2 rumors about the McMahons that were true and 3 that weren't - a family member is homosexual, WWE's power couple split
Over the past few decades, many rumors have surrounded WWE's McMahon family. While some of them were true, others were not.
The McMahon family has been running WWE for many years. While Vince remained Chairman up until his recent controversies, his wife Linda was once the company's CEO. Vince and Linda's children, Stephanie & Shane, and their spouses, Triple H & Marissa, have also worked different jobs inside the promotion.
One rumor about the McMahons suggested that a member of the family was homosexual. Another speculated that Vince was behind one of the most controversial promos in WWE history.
Given the mixed accuracy about the rumors about the McMahons, let's dive in and look at two that were true and three that weren't.
#5. TRUE: Vince McMahon made Jon Moxley use Roman Reigns' real-life leukemia in a WWE promo
In 2018, Roman Reigns announced that his leukemia had returned after 11 years of being in remission. As a result, he relinquished his Universal Championship and went on hiatus.
Following Reigns' announcement, Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) took a jab at Reigns' illness during a promo, which shocked many WWE fans. Some rumors then suggested that Vince McMahon himself was the one behind the controversial message.
In an interview with the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Moxley confirmed the rumor. He also told the story behind it.
"Earlier I had to go to Vince, because in this promo, there's a line, a very distasteful line, taking a jab at my friend who had leukemia and is now going on to recover - Roman Reigns. I don't remember the line but I went 'I'm not - are you kidding me? This is clearly a mistake. I'm in a production meeting and go 'surely you don't want me to say this' and he's like 'But Roman is a part of the story. You turned on him and Seth. You just include Roman. He said it in an inocuous way where it didn't sound so bad. He played the Vince Jedi mind trick. I cut the promo and as soon as the line left my mouth I go 'I can't believe I said that,'" Moxley explained.
A few months after the incident, Moxley's WWE contract expired. He left the company to join AEW, where he is currently active.
#4. FALSE: Vince McMahon and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels were lovers
Tonights Raw Announcers! @ShawnMichaels @VinceMcMahon #NewWWFGeneration #RAW #WWF #WWE #MondayNightRaw #SDLive #ExtremeRules #HBK #ShawnMichaels #VinceMcMahon #MrMcMahon https://t.co/jWsJGXCK6K
During the 1990s, Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels had a strong bond. The Heartbreak Kid was also one of the top superstars in WWE. Rumors have occasionally come to light suggesting that the two men were once lovers.
Although Vince and Michaels never addressed these rumors, former Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Jim Ross denied them on his Grilling JR podcast:
"F***, are you kidding? I've never even heard that. Come on, Conrad [Thomson]. I actually, I swear to God, I know, I've never heard that. You're talking about a sexual relationship? Are you serious? Oh God! As I said earlier, Shawn reminded Vince of young Vince in Vince's perception, himself. But I never heard that story and I think it's laughable as hell," he said. [0:18 - 0:57]
Michaels retired from in-ring action in 2010. He is currently the Vice President of Talent Development for NXT.
#3. TRUE: Vince McMahon hates sneezing and nodding
Over the years, many former and current WWE Superstars have spoken about Vince McMahon's personal quirks, disclosing several details about what he likes and dislikes. Many rumors have also surrounded The Boss' personality.
One of the rumors about Vince's personality suggested that he hates sneezing and nodding. In an interview with the Bill Simmons podcast, Stephanie McMahon confirmed the rumors about her father:
"He feels like [nodding] influences the room. If someone is talking and someone else is nodding, you're going to influence the room. You shouldn't influence the room. Let people think what they want to think. He hates sneezing because it's involuntary and he cannot control it. He hates sneezing. It's anyone, but especially when it's him," she said. [H/T: Inside The Ropes]
Vince recently stepped back from his duties as Chairman and CEO of WWE amid allegations of misconduct. Stephanie is currently the Interim CEO and Chairwoman of the company.
#2. FALSE: Linda McMahon is a lesbian
Although she spent most of her time in WWE working in backstage positions, Linda McMahon was also subject to crazy rumors. One of them suggested that she was a lesbian.
During an interview with Off The Record in 1999, Stephanie McMahon spoke about an unnamed writer who she claimed spread rumors about her family. The Billion Dollar Princess revealed that the writer wrote about her father being worse than Hannibal the Cannibal and that her mother was a lesbian:
"My father talked to this writer and said 'why don't you come meet me, come to our offices, come meet my family, then make your decision, you know, then write whatever you want?' But this guy is so yellow that he wouldn't even come and meet my father, wouldn't tour our offices. He can write that he's worse than Hannibal the Cannibal, he can write that my mother is a lesbian, because he knows us so well, because he did his investigation!" she said. [5:26 - 5:54]
Some reports recently suggested that Vince and Linda remain technically married. However, they are currently separated.
#1. FALSE: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have split
While working together on a storyline in 1999, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon developed feelings for each other. The couple then dated for nearly three years before tying the knot in 2003.
The Game and The Billion Dollar Princess have been married for nearly two decades now and have three daughters together. However, a recent rumor suggested that the couple have split up.
On the PWTorch audio show, Wade Keller debunked that rumor, stating that Triple H and Stephanie are still together and working as a team.
"I know when Hunter had his health problems, and then Stephanie stepped aside, there were, I don't wanna say rumors because that's overstating it. [There was] conjecture that maybe there were marital issues that they were dealing with. I'm told that's just flat out not the case and that they are a team," he said. (H/T: WrestlingNews.co)
Although The Game and The Billion Dollar Princess separated twice before getting married in 2003, they have not left each other's side since they tied the knot 21 years ago.