. These comments pricked the ears of two BBC journalists whose desks had been slowly covered in rumors of abuse by the public figure and former BBC presenter. This podcast series focuses on how journalists bring stories to light and is one of two episodes detailing Savile's story.

A 2024 cheating scandal cast doubt on the industry

In 2024, National Fantasy Football Championship, a fantasy league with big payouts, fired one of its employees for manipulating data. The episode cast doubt on the relatively unregulated industry, despite the league coming down hard on the nefarious worker.

The Gold Dust Trio brought spectacle to wrestling

In the early 1900s, as wrestling gained in popularity on the carnival circuit, keeping the audience’s attention became an issue. The Gold Dust Trio—Billy Sandlow, Ed “The Strangler” Lewis, and Joseph “Toots” Mondt—revolutionized things by integrating boxing, theater, and Greco-Roman wrestling in a hybrid called “Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling.”

What happens when you can't trust your therapist?

When Marty Markowitz first stepped into his new psychiatrist's office, he triggered a three-decade spiral of abuse that robbed him of his autonomy, relationships, and wealth. Markowitz isn't the only client to lay allegations of abuse at the feet of Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf, an accomplished New York practitioner with a rolodex of celebrity clients who has since lost his license to practice.

The story behind the greatest outburst in sports history

It's a line that's still perplexing all these years later: "Who do you think you are? I am!" Those words were uttered by Pete Weber, an iconic bowler who was somewhere between John McEnroe and Happy Gilmore. This oral history from the Ringer provides some context for the bizarre insult and a backstory that turns what appears to be a non sequitur into a triumphant celebration.

Watch the infamous live feud between Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn from 2013 in the fallout of a billion-dollar accusation that Herbalife was a pyramid scheme.

The devil went down to Georgia

For years, a mysterious figure preyed on gay men in Atlanta. People on the streets called him the Handcuff Man, but the police knew his real name. It wasn't until a dogged local news reporter interviewed the underground community of male sex workers that local officials were prompted to intervene in the killer's reign of terror.

Donald Trump was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress

The House charged President Trump with pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden while withholding military aid. The Senate acquitted him in February 2020, with only one Republican voting to convict.

Major League Baseball, explained

Major League Baseball is America’s oldest professional sports league. Alongside triumphs, the league has faced scandals, including drug abuse and steroid use, shaping its path over the decades. Today, MLB embraces new rules, international talent, and a growing connection to legalized sports betting.

Pizzagate alleged a neighborhood pizza joint was hosting a sex trafficking scheme

During the 2016 presidential elections, Comet Ping Pong Pizza became the subject of a conspiracy theory that the Clinton family used the space as a front for kidnapping and trafficking children. The hoax began on the message board 4chan after the public became aware that the shop's owner was a Democratic donor.

US troops committed widespread atrocities during the Mexican-American War

American volunteer regiments frequently looted towns, raped civilians, and executed prisoners—especially in occupied northern Mexico. Historians have documented how racial hatred and impunity fueled war crimes that were rarely punished by military leadership.

Modern pro wrestling evolved from catch wrestling

Professional wrestling might be scripted, but its roots can be found in a competitive form that became popular in 19th-century England. Catch wrestling, or catch-as-catch-can, became popular among members of Lancashire’s working class. By the early 20th century, it was its own Olympic sport.

Trudging through the dark web to expose child abuse

A computer expert who created a system to track down sources of revenge porn and an investigative journalist joined forces to investigate digital abuse. Their investigations focused on so-called clear nets, websites that make up the web most users surf. Then, they turned their investigation toward the dark web, where they found a child abuse website with more than 1 million registered users.

IVF was long considered controversial and ethically dubious

In spite of its wide acceptance as a form of reproductive assistance today, and its role in helping millions of people have children, in vitro fertilization was once considered a controversial threat to society. One magazine went as far as to describe the procedure as "the biggest threat since the atom bomb."

Inside the Sarah Lawrence College sex cult scandal

In late 2010, a middle-aged man, freshly released from prison, moved into his daughter's college dorm and created a group that had all the hallmarks of a cult. Over the decade that followed, he extorted millions of dollars from vulnerable young adults through violence, psychological torture, and forced sex work. Authorities credited his arrest to a magazine article published in 2019 detailing victims' allegations.

MrBeast is one of YouTube's biggest creators

Jimmy Donaldson always wanted to be an entrepreneur. His drive to succeed helped create the world's most successful YouTube channel through his media personality MrBeast. This in-depth interview with Steven Bartlett reveals the intimate details of Donaldson's experience as a big-time creator and more.

The wife of Nixon's attorney general was forcibly held to silence her Watergate revelations

While vacationing in June 1972, Martha Mitchell was held captive, sedated, and physically abused by operatives connected to Nixon, intent on keeping her from speaking to reporters.

Deepfake pornography poses significant challenges in combating sexual abuse

In 2017, 96% of deepfake videos involved image-based sexual abuse, which has disproportionately targeted minority women, LGBTQ individuals, adolescents and celebrities. Cultural norms, misogyny and AI advancements have contributed to the proliferation of explicit deepfake content.

Minnelli dealt with high scrutiny and gossip from the press beginning at a young age

After reaching superstar status by the 1970s, Minnelli was often mired in gossip, with reporters asking questions about nonexistent pregnancies or commenting on her appearance. Thanks to her upbringing in the industry, she often took these interactions in stride.

The history of torturing robots

When machines fail, its easy to get mad and even give them a good kick. But as humanoid robots become more sophisticated, the degree to which people abuse them has shifted, depending on how much emotion the robot expresses. Studies revealed when robots were programmed to cry during distress, participants felt empathy. Learn more about the history of human abuse of robots here.

Why ‘Shoeless Joe’ Jackson was banned from Major League Baseball

Few baseball stars are more infamous than "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, one of the game's greatest hitters. Jackson was part of the Chicago White Sox team (notoriously dubbed the "Black Sox") accused of fixing the 1919 World Series. This resource breaks down the criminal trial that investigated those allegations. Curiously, Jackson and his teammates were acquitted, but Major League Baseball commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis still banned them from the league for life.

Emperor Commodus fought as a gladiator while ruling Rome

Commodus, who reigned from 180–192 CE, scandalized Rome’s elite by appearing in the arena despite being the son of Marcus Aurelius. The ancient biography—though partly fictional—captures the shock his gladiatorial performances provoked.

A history of the rare, chaotic moments when MLB batters charge the pitcher on the mound

They typically occur when a pitcher has slung a pitch a little too close to the batter—though the exact causes vary, from quick tempers to longstanding grudges. No definitive account of these infrequent but highly visible incidents has existed, so sportswriter Jon Bois compiled data on 264 such moments between 1950 and 2025. The resulting 23-minute video explores the rich narratives leading to these charged events.

Who is wellness scammer Belle Gibson?

A new Netflix drama series called “Apple Cider Vinegar” tells a story inspired by the real-life scandal of Belle Gibson. Gibson falsely claimed to have healed herself of terminal brain cancer through healthy eating. She built a successful wellness empire without any medical background until journalists eventually found inaccuracies in her story. Discover more about the woman who founded a business on deception, how she got caught, and where she is now.

Read about why America is obsessed with the stories of financial scammers.

How ancient Roman gladiators got ready to rumble

Before they could lay the smackdown in the arena, gladiators were professionally trained, combining a physical regimen with an education in the rules of the ring. Contrary to popular belief, archaeological evidence suggests most gladiators weren't killed in the action, and women may have fought on rare occasions. This article breaks down a life of a Roman gladiator.

Lucha libre is Mexico's high-flying spin on pro wrestling

Lucha libre, a Mexican style of professional wrestling that roughly translates to “free fighting,” shares some common characteristics with the American style, though it’s a genre in and of itself, with high-flying acrobatics, masked wrestlers and longstanding traditions.

The 'golden age' studio system often controlled actors' personal lives

The "Big Five" studio system minted stars, but it also tightly controlled their personal lives. Homosexuality, in particular, was seen as a liability. One example is Rock Hudson, a major star in the 1950s and '60s, who was forced into an arranged marriage with his agent's secretary.

Even at the height of his popularity, Spielberg felt like an outsider

By 1992, Spielberg was already one of the most successful names in Hollywood, but he had trouble kicking the alienation he’d felt as a kid. In this interview from 1992, on the cusp of the biggest year of his career, he talks about that feeling and how it motivated him.

Some refer to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault as 'The Wolf in the Cashmere Coat'

Likely a play on the phrase, "a wolf in sheep's clothing," the nickname was earned via Arnault's "take no prisoners" approach to business. As he ages, many have wondered who will succeed him as CEO, and if it will be one of his children already employed under the LVMH conglomerate.

The author of 'V for Vendetta' explains the Guy Fawkes mask

The "V for Vendetta" mask became famous after the film based on the comic book series was released in 2005. It has since been adopted by global protest movements. This piece, written by the author of the book, explains the logic of the rise of this...

Watch an insider break down how multilevel marketing companies operate—from recruitment to retention.

Experience famous images from the Watergate scandal, the defining US political crisis of the early 1970s