10 Wildest Wrestling Hoaxes Fans Actually Fell For

2. Vince McMahon Was Going Blind

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WWE

In 2015, rumours circulated that Vince McMahon was losing his eyesight. 

An episode of Raw emanated from Montreal, after which Vince participated in a dark segment celebrating Pat Patterson. A fan in attendance claimed, fuelling the rumour, that Vince needed a spotlight to guide him to the ring and, upon exiting, handlers from the crew helped him leave by flashing torches to light the way back to the Gorilla position, as if he were a raccoon being driven away from somebody’s backyard. 

This was immediately denied by WWE, and Vince displayed no signs of blindness during his subsequent public appearances. You could argue that Vince’s hearing wasn’t what it was - that perhaps he simply couldn’t register, what, several years’ worth of toxic or muted reactions to virtually everything he promoted. 

Or maybe he didn’t give an iota of a toss. 

Even if he was going blind, he’d have no-sold it (provided of course he wasn’t forced into a position in which he attempted to evoke sympathy from the public). Vince would have literally screamed at a wall with no clue what he was doing, and everybody would have been too scared to say anything. 

Which is what he did with functioning vision. 

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!