10 Absolutely Incredible WWE Backstage Vince McMahon Stories

6. Jonathan Coachman: Pranked

Vince Mcmahon
WWE.com

Jonathan Coachman, per Back Sports Page, was the subject of the most elaborate rib in the history of wrestling.

As per the orders of the boss man, Gerald Brisco invited the 'Coach' to run a football betting pool in 2001. Coachman agreed; Brisco was his superior. Almost instantly, two cops commandeered Coachman and told him what he was doing was illegal. He was going down. The cops stopped by Vince McMahon's office - absolutely not within any acceptable procedure, but the man was sh*tting himself, so you can't blame him for buying it - at which point Vince tore him a new one in front of Triple H, Stephanie, The Rock, Kevin Dunn and Brisco. The whole thing apparently lasted 45 minutes, surely 40 minutes longer than would have been funny.

Not true, apparently; Coachman, dumb enough to request that his face was to be covered with sweaty gym shorts, was subsequently driven a mile down the road only to be returned to the scene to find Vince et al. "laughing their a*ses off."

Coachman was one of few dissenting voices who spoke out against accusations of WWE's toxic bullying culture - even though this convoluted insanity reduced him to tears before it was revealed as a rib. Incidentally, WWE and his latter employer ESPN have a loose working agreement. Man, Justin Roberts was such a square for falling for the classic steal-your-passport-and-maroon-you-in-a-foreign-country prank!

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!