10 Absolutely Incredible WWE Backstage Vince McMahon Stories

4. Save Our Spot

Vince Mcmahon
WWE.com

Vince McMahon wasn't a fan of Kofi Kingston's introductory vignettes, and you really can't blame him.

Kingston's Jamaican accent was abysmal, his delivery of what appeared to be jokes even worse. A beach bully threatened to kick sand in some nerd's face before Kofi surmised that there was "some trouble in paradise. He then buried the bully in sand before repeating the same naff line again, prefixed with the dreaded WWE staple: "You know what they say..."

Kingston drew mild reactions at best. McMahon wasn't impressed, but all was not lost. "Maybe one day you'll get over," Vince remarked to him one plane journey years before Kofi found a hit with the New Day stable. Chris Jericho advised Kofi to stand up for himself then and there. Incredibly, this amounted to Kingston challenging McMahon to a grapple. This wasn't beyond whatever the McMahon "norm" is; the Genetic Jackhammer has long been known for these impromptu amateur takedown contests. But with Kofi Kingston?

McMahon didn't back down. Even Harley Race, the hardest man this side of Haku, was not immune to his cocksure fury. McMahon lunged forward with a double leg takedown before the two men rolled around the floor.

Jericho was right. Kingston earned McMahon's approval. Perhaps Austin Aries should have thrown his banana at him instead.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!