10 Times WWE's Fake World Got Dangerously Real

3. Vince McMahon Gets Butted

Kurt angle gammy neck
WWE.com

The idea that Vince McMahon was a fair wrestling promoter or even some kind of great, brave guy because he’d “never ask a talent to do something he wouldn’t do” is a load of old b*llocks. 

McMahon never spent multiple nights per week bumping on a legendarily unforgiving ring, although he profited from those who did. He does not deserve a hearty slap on the back and should not be conflated with a pro wrestler for working a handful of special attraction matches. 

He deserves no praise, either, for that time in which he instructed Kevin Owens to floor him with a shoot headbutt in 2017. Owens was feuding with Shane McMahon at the time; the idea behind the headbutt was to get Owens over as a badass renegade with no respect for authority nor the minted McMahon family. Owens was a heel at the time, somehow. Owens smacked his forehead against Vince’s. 

Whether Vince had bladed beforehand was almost irrelevant; the force was such that Owens either exacerbated an existing, concealed wound or opened up Vince the hard way. 

There’s no weeping to be done over Vince McMahon, but he set a dismal example here. 

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!