The WWE is home to some of the most over the top storylines you’ll ever see in popular media. The promotion long had an undead zombie wizard fighting for titles and championships. He also had a demon brother follow him to the company, among many other storylines that if you just paid attention to, you’d know that this was all part of a script. However, there are still some who believe what they see on TV as real, including a certain former United States President, Donald Trump.
Also read: A Former Male WWE Superstar Once Claimed Vince McMahon Touched Him Inappropriately
The WWE once ran a storyline on their Monday Night Programming that saw Vince McMahon get into a limousine, only for it to immediately blow up. This was followed by the company writing of the Chairman’s demise on their website. Most fans knew immediately that this was part of a storyline. Some, however, were confused and even worried.
Donald Trump once actually believed Vince McMahon died following a staged stunt on Monday Night RAW
Back in 2008, Triple H appeared on the Opie and Anthony Show. One of the topics he discussed was Vince’s limousine explosion. The WWE Head of Creative revealed that many people, including Donald Trump, called in to confirm if Vince McMahon had actually died.
“Oh man, I was scared to death. If I hadn’t seen the pre-tape where he got in and out of the car, you know what I mean,” Triple H said. “What kills me is so many people called, like Trump called, and was like ‘something happened to Vince.’ That’s the magic of television.”
Trump was not the only person who fell for the stunt. The fact that WWE’s stock prices briefly dropped, is proof that quite a number of people actually fell for it. The storyline was soon nixed, not to save their business, but for a far more heartbreaking reason.
Chris Benoit, double murder suicide
The following episode of Monday Night RAW was set to serve as a memorial service for the WWE Chairman’s fake death. There was indeed a memorial service on the show, but not for Vince. The show was dedicated to the memory of Chris Benoit.
They honored the rabid Wolverine after he was found dead at his home along with his wife and son. However, it soon emerged that the Rabid Wolverine had actually murdered them before taking his own life.
According to The New York Times, Nancy was found with her hands and feet tied. There was blood under her head. Their son Daniel was found in bed while Chris Benoit was found hanging from a weight machine cable in his home gym.
The WWE immediately distanced themselves from the wrestler and have since refrained from mentioning him on WWE programming.
The only silver lining in what is one of the darkest moments in wrestling history is WWE becoming more careful with shots to the head and implementing a wellness policy in order to prevent another Benoit in the future.
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