vince mcmahon

Mr. McMahon

McMahon, Sable, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker on SmackDown!

Mr. McMahon is the on-screen character of Vince McMahon, with the gimmick of an often egotistical heel boss. The character spawned from the real-life hatred many wrestling fans had for McMahon following the 1997 Survivor Series incident with Bret Hart.

Although Mr. McMahon was loathed for his actions as the evil owner of the WWF, the character proved to be one of the most memorable heels in professional wrestling history. Despite Mr. McMahon's evil intentions, many fans continue to respect the character for the history it's had, particularly with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who was Mr. McMahon's nemesis at the character's apex. Much to Mr. McMahon's horror, "Stone Cold" has been announced to return to be the special guest referee at the "Battle of the Billionaires" match.

Several other gimmicks have become integral parts of McMahon's on-camera persona, such as his throaty exclamation of "You're fired!", and his "power walk" - an over-exaggerated strut towards the ring, swinging his arms and bobbing his head from side to side in a cocky manner. This is usually accompanied by a comment from Jim Ross, such as "There's only one man I know that walks like that." The power walk is used to get a reaction out of the audience (especially when he's a heel), but it also provides comic relief as well. WWE Superstar John Cena had joked on the RAW Exposed special that aired before WWE Homecoming, that Vince "somehow walks like he's got a broomstick shoved up in his ass". According to Jim Cornette, the power walk was inspired by one of Vince McMahon's favorite wrestlers as a child, Dr. Jerry Graham.

Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club

Following the collapse of the WCW/ECW Alliance at Survivor Series 2001, Mr. McMahon created the "Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club", which consisted of various WWE superstars or officials being ordered to kiss his backside in the middle of the ring.

The first member of the "Kiss My Ass Club" was William Regal, who did it on the grounds of being rehired by the WWF as he had served as the commissioner of The Alliance. The following candidate was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who assaulted McMahon rather than going through with the indignity. Laughing from ringside, Jim Ross was forced to take Austin's place. For betraying him at WrestleMania X-Seven, Mr. McMahon ordered Trish Stratus to also go through with it. The club was proclaimed closed by The Rock after he forced Mr. McMahon to kiss Rikishi's backside on an episode of SmackDown!

Although the gimmick was "officially" retired by The Rock, it has reappeared on various occasions. Mr. McMahon has ordered various others to go through with the indignity over the years, including Zach Gowen and Shawn Michaels(in place of Marty Jannetty). Prior to WrestleMania 22, Shawn Michaels became a member of the club after Shane McMahon forced him into it; Shawn later forced Shane to kiss Vince's ass. Triple H also assaulted McMahon rather than going through with it, prompting him and Shawn Michaels to re-form D-Generation X and feud with McMahon.

Mick Foley has the dubious distinction of being only the second member of the club to willingly kiss McMahon's backside, on the grounds that it would save Melina's job. She promptly betrayed him, and Foley was fired instead (Foley has since returned).

Mr. McMahon has been on the receiving end of the indignity on several occasions, as he's kissed the backsides of the aforementioned Rikishi, as well as The Big Show when D-Generation X shoved his face into it at Unforgiven 2006.

The gimmick has also spawned its own Internet based cartoon entitled "Mr. McMahon's Kiss My Ass Club - The WWE's Most Valuable Asset." The cartoon series produced by Animax Entertainment debuted on WWE.com on November 22, 2006.

Firings

In numerous wrestling storylines, Mr. McMahon uses his ability to terminate whomever he feels from either a position or the company. The termination is usually preceded by the aforementioned throaty exclamation of "You're fired!"

This is a list of those whom he has fired on-screen.

• Jim Ross - was scapegoated after friend, Steve Austin, assaulted the McMahon family at WWE Homecoming in 2005. Ross was later brought back at "Saturday Night's Main Event" and again at WrestleMania 22, until finally returning full time.
• Kane - Kane was quickly re-hired the same night.
• Shawn Michaels - was fired as WWF commissioner, although Shawn notified McMahon that he couldn't be fired as per his contract.
• Earl Hebner - was actually fired by Triple H for fast-counting him and costing him the Federation championship, although the decision was supported by McMahon.
• Mick Foley - numerous times; once as Dude Love, once as WWF commissioner, and most recently, following a segment of the aforementioned "Kiss My Ass Club."
• Paul Heyman - as an announcer for RAW.
• Hulk Hogan - after it was proven that Hogan was indeed "Mr. America."
• Kurt Angle - as General Manager of SmackDown!
• Eric Bischoff - twice, once in 2003, although he was quickly rehired and permanently in December 2005.
• Steve Austin - after he failed to declare a victor in an Undertaker/Kane match in October 1998.
• Marty Jannetty - for failing to join the aforementioned "Kiss My Ass Club" and for failing to break Chris Masters' Master Lock.
• Rob Conway - for losing to Jeff Hardy on the January 1, 2007 edition of RAW.
• Every WWE fan - prior to firing Jim Ross, McMahon vented his rage by "hiring" everyone who was watching him for the sole purpose of "firing" them seconds later.
• A pyro technician - who caused a freak explosion of one of the fireworks, leading McMahon to initially believe that it was God who caused the explosion.
• Limo driver - who nearly crashed into "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's truck. McMahon promptly dragged the driver from the car, beat him unconscious, and fired him on the spot.

Feuds with non-wrestlers

Vince McMahon began a feud with Eric Bischoff in late 2005, when he decided that Bischoff wasn't doing a good job as General Manager of RAW. He started "The Trial of Eric Bischoff" where McMahon served as the judge. Bischoff ended up losing the trial, and Vince "fired" him, and put him in a garbage truck and it drove away. Bischoff stayed gone for months. Almost a year later on RAW in late 2006, Bischoff was brought out by Vince McMahon's executive assistant Jonathan Coachman so that he could announce the completion of his book "Controversy Creates Ca$h." Bischoff began blasting remarks at McMahon, saying that he was fired "unceremoniously" as the RAW General Manager, that there would be no Mr. McMahon if it wasn't for Bischoff's over-the-top rebellious ideas, and that D-Generation X was nothing but a rip off of the nWo. Bischoff returned again in March 2007 to tell Vince his thoughts on Vince's WrestleMania 23 match, telling Vince he can't wait to see him get his head shaved bald.

In early 2007, McMahon started a feud with business icon Donald Trump, which was featured on major media outlets.

Controversy

On February 1, 2006, McMahon was accused of sexual harassment by a worker at a Boca Raton tanning bar ^[1]. The worker said that he "groped her and harassed her". At first, the charge appeared to be discredited because McMahon was in Miami for the Royal Rumble at the time in question; it was soon clarified that the alleged incident was reported to police on the day of the Rumble, but actually took place the day before^[2]. On March 27, a Florida television station reported that no charges would be filed against McMahon as a result of the investigation.

McMahon has also come under fire for constantly placing himself into sexual angles with many WWE Divas, including Sable, Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Dawn Marie, Candice Michelle, and Jackie Gayda.

McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment as a whole has been the center of controversy in the past, especially in the "Attitude Era" of what was the World Wrestling Federation - including D-Generation X for their sexual references, and Stone Cold Steve Austin for his trademark drinking of beer and flipping the middle finger.

On the McMahon DVD, Stephanie comments that she had to nix a potential incest angle. According to her, Vince was to reveal himself as the father of her baby; when she said no, he pushed for Shane to be the father, but she turned that idea down as well. She also nixed Vince's idea that her wedding to Triple H be aired live on PPV, and said that the only reason Vince ever hired Eric Bischoff was to be able to say that his longtime nemesis once worked for him.

Other media

In 2001, Vince McMahon was interviewed by Playboy and performed an interview with his son Shane McMahon for the second issue of Playboy Magazine in the year.

In March 2006 (at age sixty) McMahon was featured on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. In the months after its publication, it could be seen in McMahon's office during backstage segments. A large version of the cover was used as a weapon during McMahon's match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 22 and was defaced by D-Generation X upon their reunification during an episode of RAW