5 Times Vince McMahon gave brutally honest feedback to WWE Superstars
It is often said that nobody in WWE works harder than Vince McMahon. At the age of 75, the WWE Chairman and CEO has more responsibilities than anyone else in the company. He also has the final say on how often WWE Superstars appear on television, as well as key storyline developments.
Superstars including John Cena and The Undertaker have made it clear in out-of-character interviews that they get along with Vince McMahon behind the scenes. However, that does not necessarily mean that Superstars of that caliber are exempt from receiving constructive criticism from their boss.
If Vince McMahon likes a Superstar and wants to invest time in them, he has been known to take a hands-on approach with their characters. That means he often speaks to WWE’s men and women immediately after their matches and segments in the backstage area.
While the majority of Vince McMahon’s feedback appears to be positive, followers of backstage WWE news will know that is not always the case.
In this article, let’s take a look at five times that Vince McMahon gave brutally honest feedback to his WWE Superstars.
#5 Vince McMahon told Braun Strowman he was not ready to be World Champion
Braun Strowman revealed in a WWE Chronicle documentary that he had a heart-to-heart conversation with Vince McMahon in 2019 about his position in the company.
The former Wyatt Family member looked on course to win the Universal Championship on numerous occasions in 2017 and 2018. However, he continued to fall short in big matches, especially against Brock Lesnar.
Vince McMahon told a frustrated Strowman in January 2019 that he was not ready to be his top guy. That partly explains why he was removed from his Royal Rumble 2019 match against Lesnar and replaced by Finn Balor.
“He [Vince McMahon] gave me a really hard pill to swallow… Vince McMahon told me that it's not my time yet. That he is not ready for me to be Champion. That something isn't right.”
Strowman said he was “f***ing p****d off” that Vince McMahon did not see him as a World Championship holder. At the same time, the WWE Chairman’s words also inspired him to work even harder.
In 2020, The Monster Among Men finally won a World Championship when he defeated Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36.