5 times WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has apologized
For almost four decades, Vince McMahon has ruled over the WWE as Chairman of the board, on-air authority figure and has had the final ruling on all creative decisions. Were you to ask any wrestler what they consider to be the most important aspect of getting a push in the WWE, wrestlers will often say building a relationship with Vince McMahon. Repeatedly, wrestlers have had to prove themselves to Vince McMahon. With some going as far as to engage him physically, such as Kofi Kingston, to gain the respect of the boss.
In an industry such as professional wrestling, stars often become frustrated with their position on the card. In response to this, some may act out in a way that leads to tension with McMahon behind the scenes. When such incidents arise, the common outcome is that the star will approach McMahon and apologize for their conceived wrongdoing. One example of this is Madusa, following the infamous dumping of the WWE Woman’s Championship in the trash on an episode of WCW Nitro in 1995.
To maintain control of his locker room, the WWE Chairman has had to display a certainty in his decision-making and confidently stand by his actions. Or else run the risk of his control being called into question.
With that said, it can be easy to assume that courtesy may be a one-way street when it comes to the Genetic Jackhammer of WWE. However, lately, stories have begun to emerge of Vince McMahon showing compassion and apologizing for his wrongdoings. With that in mind, here are 5 times Vince McMahon has said he is sorry.
#5: Mark Henry
Recently, WWE veteran Mark Henry was a guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions podcast on the WWE Network. One talking point that stood out during his interview with the "Texas Rattlesnake" was the time that Vince McMahon ribbed him regarding a match with Sin Cara. The former WWE ECW Champion said that McMahon and the crew members ribbed him by sending Henry to the ring for a dark match with the luchador that never happened.
Henry explained that the longer he waited for Sin Cara to emerge the angrier he became, and he eventually stormed his way backstage. Once there, Henry discovered that most of the backstage personnel had already left, prompting him to call McMahon to voice his annoyance over the rib.
According to Henry, the boss was remorseful for what had happened and promptly apologized to the veteran superstar. Vince McMahon would then go on to draw Henry’s attention to the emotion he had shown in the ring while waiting for Sin Cara and urged Henry to channel this anger and passion into a new storyline that was being developed just for him.
That storyline would turn out to be The Hall of Pain, easily Mark Henry’s best run in the company that saw him capture the World Heavyweight Championship and helped to secure his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame a few short years later.