Vince McMahon 'laughed hysterically' when epic botch caused wrong person to win WWE match
Speaking in an interview on the Ring The Belle YouTube channel, former WWE Diva Kaitlyn (real name Celeste Bonin) revealed that Vince McMahon “laughed hysterically” when she accidentally won a Battle Royal in August 2012 to become the No.1 contender for the Divas Championship.
The match was originally supposed to be won by Eve Torres, but Kaitlyn’s clothesline was so strong that it knocked Torres over the top rope and to the outside of the ring.
Kaitlyn was then declared the winner of the match, leaving Layla – the Divas Champion at the time – with a shocked expression on her face at the commentary table.
Recalling the unfortunate botch, Kaitlyn said she thought she might be fired by McMahon when she walked to the backstage area after the match, but the WWE Chairman had a surprisingly positive reaction instead.
“I legit thought that when I walked back through the curtain that I was going to be fired. That was right on the cusp of the Divas getting more opportunities, so I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve f***** everything up.’ I walked back and Vince is laughing hysterically. I was like, ‘Is it an evil laugh, or…?!’
“There were a lot of people who thought I didn’t deserve it because I was still so new, I hadn’t proved myself, but there was also a lot of people that were like, ‘Congratulations, this is your opportunity. Take it.’”
How did WWE rectify the Kaitlyn botch?
WWE changed the storyline after Kaitlyn’s accidental victory by having a mystery person, later revealed to be Aksana, attack her at Night of Champions, allowing Eve Torres to win the Divas Championship from Layla at the pay-per-view.
Four months later, Kaitlyn won the title from Torres on an episode of RAW in January 2013 in her hometown of Houston, Texas.