"Hey, did you hang up on Vince McMahon?"- AEW star recalls hanging up on WWE boss' call during first ever conversation
Talking to Vince McMahon is a dream come true for any aspiring wrestler, regardless of their allegiance to AEW, WWE or any other promotion.
The idea of speaking to Vince McMahon was so absurd to Mark Henry that the current AEW announcer actually hung up on the WWE boss' first ever call to him.
Mark Henry appeared on AEW Chief Branding Officer Brandi Rhodes' show, Shot of Brandi, and revealed this anecdote.
"Jim Ross had a lot to do with it, but he brought me up to Vince McMahon and Vince wanted to know, 'Well, how is that going to translate to wrestling?' Jim said, 'You need to see him and meet him because this guy's kind of colorful,' which is short for me being a clown. The first conversation, I get this call and I think it's one of my friends joking with me and it's Vince. I say, 'Yeah right, Wes,' and I hang up on him. I get a call back from my coach and my manager and he's like, 'Hey, did you hang up on Vince McMahon?' I was like, 'That was him for real?' He was like, 'Yeah, how about you take his call.' I was like, 'Alright, my bad.'" (h/t: Fightful)
Vince McMahon wasn't keen on a Cody vs Dustin Rhodes match as part of WrestleMania
Ok guys, give me your opinions. As we close out 2019....
Best match: Cody Vs Dustin, Double or Nothing
Best male: Adam Cole
Best female: Becky Lynch
Best promo: Every Firefly Funhouse
Best show: NXT TakeOver: New York
It's all subjective. Now you GO!
Cody Rhodes vs Dustin Rhodes was the defining match of AEW Double or Nothing 2019. In a highly anticipated brother vs brother match, the Rhodes brothers tore the house down in a match that is still regarded as the greatest AEW match of all time.
Dustin Rhodes recently expressed the disappointment he felt during his WWE stint when he pitched the match to Vince McMahon for WrestleMania but the boss shot it down.
“I had fought so hard every single year to get to work my brother at WrestleMania,” said Dustin. “And point-blank, Vince (McMahon) would always tell me, ‘This match is not good enough to be on WrestleMania.' That pissed me off, that pissed me off bad. And it was hurtful, and it did something to me. It really depleted every ounce of passion that I had. I fought for it every single year, Cody too. We both fought for it every year."
The Rhodes Brothers - alongside their father, Dusty Rhodes - winning the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Shield at Battlegrounds was an instant classic.
Fans wanted an eventual showdown between the brothers, but WWE never really got behind the feud for it to mean anything. Luckily for AEW, they got the chance to showcase it.
Would you have liked to have seen the Rhodes brothers have a huge WrestleMania classic, or are you glad their big match took place in AEW? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.