5 things Vince McMahon could do at WWE WrestleMania 39
Vince McMahon may be retired as the Chairman and CEO of WWE, as Triple H has taken charge of the company as the Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative. Vince’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon, is now the Co-CEO and Chairwoman of the organization.
So much has changed in WWE over the past several months since McMahon stepped down and retired from the day-to-day operations.
Despite the changes and Vince McMahon being completely out of the WWE picture, there is still a window of opportunity for the 77-year-old to be in the company in another capacity.
According to recent reports, WWE may be looking to have Vince McMahon make an appearance at WrestleMania 39 next year.
After all, Vince McMahon is still the majority owner of WWE. Nothing could stop him from showing up in any event, much less the biggest event of the year: WrestleMania!
With that said, let’s look at five things Vince McMahon could do at WrestleMania 39.
#5. Vince McMahon's Hall of Fame Appearance
#Wrestlemania 37 starts with Vince McMahon and then a delay due to the weather nodq.com/news/wrestlema… #WWE https://t.co/2vZcSpBTSj
Vince is currently rumored to be making his return to the company by next year. One of the ways he could make his return is by having him be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2023.
This seems like the most logical step and a fantastic way to honor the legacy that McMahon left behind. Vince would appear at the Hall of Fame ceremony the night before, giving his speech and a big thank you to the WWE Universe, his family, wrestlers, etc.
The entire WrestleMania weekend would be built around Vince McMahon as a tribute to his legacy and serve as a proper sendoff that he has yet to receive, publicly.
#4. Special Guest Referee
One idea would be for Vince McMahon to be a special guest referee for a match at WrestleMania 39. Since McMahon has ties with Austin Theory, one idea would have Theory involved in a feud with a top babyface star (let’s say, Drew McIntyre, as the example).
A swerve that could be thrown in would be to have Theory introduce McMahon as the referee prior to the match. This would be an interesting, yet compelling storyline wrap-around since we also got history between Vince McMahon and Drew McIntyre, as the former Chairman had originally marked McIntyre as “The Chosen One” years ago.
With McMahon reportedly planned to make the return, this would be a good little storyline that would benefit both McIntyre and Theory, as well as give the former CEO something fun to do physically in the ring.
#3. Officially Passing The Torch
A very emotional and touching way to use Vince at WrestleMania 39 is to have him publicly “pass the torch” to his daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H. The power couple could open WrestleMania, hyping up the event and the matches for the evening, etc.
Vince’s music hits. The WWE Universe pops as McMahon “power walks” down to ringside to confront his family. He takes the microphone and after thanking the fans for the warm reception, he speaks directly from the heart to his family.
The former chairman tells Triple H and Stephanie how proud he is of their accomplishments, and what they’ve done with WWE since his retirement. Vince would reference the Hall of Fame ceremony from the night before (see #5), and talk about how much the legacy of WWE means to him.
A teary-eyed Vince McMahon would tell them it’s officially “their time” to continue with the McMahon Legacy and take WWE to a whole other level for the next generation.
The trio then shares a tearful, emotional embrace as this could serve as a proper farewell to the man who single-handedly changed professional wrestling forever.
#2. Reforming the Corporation, Farewell Storyline Arch
Seeing Vince back on screen on a regular (or semi-regular) basis would be fun if done correctly. One way this could happen is by having him reform “The Corporation”, using Austin Theory as the leader of the faction in a similar spot that The Rock shared during the Attitude Era.
The angle could start at WrestleMania 39, with Vince McMahon making a surprise appearance at the end of the show. Preferably, you could have Cody Rhodes go over Roman Reigns to become the next Undisputed WWE Universal Champion to lead into what happens next.
McMahon comes out and congratulates Cody on his hard-fought title victory, but warns him that his night isn’t over yet. Out comes Austin Theory with his Money in the Bank contract. Theory cashes in and defeats Rhodes to become the new champion, with the former United States Champion and McMahon celebrating to end WrestleMania 39.
To drive home the angle, the next night on RAW, you have Austin Theory come out with Vince McMahon to celebrate his victory. McMahon announces that everything that happened over WrestleMania weekend with his "tributes", his Hall of Fame ceremony, etc. was all a big scheme for Vince to return back to the company and take back control from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
The storyline arch would serve as a sendoff for Vince and could tie in with the above (#3) as another scenario that would have McMahon ultimately passing the torch to his family, while putting over stars like Austin Theory in a big way.
#1. A Stunning Conclusion to the Austin-McMahon Rivalry
On this day in 1998, Stone Cold Steve Austin faced off against Vince McMahon in the Monday Night Raw main event.
WWF won the ratings war on this evening. https://t.co/xI9z78YEKK
One fitting way for Vince to appear at WrestleMania 39 is to come out as part of the Hall of Fame (2023) class, getting his own spotlight and last "WrestleMania moment" to thank the fans, etc.
When Vince goes to wrap up his speech, the glass breaks and Austin’s music hits. Austin comes out and thanks Vince for all that he has done for WWE and for helping create the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin character, going in a different direction than what we had seen at WrestleMania 38 a year ago.
The segment would end with Stone Cold having a beer bash with McMahon. Naturally, in typical Austin vs. McMahon fashion, the Texas Rattlesnake would drop McMahon at the last, most unexpected second with the Stone Cold Stunner in mid-celebration.
This would be another fitting sendoff for McMahon in poetic fashion, seeing as the Austin-McMahon rivalry was centered around the former WWE Champion humiliating Vince every chance he got and vice versa.