10 Wrestlers Who Broke The Muta Scale

2. Vince McMahon

Eddie Guerrero Bloody Hell
WWE.com

Vince McMahon has one simple demand of his talent roster: he would not ask them to do anything he wouldn't do, which is reasonable enough on the surface. Unfortunately for them, McMahon is ostensibly both slave-driver and veritable lunatic, and routinely works inhuman hours well into his twilight years. He also remains fond of absorbing incredible punishment in the name of putting an angle over.

He didn't f*ck around at Survivor Series 2003; perhaps sensing that he was missing the grand stage of a WrestleMania and the bigger star of an opponent in Hulk Hogan, McMahon delved into shortcut territory early. Immediately is the more appropriate word; he bladed after just one worked Undertaker punch. Now, this being Vince McMahon, we can't be too sure if the deep slice was altogether accidental, or if he knew d*mn well what he was getting himself into. The man, after all, is method and mad to the bone.

"Assisted" though it was, you cannot deny the effectiveness of his selling on the night. His match with the 'Taker, reductively, was a procession of punches and a protracted dissection of his leg - but he sold the onslaught as if starring in a body horror video nasty, all hoarse screams and wide-eyed tremor, thereby elevating it into something far more than the sum of its meagre parts.

That his blade job lives longer in the memory than Shawn Michaels', who mutilated himself on the very same show, underscores how many buckets he filled.

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!