The wrestling titan has been embroiled in scandals throughout his career.
Vince McMahon, the mastermind behind the WWE‘s success, has steered the company through many successes but has been involved in many controversies, culminating in the current allegations against him. In this article, we take a look at the many controversies that have embroiled Vince McMahon.
The Steroids Trial: A Legal Battle That Rocked the Ring
In the early 1990s, McMahon found himself in the midst of a legal firestorm when he was indicted on charges related to the distribution of steroids to WWE wrestlers. The trial, which took place in 1994, was a media spectacle that shook the wrestling world to its core.
McMahon ultimately emerged victorious, but not without enduring significant damage to his reputation. The trial served as a wake-up call for WWE, leading to stricter drug testing policies and a shift away from the rampant steroid use that had been prevalent in the industry for years.
Racial Slur with John Cena
During a backstage segment at Survivor Series 2005, Vince bumped into John Cena and asked “whats good in the hood?” He ended the conversation with a racial slur that wasn’t funny at the time and is even more shocking now. The segment ended with Booker T reacting with his “tell me he didn’t just say that” catchphrase. The whole segment was clearly planned out when you take into account Booker T’s reaction.
The Montreal Screw Job
This is one of the most talked about moments in wrestling history. Bret Hart was the champion going into Survivor Series 1997 and the event was talking place in Hart’s country – Canada. He was out of contract and was leaving for WCW and usually a wrestler would drop the belt before leaving. However, as this was taking place in Canada, Bret didn’t want to lose here.
So the match took place and towards the end, Michaels had Bret in a sharpshooter and Earl Hebner called for the bell. Vince screwed Bret out of the title.
Reportedly, Bret knocked out McMahon backstage afterwards. Bret was rightly furious and this incident is still talked about to this day.
Over The Edge 1999
In 1999, the wrestling world lost one of it’s best. Owen Hart, playing the character of the Blue Blazer, was due to ascend from the ceiling to the ring. However, the cable failed and he fell to his death. Despite news reaching us around an hour after his fall that he had died (announced by Jim Ross on commentary) the show continued.
The real controversy was the decision to carry on with the show. Everyone was clearly shook by what had happened to Owen and yet the show continued. Afterwards, concerns were raised about how safe the rigging was and WWE settled with Owen’s widow for $18million.
The Saudi Deal
This is discussed in another article on the site so I won’t go into as much detail, but this was hugely controversial when announced. WWE partnering with Saudi Arabia to produce PPV events in the kingdom. With Saudi’s views on human rights and how they treat women, this was met with disdain across the world.
It became even more controversial with the Saudi murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, just weeks before a WWE PPV in the country. They still went and put on the show.
Sexual Assualt Claims
The Mr McMahon character has had endless amounts of controversial moments on screen. Moments you can’t actually believe have been put on screen. You do wonder if this character is just an extension of Vince himself. Maybe that’s why he plays that character so well? Vince has had to deal with many claims of a sexual nature over the years. A former WWE referee, Rita Chatterton, alleged that Vince forced himself upon her in a limosine in 1986. The current allegations have led to Vince’s downfall. Hush money paid to women to keep quiet about sexual misconduct. These allegations are apparently so vile that criminal charges may be brought. These have also seen Vince eradicated from WWE altogether, something many never thought they would see.
What are your thoughts on the scandals of Vince? Thanks for reading!
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