10 Best Backstage WWE Stories From Bruce Prichard's Podcast

2. "I Can't Be On TV If I'm Dead" (Vince McMahon)

It's over a decade now since Vince McMahon tried to kill off his on screen character in a dramatic limousine explosion as the 11 June 2007 episode of Raw went off the air. That moment is still one Bruce Prichard can't wrap his head around.

It was McMahon's explanation for booking it that he'll never forget.

Before the segment was written into the show's format, Vince had started to grumble backstage that he was tired of being a regular performer on the program. He fancied focusing on his backstage duties full-time again, and he was looking for a way to properly explain his absence to fans. Suddenly, Vince had a eureka moment.

"I can't be on TV if I'm dead".

Those very words stumped Bruce and left him reeling. It was a ludicrous statement, one that only made sense to McMahon. Here was the boss advocating (during a creative meeting, no less) that his writing team murder a popular, long-standing character on air and then offer up exactly zero rationale for it happening.