In hindsight, the world should have seen these Vince McMahon allegations coming. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at on-air moments involving Vince McMahon that have since taken on a darker context in light of recent allegations levied against the former Chairman and CEO of the WWE.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at on-air moments involving Vince McMahon
00:10that have since taken on a darker context in light of recent allegations levied against
00:15the former chairman and CEO of the WWE.
00:40This storyline from 2001 featured Vince McMahon cheating on his wife Linda who, we should
00:46mention for the sake of narrative, was in a wheelchair and in a catatonic state.
00:52At the time, it was just seen as another shocking plot twist, fitting right in with the soap
00:57opera-heavy storylines of the era.
01:00Revisiting the on-screen affair now, complete with elaborate make-out sessions between Vince
01:05and Trish in front of Linda, it isn't just uncomfortable, it's downright exploitative.
01:18Given the real-life rumours of McMahon's infidelity and shocking accusations of mistreatment
01:23towards women, as outlined in the Janelle Grant lawsuit, his lurid affair with Trish
01:28takes on a much darker tone, one that potentially reflects real-world behaviours.
01:52The Kiss My Ass Club was a recurring segment in WWE for a time where Vince McMahon forced
01:59various personalities to literally pucker up and kiss his backside in the middle of
02:03the ring.
02:04The humiliating power play saw wrestlers, and even commentators, smooch his bare buttocks.
02:18While meant to showcase McMahon's character as a sadistic boss, these segments now appear
02:23as a disturbing abuse of power.
02:32Having been accused of forcing employees to engage in degrading acts in the real world,
02:37there's a much darker connotation to this so-called club.
02:40It's a troubling reflection of how far McMahon was willing to go to humiliate others, both
02:46on screen and off.
02:56For reasons never made clear, celebrated play-by-play announcer Jim Ross found himself the punchline
03:02to many of Vince McMahon's cruel jokes.
03:07However, on a 2005 episode of Raw, things went too far, as Vince took part in a mock
03:15rectal exam of Ross, this while the real JR recovered from an actual colonoscopy treatment.
03:27In the extended segment, Vince, as Dr. Heine, along with his assistant, Nurse Slobberknockers,
03:33pulled several items out of JR's behind.
03:37Seeing as how Vince has been accused of disregarding the dignity of his employees, the segment
03:42only further shows his willingness to publicly humiliate those under his command.
03:48It all raises major concerns about the bullying culture at WWE during this period.
04:07Just when you thought WWE couldn't become any more of a soap opera, it was revealed
04:12that Vince McMahon's on-screen character had an illegitimate son, which, as it turns
04:17out, was none other than Hornswoggle.
04:30This was meant to be nothing more than scandalous entertainment, and made for some genuine intrigue
04:36among fans.
04:37However, in light of recent allegations, it takes on a more disturbing subtext.
04:43The storyline implied that McMahon had engaged in an extramarital affair, which, we now know,
04:50mirrors his real-life accusations.
05:00While the storyline was fictional, it's unsettling to consider how it normalised questionable
05:06it particularly tone-deaf in light of Vince's private behaviour, where he's been accused
05:11of forcing himself on females.
05:27In 2003, Vince McMahon had a wrestling match against his own daughter.
05:32Yep, Stephanie McMahon.
05:35Just days before her real-life marriage to Triple H Paul Levesque stepped inside the
05:39ring to fight her father.
05:41In the I Quit match, Vince tossed Stephanie around while repeatedly slamming her into
05:46the mat, even choking her with a pipe.
05:49While Vince had previously wrestled his son Shane, the idea of a father physically assaulting
05:54his daughter, even in a scripted context, is unsettling.
05:58It's a brutal scene that raises questions about boundaries, especially with the public
06:04Now, more aware of McMahon's alleged history of control and manipulation, did we mention
06:09Vince once pitched a storyline where he's revealed to be the father of Stephanie's
06:14baby?
06:155.
06:16Romance with Sable
06:17Curiously, when valet-turned-wrestler Sable returned to WWE in 2003, she was immediately
06:25placed in a romantic storyline with her boss, Vince McMahon.
06:33This angle is particularly troubling given that just a few years prior, Sable left the
06:37company and promptly filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Vince and company, citing
06:43allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions.
06:54To bring her back and place her in this lurid storyline feels manipulative at best and exploitative
07:00at worst.
07:02Especially given McMahon's alleged history of using his position of power to engage in
07:07unlawful relationships with female employees.
07:10One can only wonder what the true motivations were behind this storytelling decision.
07:234.
07:27Sexual Dance from Stacey Keebler
07:30You've likely seen the meme created from this moment, a string of images showcasing
07:34Vince's shocked look of amazement as it intensifies with each passing one.
07:39Well, it all stems from this segment in which Stacey Keebler was made to perform a seductive
07:45dance for Vince McMahon.
07:55This naturally was during an interview to see who would be his new personal assistant.
08:01The scene no doubt objectifies Keebler, placing her in a series of submissive positions next
08:07to her boss, both on screen and in reality.
08:11It's part of a pattern of storylines that sexualized female performers for the benefit
08:16of McMahon's sexually charged character.
08:29In retrospect, it all echoes the alleged exploitative behaviour behind the scenes.
08:353.
08:36Tory Wilson Takes Off Vince's Clothes
08:48In yet another controversial WWE storyline, Vince McMahon took part in some provocative
08:53segments with Tory Wilson, one of WWE's top female performers at the time.
08:59During an episode of SmackDown, Vince set up a risque scene where he and Tory were backstage
09:04together.
09:11Vince convinces Tory to undress him, leading to a provocative moment where he disrobes,
09:17only for Vince's wife, Linda, to catch them in the act.
09:26With real-world stories of Vince McMahon's inappropriate behaviour surfacing, scenes
09:31like this become disturbing evidence of his willingness to blur the lines between performance
09:36and reality, exploiting his position to engage in uncomfortable situations with female talent
09:43– in this case, Tory Wilson.
09:462.
09:47Candice Michelle Is Vince's Sex Slave
09:50In 2006, WWE aired a storyline where Candice Michelle was portrayed as Vince McMahon's
09:57sex slave.
09:58This angle involved a plethora of suggestive scenes and implied sexual encounters between
10:04the two.
10:09At the time, it was viewed as somewhat edgy entertainment, albeit in bad taste.
10:15But, in light of recent real-world revelations, including damning accusations from Janelle
10:21Grant, where she alleges she was treated as a sexual slave for McMahon and his cronies,
10:27it's deeply unsettling.
10:32This storyline blurred the lines between fiction and reality in a way that now seems potentially
10:38indicative of a toxic culture rampant with mistreatment towards women in WWE at the time.
10:49Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
10:53about our latest videos.
10:54You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:58If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:041.
11:05Making Trish Stratus Bark Like a Dog
11:13This now-infamous segment leading into WrestleMania X-7 was shocking even at the time, but it's
11:19especially disturbing today.
11:22In it, McMahon, portraying his villainous Mr. McMahon character, forces Trish Stratus
11:27to strip down to her underwear and crawl around the ring barking like a dog.
11:40The scene was meant to showcase McMahon's power trip and penchant for humiliation, but
11:45it now appears as a gross abuse of authority.
11:49Given everything we know about Vince, this moment takes on an extremely darker tone,
11:54suggesting a pattern of objectifying women in his employ.
12:12If this is how far McMahon went to demean women publicly, how far did he take it privately?
12:18We may soon get our answers in the court system.
12:28Which on-air segment featuring Vince McMahon do you think has aged the worst?
12:33Share your picks in those comments below!