Vince McMahon reveals surprising details behind the Mr. McMahon character
Vince McMahon is synonymous with WWE and the entire pro wrestling industry. The billionaire grew the sport into what it is today while working countless hours behind the scenes in various roles, and on-screen as one of the most infamous characters of all time. McMahon is now opening up on who the gimmick really is.
Mr. McMahon is often confused with the man behind the character, Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. While doing commentary, Vince slowly began to introduce the Mr. McMahon character in 1997. The legendary rivalry with Steve Austin kicked things into high gear, but the gimmick was officially born after the Montreal Screwjob of Bret Hart in November of that year. The evil boss went on to become WWE Champion and ECW World Champion while competing in numerous high-profile matches, including the 1999 Royal Rumble he was victorious in.
The Genetic Jackhammer has been a viral topic of discussion since Netflix released the Mr. McMahon docuseries last Wednesday. In the fourth episode, the 79-year-old discussed his Mr. McMahon character, revealing how the gimmick was inspired by what he experienced in North Carolina while growing up in poverty.
"Mr. McMahon, of course, is a character derived from, Vince McMahon and is a character to someone I could relate to when I was growing up. When I was growing up, I was dirt poor. Coming from that environment, I don’t like rich people, because I was around some people who thought they were better than me because they had more money. So, it felt like you weren’t anybody at all. You were a nobody. You learn certain things. In those days, I could fight, and I loved to fight. If you could do that, well, now you’re somebody," Vince McMahon said. [H/T to Fightful]
McMahon continued:
"I was good at fighting, but they would say, 'You didn’t fight fair, you cheated.' Yeah, I won. [laughs] So, with my character, Mr. McMahon, I can play someone who intimidates, because that was the way I grew up. That was the way I thought rich people were, they’d try to intimidate you. I know how to be an arrogant person that just throws his weight around and a bully and stuff like that. It was easy for me to get into that character because I knew all the things that I disliked."
Vince had just over sixty matches as Mr. McMahon over the years, including several arm wrestling contests. His first was a No Contest against then-WWE Champion Steve Austin on April 13, 1998, which wasn't much of a match at all, and his last in-ring action was the win over Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38.
Vince Russo says Vince McMahon buried himself
Vince Russo was previously one of Vince McMahon's key hires in WWE. The former head writer was largely responsible for the success of the Attitude Era.
Russo recently discussed the Mr. McMahon docuseries on Netflix and declared that the former WWE Chairman did himself no favors. The 63-year-old also referred to the reports on Vince McMahon trying to buy the docuseries before it aired.
"Bro, Vince buried himself, man. Vince buried himself on that Netflix docu-drama. Vince incriminated himself, his own words. Not the producers of the show, not the directors of the show, not the editing. Bro, Vince, Vince, his own words incriminated himself. That's why Vince wanted to buy this docuseries from Netflix before it even aired," Vince Russo said. [From 10:37 onwards]
The former Vic Venom worked for WWE from 1992 until October 1999. He was hired as a freelance writer for WWE Magazine but became editor in 1994. Russo was promoted to the creative team in 1996, then became head writer in 1997.