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Writer: Nikunj Walia
Vince McMahon, former WWE Chairman, and CEO made a jaw-dropping announcement via his twitter handle to retire from the WWE at the age of 77. This can truly be seen as the end of a revolution sparked by one of the greatest visionaries of the business.
McMahon’s retirement came amidst various allegations of sexual misconduct with former WWE female employees. He had earlier stepped down as the Chairman and CEO of the company but maintained creative control of the shows. With Vince riding off in the sunset after nearly four decades of ‘Then. Now. Forever. Together, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have been appointed as co-CEOs to run the company moving forward, while Triple H also returned to his position of Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.
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A true trailblazer who transformed WWE from a regional player in the 1980s to a billion-dollar corporate giant, he would always be recognized as ‘THE ONE’ of sports entertainment. We give a big thank you to Vince with a brief look at some of his greatest moments in the WWE:
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In the wake of the devastating 9/11 terrorist attacks, McMahon held the first live public gathering with a special live episode of WWE Smackdown two days after the hellacious incident comforting the audience and inspiring them to live their lives moving forward. He understood the magnitude of the situation and saw this episode as a way to distract the audience and viewers from death, despair, and uncertainty.
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The early years of the sports entertainment business saw its major peak with fans and critics being mesmerized by Vince McMahon’s ability to attract 93,173 people in attendance for Wrestlemania III at the historic Silver Dome in Detroit, one of the greatest Wrestlemania in history headlined by the colossal clash between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant.
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What seemed as a big torment and months of haunting caused to the entire McMahon family by The Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness was revealed to be the master plan of Vince himself to get one up over his arch-rival Stone Cold Steve Austin. When the Undertaker revealed his ‘Greater Power’, McMahon’s first words ‘IT’S ME AUSTIN…IT WAS ME ALL ALONG’ became one of the most iconic lines in the history of the WWE.
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During the 1990s, Vince McMahon’s WWE and Ted Tuner’s WCW went up against each other in the head-to-head competition which would be known more commonly as ‘The Monday Night Wars.’ After dominating his rival in the television ratings for nearly three years, Vince emerged victorious announcing that he has purchased his rival competition on the March 26, 2001, episode of Monday Night RAW, bringing a conclusive end to the Monday Night Wars.
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Not just one moment, but the infamous ‘Mr. McMahon Kiss my ass club’ created its share of embarrassing moments in the WWE for various Superstars who were forced to kiss Vinnie Mac’s buttocks, a deeming pleasure that Vince enjoyed to make them remember never to cross The Boss.
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One of the marquee matches featured on the Wrestlemania 23 card was the Samoan Bulldozer Umaga representing Vince McMahon going up against Bobby Lashley representing former President elect Donald Trump dubbed as ‘The Battle of The Billionaires.’ That night would certainly be unforgettable for the WWE universe and most importantly for Vince himself getting his head shaved bald by Trump, Lashley, and Steve Austin in front of thousands of people in attendance after his representative lost the match and poor McMahon lost his hair.
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The most defining onscreen rivalry that helped WWE triumph over its rival WCW during the Monday Night Wars has to be between the evil boss ‘ Mr. McMahon’ and his beer-swirling anti-hero ‘Stone Cold Steve Austin.’ The rivalry even kicked off on a memorable note at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden on September 22, 1997, when McMahon was trying to settle down his out-of-control stunning superstar and encouraging him to seek medical help for his injured neck.
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Vince- Austin rivalry was in full swing during the 1999 Royal Rumble match when both men started at the first two positions and fought over the entire arena before returning back to the ring during the final moments of the match being the last two men left. The end-match shenanigans saw Austin being distracted by The Rock and Vince tossing the Texas Rattlesnake over the top rope and winning the Rumble match.
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A timely assist by his long-time on-screen rival Stone Cold Steve Austin led Mr. McMahon to becoming the WWE Champion beating Triple H on the September 14 1999 episode of WWE Smackdown during his feud with The Game and his stable mates D-Generation X shedding a major spotlight on the man who created it all. Vince would once again taste championship gold winning the ECW in 2007 beating then champion Bobby Lashley teaming up with his son Shane McMahon and Umaga in a 3-on-1 handicap match.
With the era of one of the Greatest minds coming to a close, let us all join together and say;
Thank you, Vince. The Only ONE. Never will we see another ONE like him #Nochanceinhell
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