10 Most Shocking WrestleMania Turns

8. Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 16)

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WWE Network

A shocking as it was predictable, Vince McMahon's return to the dark side after a nine month vacation as a babyface made WWE history in allowing a victorious heel to close WrestleMania for the first time in the show's lifespan.

Paired with The Rock as part of the 'McMahon in every corner' WrestleMania 16 main event against champion Triple H, Mick Foley and The Big Show, Vince was a babyface owner alongside wife Linda, with the McMahon children cast as selfish young upstarts.

The logic was sound, with daughter Stephanie shockingly revealing an alliance with Vince's hated rival Triple H the prior December, forcing her father out of the company in shock and ruling with an iron fist alongside 'The Game' ever since.

During the match, Vince had literally fought his corner, sparking out his own son Shane in defence of 'The Great One', but then swivelled his hips with a steel chair and shockingly clocked his charge. After Rock miraculously kicked out of Triple H's first pinfall attempt, Vince leathered him again to finish the job.

Revealing that blood was thicker than water, Vince explained that a reunion with his daughter outweighed any prior wars with Hunter, with The Rock left as an unfortunate victim of the McMahon family ploy.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett