Linda McMahon Connecticut Senate Run Will Be Helped by Her WWE Experience

The former WWE executive, Linda McMahon, won the GOP primary for the senate race in the state of Connecticut this week. She is the wife of Vince McMahon and ran a business that was based on big showmanship. 

WWE is all about staging every action that is performed in front of large crowds. Each wrestler has an extreme persona and is often portrayed as either being “good” or “evil” by not only each other but by Linda herself. Despite what the truth may be, the opinions of the spectators were constantly being changed by these verbal exchanges and grandstanding. 

This plays very close to politics as both Republicans and Democrats create quite a show whether it is at a debate for office, a fundraiser, or colorfully designed commercials. As you can see, there are strong similarities between the political world and World Wrestling.

McMahon is no stranger to the spotlight. When she was working with her husband on televised wrestling, she learned how to capture the crowd’s attention. With thousands of peoples’ eyes and ears focused on her, she took advantage of her ability to know the right thing to say at the right time. Obviously that confidence spilled over into Connecticut this past Tuesday when she received the Republican nod for the Senate. Her speeches following this primary will most likely be extremely scripted and may seem rehearsed. In a way the political debates and speeches will be reminiscent of the days when she worked for WWE.

If Linda wins the general election, then she will succeed the famous Senator Joe Lieberman. She will have to prove that she is more serious in her convictions than her earlier days of walking into wrestling rings to proclaim staged fights. The political world is very real. Despite people saying that senators and congressmen are fake and seem to be living in another reality, these people make extremely concrete decisions that affect us all.

Like wrestlers, politicians often use one-liners to stimulate their base supporters. McMahon has portrayed her opponent as not wanting to fix the economic crisis. Her intent to create jobs and balance the budget is Linda’s battle cry. She also accuses her key combatant, Democratic senatorial nominee Chris Murphy of being a career politician with no desire to help get us out of debt. 

Like most wresting plots, her campaign message is based on one key theme and that is she has a proven ability to be fiscally responsible and is determined to find real solutions to the debt crisis. Her personal investment of $66M is a testament to the confidence she has to make a difference in improving our economy. Her experience in staged events, prepared speeches, and cheering crowds while with the WWE will help her successfully manage the chaos that awaits her in the competitive arena of politics.