5 Things that happened when Jose Mourinho appeared on WWE RAW
Let’s rewind to April 23, 2007. WWE’s Superstars were coming to the end of their post-WrestleMania European tour with a RAW taping in London, England, and one of the world’s most charismatic and controversial football managers – Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho – had a ringside seat to watch all the action unfold.
At the time, Vince McMahon had just lost “The Battle of the Billionaires” to Donald Trump at WrestleMania 23, John Cena and Shawn Michaels were feuding over the WWE Championship, and WWE ‘fan’ Santino Marella debuted one week earlier to win the Intercontinental Championship from Umaga.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, decided to prepare for Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final with Liverpool by taking his two children to Earl’s Court for a night of WWE, which seemed fitting for a man who constantly finds himself caught up in dramas.
Football fans have grown to either love or hate Jose Mourinho over the last two decades, making him one of the most polarizing people in the sport. The Premier League’s very own John Cena or Roman Reigns, if you like, only much more villainous.
It should come as no surprise that Jose Mourinho was roundly booed by the United Kingdom fans when he appeared on RAW, but what else happened on the one night when the self-proclaimed “Special One” swapped sports for sports entertainment?
Without further ado, let’s take a look at five of the most notable things that happened that night on RAW.
#5 Shane McMahon teased a match with Jose Mourinho
The RAW episode began with Shane McMahon trying to select an opponent from the crowd, just like how Vince McMahon had selected Santino Marella from the crowd in Italy one week earlier. Suddenly, after mocking two other fans at ringside, Shane spotted someone who looked familiar.
“Wait a minute, I know you. That’s Jose Mourinho…”
The camera immediately panned to Jose Mourinho, who wore a huge smirk on his face and began wagging his index finger back at Shane O’Mac.
As the majority of fans booed the then-Chelsea manager, Shane proved, if it wasn’t obvious already, that he did not know much about the great sport of football.
“The head coach, if you will, of the Chelsea football game.”
Referring to Jose Mourinho as the head coach of “the Chelsea football game” is the wrestling equivalent of calling John Cena a “World Wrestling Sports Entertainment Champion”. In other words, it just doesn’t make sense. Shane’s football lingo was way off.
“What do you say? Uh-uh… you don’t want any of this.”
It looked as though Jose Mourinho’s on-screen appearance would end with that comment from Shane, but Vince McMahon’s son was not done there…