You can love him or hate him, but you can’t ignore the fact that Vince McMahon is the reason why WWE exists as the largest wrestling promotion in the world today. In a bid to achieve his dream of making wrestling great, McMahon made many friends on the way and even more enemies. The WWE mogul is back as the Executive Chairman of the Board after temporarily stepping down from his position in July 2022 due to his hand in embezzlement. His checkered past continues to haunt him, as McMahon is still shrouded with controversies to this day.
Nobody can deny that Vince McMahon is ruthlessly ambitious. After buying WWWF from his father, McMahon set out to conquer the pro wrestling world with his vision, so much so that he was once in the crosshairs of other wrestling promoters. It is also no secret that the WWE patriarchy is as tough as nails. His physique at 77 substantiates his virility, strength, and power. However, the billionaire once had a target on his back.
Some wrestling promoters once wanted Vince McMahon dead
According to WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, Vince McMahon was once a target for other wrestling promoters. In 1983, Vince McMahon separated WWF from the governing body of wrestling, NWA. After making WWF an independent territory, McMahon invaded areas that were off-limits to sign popular wrestlers from other promotions.
People who work or have worked with McMahon know what a control freak he is. In hopes of controlling the world of pro wrestling and driving other promotions out of business, McMahon started buying the time slots of other promotions.
This caught the ire of other promoters. At the time, Jim Ross worked with Bill Watts, playing the role of a referee and an announcer. Ross was also often involved in meetings with the kingpins of wrestling.
During one of the meetings, the agenda was to douse Vince McMahon’s existence from the world of pro wrestling as he was getting closer and closer to his goal of expanding his wrestling territory. Speaking on his podcast, Grilling JR, the Hall of Famer recalled overhearing promoters devising a plan in the restroom to assassinate Vince McMahon.
At this point, JR pulled his feet up in his stall. According to him, some executives entered the restroom and discussed ways to wipe out McMahon for good. One of the executives also pitched the idea of hiring a hitman for $700 to get the job done. Thankfully, McMahon never suffered the fate of Julius Caesar and still made WWE great in spite of his enemies.
Vince McMahon’s life was once threatened by a gangster
Speaking with Fortune Magazine, the Billion Dollar Princess, Stephanie McMahon, revealed that Vince McMahon once encountered a notorious gangster in a hotel room. Stephanie described the gangster as a big and “oversized” man with an “unattractive” face.
She also added that Vince McMahon stood up to him and never gave up on his dreams. Say what you will about Vince McMahon, but, he is truly worthy of all praise and respect.
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