5 Popular Vince McMahon GIFs and the real stories behind them
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is one of the most eccentric people in the history of the pro wrestling/sports entertainment industry.
The 75-year-old no longer has a prominent role on WWE television these days, but anybody who follows WWE-related topics on social media will know that his on-screen appearances as the villainous Mr. McMahon character have lived long in fans’ memories.
Whether he is falling off a chair or comically tugging at his ear, there is barely a day that goes by without Vince McMahon’s absurd antics appearing on social media in a looping animation (aka a GIF).
In this article, let’s take a look at five Vince McMahon GIFs that are frequently used online, as well as the real stories behind them.
#5 The Vince McMahon ear pull GIF
The November 19, 2001 episode of WWE RAW saw the returning Ric Flair interrupt a segment involving Vince McMahon and Kurt Angle.
After Flair revealed that he was the new storyline co-owner of WWE, Vince McMahon tugged on his ear in comical fashion until Steve Austin’s music hit.
Speaking on a Vengeance 2001 episode of his Something to Wrestle With podcast in December 2017, WWE director Bruce Prichard gave a fascinating insight into the real story behind the Vince McMahon ear pull GIF.
“The ear pull came from a cue where Vince was in the ring. We would cue whoever’s music to interrupt Vince, and a lot of times, 99 percent of the time, that was me cueing the music. I would wait for the right moment, hit the music to interrupt him or whatever.”
Vince McMahon often had arguments with Prichard because he felt that Superstars’ music was either played too early or too late.
On this occasion, Vince McMahon wanted Austin's music to hit at exactly the right time, so he told Prichard to play the music as soon as he touched his ear.
“His [Vince McMahon’s] cue for this one night was, ‘When I pull my ear, that’s the cue to hit the music.’ And instead of a little, subtle reach up and tug of the ear, which I would’ve gotten, Vince starts playing with his ear and pulling on his ear because he thought, ‘Well, God damn, why aren’t you playing the music?’”
Prichard explained that it took a second for him to let the person in charge of the music know that the music had to be played.
However, Vince McMahon expected the music to play immediately after he touched his ear, which is why he looks so worried in the GIF.