10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Vince McMahon

4. He Was Horrible To Howard Finkel, Too

Vince McMahon
WWE

Howard Finkel was a treasured onscreen talent.

Blessed with a distinctly endearing voice, no announcer has ever rivalled "The Fink" when anointing a new champion. His prolonged, much-imitated "...and new!" announcement was loaded with gravitas.

He was also a beloved, long-tenured employee. His charm and enthusiasm was no carny work, either; Luke Gallows once spoke of the time that Finkel, in his capacity as a live event liaison, rang him up to coordinate a house show appearance. Finkel told Gallows that he was working Kane, and in a delightful touch, did so in kayfabe. "Watch out for that chokeslam!" Fink said before hanging up.

One of the nicest men to have ever been involved in wrestling, the Fink also coined 'WrestleMania', which was a significantly better idea than Vince's original 'The Colossal Tussle' pitch.

Finkel's reward?

Per William "Paul Bearer" Moody, Fink was institutionally bullied. Moody described the "abuse" as "24/7" - "constant". He was too much of a fan, and not an alpha male, and so he was force-fed sardines in a Bushwhackers skit until he was sick and booked frequently in Tuxedo matches because Vince, a phenomenally mean-spirited man, seemed to enjoy watching him suffer.

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!