Syllabus for Further Reading on Politico’s Story About Linda McMahon and the WWE Pedophile Scandal

Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman of Politico.com are the first journalists to take aboveground the story of Linda McMahon’s management of the pedophile scandal at her World Wrestling Entertainment (then called the World Wrestling Federation) in the early 1990s. See “Linda McMahon’s world of wrestling,” http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40476.html.

Politico left out significant swaths of the known old narrative. Smith and Haberman also filled in some spaces with important original reporting. I’ll comment in more specifics as we go along.

First, I want to point everyone to Tom Cole’s 1999 interview with Wrestling Perspective, which can be downloaded on the journal’s website (http://www.wrestlingperspective.com).

In addition, interested readers should review these posts at this blog:

• “Linda McMahon’s Husband Fought the Law, and the Law Lost (Part 2 – 1992 Drug and Sex Scandals),” December 22, 2009, http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/linda-mcmahon%E2%80%99s-husband-vince-fought-the-law-and-the-law-lost-part-2-%E2%80%94-1992-drug-and-sex-scandals/
• “How Linda McMahon Managed the WWE Pedophile Scandal’s Damage Control,” April 19, 2010, http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/how-linda-mcmahon-managed-the-wwe-pedophile-scandal%E2%80%99s-damage-control/
• “Linda McMahon’s Role in the WWE Pedophile Scandal: Additional Resources,” April 20, 2010, http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/linda-mcmahon%E2%80%99s-role-in-the-wwe-pedophile-scandal-additional-resources/
• “Muchnick Book Bonus: ‘In Bed With the WWF – Sex and Scandal in Pro Wrestling,” May 15, 2010, http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/muchnick-book-bonus-%E2%80%98in-bed-with-the-wwf-%E2%80%93-sex-and-scandal-in-pro-wrestling%E2%80%99/
• “Linda McMahon’s Role in the WWF Pedophile Scandal Still Hangs, Unpublished, in the Politicos’ Air,” July 14, 2010, http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/linda-mcmahon%E2%80%99s-role-in-the-wwe-pedophile-scandal-still-hangs-unpublished-in-the-politicos%E2%80%99-air/
• “Linda McMahon Sends in the Goons on Richard Blumenthal,” July 22, 2010, http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/linda-mcmahon-sends-in-the-goons-on-richard-blumenthal/

Irv Muchnick