5 Times Vince McMahon broke character in WWE
There have been countless instances of WWE Superstars breaking character on TV or during interviews, over the years. In today's age of social media where everyone is connected at all times, keeping kayfabe alive and staying true to one's character at all times isn't an easy thing. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is one guy who rarely breaks character, no matter what.
He has spent decades on end turning WWE into a global media conglomerate, and staying in character is just one of his qualities that have made him a revered figure. That's why when Vince McMahon breaks character, it becomes major news and is bound to make waves on social media. In the following slideshow, we will take a look at five instances when Vince McMahon broke character in WWE.
#5 Vince McMahon announces the arrival of The Attitude Era
Back in the 90s, there was a time when WWE was struggling against WCW Nitro every week. The WWE Universe was not impressed with WWE's cartoonish angles and hokey characters. A big change was needed and Vince McMahon finally decided to give the fans what they want. On an episode of RAW on December 15, 1997, Vince McMahon made an announcement and addressed WWE fans in an out-of-character promo.
This promo officially kicked off what many would later dub as possibly the greatest era in sports-entertainment history. Here's a snippet from Vince McMahon's promo.
The WWF extends far beyond the strict confines of sports presentation into the wide-open environment of broad-based entertainment. We borrow from such program niches like soap operas like The Days Of Our Lives or music videos such as those on MTV, daytime talk shows like Jerry Springer and others, cartoons like The King Of The Hill on Fox, sitcoms like Seinfeld and other widely accepted forms of television entertainment.
Vince's iconic promo:
What followed was a regular dose of edgy programming, and it eventually helped WWE defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Vince McMahon bought off WCW in March 2001, thus marking the end of The Attitude Era.