10 Shocking Vince McMahon Moments You Totally Don't Remember

5. Vince Gets In Trouble With GLAAD (No, Not That Time, Another Time)

Vince McMahon
WWE

You are likely well aware of the first time WWE brazenly courted GLAAD.

The story is rather famous; WWE, promoting Billy and Chuck as a pair of caricatured gay men, were nonetheless insistent that this was an affectionate and progressive portrayal. To attract publicity; as it happened, during their 2002 "wedding," Billy screamed WE'RE NOT GAY very loudly, just to make it undeniably apparent that he and Chuck were not in fact gay.

Vince alienated the organisation for a second time in 2009. On an August edition of Monday Night RAW, Vince celebrated his birthday against an extravagant backdrop. It was much too extravagant for the billionaire COO of a publicly-traded company; surveying the Cirque de Soleil performers, he remarked that their masks looked "really gay," as if pro wrestling isn't almost entirely homoerotic. This ugly comment was made as WWE, one year into its PG reinvention, marketed its product to children.

"He was a heel," you might say in protest, as if DX didn't mention every week that he liked "c*ck" three years earlier.

Perhaps we should not expect more from an organisation that marketed Dana Warrior as an LGBTQ ally because the colour palette worn by her bigot husband best matches the rainbow flag.

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!