5 moments when fans genuinely liked Vince McMahon
Back in the '90s, Vince McMahon turned from a generic babyface commentator to an evil authority figure who would stoop to any lengths to get his way with his employees. The heel turn took shape when Bret Hart snapped on Vince in an episode of Raw. Months later, Vince McMahon successfully executed one of the most notorious schemes in the history of professional wrestling, when he tricked Bret Hart in his home country and helped Shawn Michaels win the WWE title at Survivor Series 1997. The incident is famously referred to as the 'Montreal Screwjob' . Later, McMahon got into a rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin, regarded by many as the greatest feud in all of pro-wrestling.
More than two decades later, Vince McMahon's name is mentioned somewhere on top when one thinks of the greatest villains in wrestling. But there have been a bunch of rare moments when Vince played the part of a babyface to perfection, or broke kayfabe to praise a Superstar, garnering the sympathy and love of the fans. Let's take a look at 5 such moments:
Also read: 5 current feuds we have seen before
#5 Vince consoles Stephanie
One of the most controversial storylines during the Attitude Era saw Vince McMahon being hounded by The Undertaker and The Ministry of Darkness. This was when Stephanie McMahon was introduced to the fans as a "sweet, innocent girl" who was kidnapped by the notorious faction. At one point during the angle, Stephanie can be seen stating that the only place she feels safe is when she's with her father. This also led to McMahon's rivalry with Austin being cooled off for a while.
This series of incidents led to fans getting behind Vince like they had never before. His "loving father figure" persona garnered an incredibly positive reaction from the WWE Universe. This didn't last long though, as McMahon was later revealed to be the higher power and the mastermind behind the entire angle.
The Attitude era saw the WWE face a major ratings struggle against competition brand WCW. They pulled out all the stops to ensure that they stayed neck and neck with Bischoff's brand. Mr McMahon put himself and his family in the thick of things and built credible storylines to ensure that the WWE came out on top.
Controversial or not, the storyine involving the Billion dollar princess did what it was meant to do.
Mr McMahon's famously notorious line: "It's me, Austin!, it was me all along" emerged from the above mentioned storyline only.