10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (July 19)
4. Tom Magee Didn't Know Vince McMahon's Thoughts
Lord only knows what today's fanbase would make of walking punchline Tom Magee.
WWE recently aired his "lost" match with Bret Hart in 1986 for the first time. It caused quite the stir online and put Magee back into fan consciousness for the first time in years. Since then, Tom has been in demand for podcast appearances and other media interviews. His latest came with the folks from the 'Two Man Power Trip' show.
Magee reflected on his experiences backstage during the chat, and said that he doesn't remember anyone fawning over him like he was the "next Hulk Hogan". That's been a popular narrative for decades; as the story goes, Vince McMahon looked at Magee's musclebound frame and declared, "That's my new champion". Tom didn't know that.
Nobody really spoke to him that way behind the curtain. It wasn't the done thing for management to publicly gush over talent, and so Magee was none the wiser that Vince thought he had potential. His only worry was proving himself against Bret Hart.