![Bloodied Hulk Hogan Stands Over Vince McMahon - WWE WrestleMania XIX [3/30/2003]
It still blows my mind that Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon had a twenty minute street-fight match at a WrestleMania that wasn’t all that terrible (as far as I can remember). It definitely wasn’t the highlight of the night (Jericho/HBK, Angle/Lesnar), but I loved it because I was convinced that McMahon would win and have Hogan retire from the WWE forever, as the match’s stipulation called for.
Turns out Hogan managed to win and continue to be a thorn in McMahon’s backside on SmackDown as the Mr. America character. The fun thing about this time is that Vince and Hogan were actually really squabbling behind the scenes regarding money and eventually The Hulkster walked away from the WWE altogether (or terminated, depending on who you believe).](http://25.media.tumblr.com/98e1d5b8252d7aaac90a4a1a44511285/tumblr_mmqk44jxTZ1qzx70zo1_500.jpg)
Bloodied Hulk Hogan Stands Over Vince McMahon - WWE WrestleMania XIX [3/30/2003]
It still blows my mind that Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon had a twenty minute street-fight match at a WrestleMania that wasn’t all that terrible (as far as I can remember). It definitely wasn’t the highlight of the night (Jericho/HBK, Angle/Lesnar), but I loved it because I was convinced that McMahon would win and have Hogan retire from the WWE forever, as the match’s stipulation called for.
Turns out Hogan managed to win and continue to be a thorn in McMahon’s backside on SmackDown as the Mr. America character. The fun thing about this time is that Vince and Hogan were actually really squabbling behind the scenes regarding money and eventually The Hulkster walked away from the WWE altogether (or terminated, depending on who you believe).
[This Day in Wrestling History] Vince McMahon Buys Outs WCW, The Final Monday Nitro Airs [3/25/2001]
I still can remember turning onto TNT for WCW Monday Nitro and seeing Vince McMahon’s standing smugly in front of the camera, announcing the buyout and his victory to the stunned WCW audience. It was an insane moment in wrestling history, but also a completely underrated moment in television history as well as the chairman of the World Wrestling Federation announced that he now owned his competition while being broadcast live on his competition’s show.
Fans were shocked. WCW wrestlers seemed a bit put-off. Even WCW commentator Tony Schiavone broke script a couple of times to spout out a couple of barbed jabs against the WWF (and oddly enough, William Regal). The photos here showcase the final segment of both shows as the two programs combined for a simulcast so that Vince McMahon could address the fate of World Championship Wrestling… except that (SWERVE) his son Shane McMahon ended up “buying” the company himself before Vince could destroy it live on WWF RAW Is War!
Seeing these photos makes me want to go through the torrents and get both of the shows from this night, just to relive that night again.
[This Day in Wrestling History] Vince McMahon Announces He Has Bought World Championship Wrestling [3/26/2001]
A great clip that shows both the openers for WCW Monday Nitro and WWF RAW Is WAR where Vince McMahon addresses each of the different viewing audience directly over his new purchase — World Championship Wrestling.
After all these years, I’ve seemed to have forgotten the latter segment all together. Maybe I never actually saw it in the first place, being so glued to Monday Nitro all night due to it being the final episode. Either way, it’s pretty humorous to see how McMahon cherry-picked Jeff Jarrett to be the one to trash on his program. My guess is that he was still bitter over how Jarrett left the Federation years earlier…
![“The Nature Boy” Vince McMahon and Ric Flair - WWF RAW [1/7/2002]
To fully illustrate the difference of the audience and general attitude (no pun intended) between today’s crowds and the crowds of a decade ago, as soon as Vince McMahon started to put on the Ric Flair robe and wig, he was bombarded by an immediate “ASSHOLE” chant.
Regardless, this was a fun segment that ended up McMahon pulling out a lead pipe leaving Ric Flair a bloody mess in the middle of the ring.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/34b433e81368ee9fcd6e862500ca8630/tumblr_mjh593HOJ31qzx70zo1_500.png)
“The Nature Boy” Vince McMahon and Ric Flair - WWF RAW [1/7/2002]
To fully illustrate the difference of the audience and general attitude (no pun intended) between today’s crowds and the crowds of a decade ago, as soon as Vince McMahon started to put on the Ric Flair robe and wig, he was bombarded by an immediate “ASSHOLE” chant.
Regardless, this was a fun segment that ended up McMahon pulling out a lead pipe leaving Ric Flair a bloody mess in the middle of the ring.
![Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vince McMahon - WWF SmackDown! [11/8/1999]
To help promote Arnold’s film End of Days, the WWF welcomed the action star to their program and even presented him a WWF Championship Replica Title to the “World Box Office Champion”. Schwarzenegger stayed relatively away from any in-ring action for a majority of his time on-screen with the lone exception of backhanding THE EVER-LOVIN’ SPIT out of Triple H.
Fun segment for a movie that wasn’t too terrible.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/b5731c348103fa47d614cf72e325a5a7/tumblr_mjblrarGDm1qzx70zo1_1280.png)
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vince McMahon - WWF SmackDown! [11/8/1999]
To help promote Arnold’s film End of Days, the WWF welcomed the action star to their program and even presented him a WWF Championship Replica Title to the “World Box Office Champion”. Schwarzenegger stayed relatively away from any in-ring action for a majority of his time on-screen with the lone exception of backhanding THE EVER-LOVIN’ SPIT out of Triple H.
Fun segment for a movie that wasn’t too terrible.
![WWE Tribute to the Troops - WWE SmackDown! Magazine [July 2005]
Fantastic shot of Vince McMahon during the national anthem — it’s a shame that I couldn’t make the shot a bit cleaner.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/a489f8f166550330421c6adc6436bc29/tumblr_mjbl6jXmCa1qzx70zo1_1280.png)
![Eric Bischoff Named General Manager of RAW by Vince McMahon - WWE RAW [7/15/2002]
The story about how this unlikely event unfolded that night and how it was kept secret from everyone, taken from Eric Bischoff’s 2006 book, Controversy Creates Cash:
“About seven o’clock, a stretch limo arrived at my hotel to take me to the arena. We stayed out in the parking lot, outside the arena area, until nine. Then the limo pulled inside the arena. I remained inside so no one could see me. I was smiling so hard my face hurt. I knew it was going to be big. I knew I was going to get a huge reaction from the crowd. I was excited to get out in that ring again and let it rip, just hear that audience react.
There is nothing like that.”
[[MORE]]
“About twenty minutes before I was supposed to go out, Vince McMahon came by. It was the first time we had met face to face since that interview in 1990. He sat in the car and gave me a little pep talk.
‘When you come out, Eric, I want you to give me a big hug. Let’s embrace.’
Which was kind of odd, because I’d hardly even shaken his hand until this point.
‘Sure, Vince.’
He went back to the show. A few minutes later Stephanie came by, and we were ready to go.
A Train Wreck
‘Okay, Eric, now none of the boys know. It’s going to shock a lot of people. Don’t let that bother you. Just go out and do your thing.’
I think she probably thought I was a mental train wreck. She was sure that half the guys in her locker room were going to want to kill me, and the other half would cheer them on.
But I was just as calm and relaxed as I’ve ever been. We got out and I followed as Stephanie walked me up to the gorilla position, which is a kind of holding area right behind the stage. It’s the last thing you see right before you walk out. Either by design or accident, she made a wrong turn. Instead of walking me into the gorilla position, she swung me through an area backstage where twenty or twenty-five wrestlers were watching the show around a monitor.
The looks on their faces were priceless.
There was shock. There was fear. There was disbelief. There was anger. There was laughter.
Big show stood up. ‘Oh ho, ho, I can’t believe this!’
We reversed course and went up to the gorilla position. I stood there and waited.
Out on the stage, Vince was telling the crowd that WWE needed to be shaken up. He wanted a general manager who was going to be ruthless, someone who lived and breathed ‘ruthless aggression’. And he had found the perfect SOB.
My music started, and I walked out.
The Hug
The crowd was in utter shock. I walked to the center of the stage and gave Vince a big hug. A very, very big hug. We milked it to the point where it was almost homoerotic.
‘That rumbling beneath your feet,’ I said as we embraced, ‘is a whole lot of people turning over in their graves.’
The audience was so surprised they didn’t know how to react. They were quiet — until I started running off at the mouth. Within a few seconds, I started noticing the scowls, then the howls and the boos.
It was the reaction I wanted. Once again, I’d found my inner heel.”](http://25.media.tumblr.com/abdd480d6c62bddbe76f1abef1c9db50/tumblr_mia8ot7ufS1qzx70zo1_500.jpg)
Eric Bischoff Named General Manager of RAW by Vince McMahon - WWE RAW [7/15/2002]
The story about how this unlikely event unfolded that night and how it was kept secret from everyone, taken from Eric Bischoff’s 2006 book, Controversy Creates Cash:
“About seven o’clock, a stretch limo arrived at my hotel to take me to the arena. We stayed out in the parking lot, outside the arena area, until nine. Then the limo pulled inside the arena. I remained inside so no one could see me. I was smiling so hard my face hurt. I knew it was going to be big. I knew I was going to get a huge reaction from the crowd. I was excited to get out in that ring again and let it rip, just hear that audience react.
There is nothing like that.”
Match Of The Day:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon
Steel Cage Match
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House
February 14th, 1999
I know, I know… no one really likes Vince McMahon.
Matter of fact, I’m not fond of the guy or a lot of his decisions myself (if I mark over any McMahon, it’s definitely Shane). However, at the time that this PPV aired, all I remember was that it was so cool that Vince was out there wrestling!
Leave me alone, I was young and impressionable.
![WWF St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Advert [2/14/1999]
Loved this PPV as a teenager due largely to the fact that a certain 7’3”, 550-pound (kayfabe) behemoth made his WWF debut during this main event. Being the huge WCW mark that I was, I remember being completely shocked at seeing The Giant tear through the mat from underneath the ring in an attempt to get “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
This was before they settled on the name Big Show for the guy, so I remember thinking it was pretty strange to hear Jim Ross enthusiastically sell the fact that “PAUL WIGHT IS HERE!!”.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/3bfc9d684e4824b78b56a5a7789d77c8/tumblr_mhqd2jBnlS1qzx70zo1_1280.jpg)
WWF St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Advert [2/14/1999]
Loved this PPV as a teenager due largely to the fact that a certain 7’3”, 550-pound (kayfabe) behemoth made his WWF debut during this main event. Being the huge WCW mark that I was, I remember being completely shocked at seeing The Giant tear through the mat from underneath the ring in an attempt to get “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
This was before they settled on the name Big Show for the guy, so I remember thinking it was pretty strange to hear Jim Ross enthusiastically sell the fact that “PAUL WIGHT IS HERE!!”.
![WWE SmackDown Advert [2002]
Just for a night, I’d love it if they’d bring back the SmackDown Fist set.
Maybe on the 20th Anniversary…](http://25.media.tumblr.com/a497bb71547816d7d85e1207d1685344/tumblr_mgswssPbJ01qzx70zo1_500.png)
