Former WWF female referee Rita Chatterton has recently reached a settlement for millions of dollars with Vince McMahon regarding allegations that she was assaulted by him while working for him in the eighties. When the scandals regarding steroids and sex abuse came up in the nineties, leading later to the steroid trials and a downturn in the WWF’s fortunes, Rita Marie turned up alongside the likes of Superstar Billy Graham, Dr. D David Schultz, Murray Hodgson and others to spill the beans.
One of the most famous occasions of the TV tabloids casting their eyes over the tempest was Donahue giving us the surreal experience of Dave Meltzer sitting Vince and contradicting him on a lie he’d told, plus Bruno continuing his argument with McMahon on Larry King. Geraldo did his bit on Now It Can Be Told, but I didn’t know he also featured the WWF woes on his own show, this is a mini-review or partial review of that, with reference to the other non-related guests on the programme as well.
First off, check out the incredibly cheap and tacky Mattress Man commercial before the show.
Geraldo at the start says it’s time to look at the tawdry issues affecting sports. Rita and Murray Hodgson are introduced first with their respective gripes. Geraldo talks up Rita as potentially having the chance to hit it big and make a lot of money, while saying that wrestling is more entertainment than sport, then Vince is named as the owner of the WWF (after seeing a still, he remarks “Nice dimple!”). Rita describes herself as a novelty as a woman trying to control hulking bruisers.
The promises Vince made didn’t come true, so with less money and bookings, Rita headed to the Poughkeepsie TV tapings to speak to him. They arranged to speak afterwards at a diner once work was done. She waited out the technical conversation between the staff to ask about her own interests, at which point Vince basically shushed her. They met privately by the bathroom and Vince said they’d speak one-to-one, which would be in the back of his limousine. His driver let her in. Vince sold her on being on magazines and having merchandise and dolls of herself. He then unzipped his trousers, said she’d have to satisfy him to get that, and grabbed her hand to get things going on his crotch. That was taken into an attempt at oral sex which didn’t take off, so he pulled her on top of him and said it was do this or be blackballed.
Tearfully, she says that he had told her not to get involved with any of the guys when he hired her, otherwise she’d be fired. After the act was done, he said she’d broken that rule now and was done. She looks down as Geraldo doesn’t really remark on that and transitions into talking to Murray. Rita looks embarrassed and upset at this point.
Murray is a lot more measured and controlled, as he recalls an executive asking him “What do you taste like?” backstage when he was working for them. Murray said he was the wrong guy, which the executive rebutted by saying he wasn’t and if he wanted to keep the job he’d do what he wanted. Murray didn’t and was fired two weeks later.
Break to talk to a lady that dated basketball player Dominique Wilkins and dropped her when she became pregnant. His mother called her up and cursed her out on Christmas Day, saying she’d never get a dime from him. She denies being a groupie and doesn’t really sound like that sort of person.
To Jasmine, with BIG hair, a Penthouse Pet, who Jose Canseco invited to come and play dominos with her late one night before she had a shoot with him. She said no, so he kept bothering her, then the next day dropped her from the shoot. Geraldo gets sleazy by asking her what her measurements are, not given much time, nor should it be. She denies being a groupie and says she had no idea who he was. Geraldo continues perving by asking her to confirm she works at a topless bar in Atlanta, where lots of athletes approach her and are generally nice (of course!).
The disguised “Tiffany”, who looks like she’s going to a funeral, is connected to NHL players who are married, but denies being a groupie too. She confirms being paid for her companionship, but isn’t a hooker, which Geraldo enquires about. Of course she isn’t!
Questions after a break, Dominique’s ex does get child support from Dominique “erratically” but is reticent to discuss too much. An older lady asks why there was a delay in Rita reporting the event from July 15th of 1986. This episode was aired on April 13th of 1992. She talks about the code of silence in wrestling and how she had no proof (I guess they could’ve done police tests, but maybe she left it to a point where they couldn’t at the time), plus not wanting to put her sick dad and dying mom through the stress, and it was her word against Vince’s. Rita wasn’t offered a cash settlement, but Murray was, although he won’t say how much.
“Tiffany” dances around her affairs with NHL player affairs with non-answers, and spends more time pursing her lips under her Jackie Onassis glasses. She finally gets talking when Geraldo says she aimed to be with a player from every team, at which points she sounds ready to rip off the hat and wig and throw down, but brings it back after almost slipping out of her chair.
E. Jean Carroll, who later went on to be in a very bizarre appearance with Anderson Cooper regarding a certain US president, sticks up for the women as pioneer feminists. OK, lady… Actually, she did have me until she said the guys they went with weren’t into drink, drugs or bad behaviour, just being with beautiful women. They were actually into all of those things.
Commentator Sal Marchiano comes on to speak up for the sportsmen to a degree, although he says they’re spoilt brats sexually, getting what and who they want the majority of the time. Another guy, not yet introduced, talks about a girl being raped by thirteen men in Oklahoma after a game.
The stupidity of “Tiffany” sees her say her deal is no big deal, she has friends who only go with policemen or attorneys, so Geraldo knocks her down by asking which player position makes for the best lover.
To lower the show further, Morganna the Kissing Bandit runs in. Talk about misjudged. She does get a good line in after “Tiffany” is asked about whether she’s scared about getting or passing anything on when she goes with the men and the other lady is asked about whether she wanted to trap Dominique and if he used condoms (he didn’t): “I think what they really should use is common sense.”
Back to Rita, her dad had died in the last month, hence coming out to speak about it now (although I believe David Schultz encouraged her to). Murray is prompted to deliver one of his prepared lines, making it sound like the WWF firing made him homeless, yet he had a lawyer waiting in the wings to pounce. He brings up the Mel Phillips story as well, then denies trying to blackmail them. That Geraldo asks says something.
An audience member asks Rita what she wants now, six years later. Just for people to know, she says. Murray takes over and says more are coming out of the woodwork too.
The show keeps on circling the drain, with an audience member who won’t talk out of nerves, E. Jean babbling, Tiffany having the info teased out of her, then Morganna, who owns a baseball team, sticking up for athletes. Jasmine leaves the show before the end of it, getting her plugs in, then Morganna knocks her. Finally, a woman with a notepad asks questions that even with a pen in her hand and preparation she can’t get out right.
In review: Total shit show, with less than thirty minutes of content stretched over an hour, with Geraldo his usual scummy self, trying to score with the stripper. Murray was doing his Mr. Smooth, But Affected act as on most of his media appearances, but Geraldo ruffled him a little bit with the suggestion he was a conman. Rita seemed sincere and believable, and history now shows there was something there, but Geraldo did zero follow-up. Possibly worth a look in full if you’re into this kind of thing. Total contrast to Donahue, where they had so much to get through, too little time, and a dozen juicy soundbites that had transcended thirty years.