20 Things You Didn't Know About WrestleMania (1985-1994)

3. WrestleMania IX - Vince Hit The Ring And Embraced Hogan After PPV Broadcast Ended

Fans in attendance at the universally panned WrestleMania IX in Las Vegas, Nevada have claimed to see a quick breach of kayfabe. Or at the very least, Vince McMahon letting his guard down as he gave the fans in attendance a glimpse at Vince McMahon, owner, rather than Vince McMahon, announcer. After Hogan defeated Yokozuna in the impromptu main event and became the WWF Champion for the record-setting fifth time, Vince McMahon hit the ring. After the PPV broadcast went off the air, those that were in attendance say that Vince left the gorilla position and ran into the ring, embracing The Hulkster as if to say "Happy days are here again!". The company had a pretty tumultuous time of things during the previous couple of years, much of it ironically tied to The Hulkster himself. McMahon had begun to shift into his next generation of sports-entertainment promotion, including a new flagship performer in Bret Hart, but when Hogan decided he wanted to return to the ring, all Vince's talk about moving forward took a back seat. Instead, Vince decided to stick with the status quo of WWF Champion, Hulk Hogan. Vince wasn't afraid to let his emotions show in the middle of the ring in front of a relatively small number of fans (compared to the audience watching on PPV), but more to the employees and locker rooms full of performers in the back. Vince was ecstatic to have Hogan back, but the honeymoon didn't last long.
Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.