"He lost his s**t" – Jake Roberts on male superstar kissing his WWE opponent
Jake Roberts recently recalled how WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon was responsible for Ahmed Johnson and Goldust's memorable King of the Ring 1996 moment.
Johnson defeated his flamboyant opponent in a 15-minute match to capture the Intercontinental Championship. In the closing stages, Goldust kissed his rival on the lips while he was laid on the ring canvas.
Roberts, who wrestled for WWE at the time, spoke about the incident on his podcast, The Snake Pit. The Hall of Famer revealed that Johnson was infuriated backstage after the kiss:
"I was there when they had him [Goldust] kiss Ahmed," Roberts said. "Oh, boy, I wouldn't have wanted to be in his way. He lost his s**t. Vince did that on purpose. Vince needed a black superstar, and Ahmed was gonna be it, but then Ahmed just got to where he wouldn't show up. He was hurting people every f***ing night. He just became unruly, unable to deal with him. Too demanding. They finally had to let him go." [55:29 – 56:15]
In 2021, Johnson told Sportskeeda Wrestling's Dr. Chris Featherstone that he knew the kissing spot was going to happen. However, his mouth was supposed to be covered by Goldust's hand.
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Jake Roberts thinks Vince McMahon wanted to embarrass Ahmed Johnson
The former Intercontinental Champion left WWE in February 1998. He is best remembered for his feud with Goldust and brief run as a member of the legendary Nation of Domination faction.
On this day in 1996: Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust at King of the Ring to grab the WWF Intercontinental title! #WWF #WWE #Wrestling #KingoftheRing #AhmedJohnson https://t.co/2E9cGnKs3s
Jake Roberts believes Vince McMahon tried to humiliate Johnson as payback after the superstar became difficult to work with:
"Man, Vince ate a lot of s**t. Before Ahmed got out of there, he had his own film, him being kissed by Goldust. So how many times do I [McMahon] feel like showing that?" [56:16 – 56:30]
Roberts also explained on this week's podcast why he advised McMahon to fire Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the 1990s.
Do you agree with Jake Roberts' claim that Vince McMahon purposely embarrassed Ahmed Johnson? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit The Snake Pit and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.