5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Hall Of Fame 2025 (Results & Review)

3. The Elephant In The Room

WWE has been doing this dance for the past couple years where they desperately try to avoid name-dropping their former chairman, even when talking about the company’s history.

But Vince McMahon came up a few times during the Hall of Fame ceremony, to mixed results.

Fred Ottman (Typhoon) made a passing reference to Vince while talking about he and Earthquake becoming a tag team. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin name-dropped McMahon when talking about his WrestleMania 13 match with Bret “Hitman” Hart, mentioning that his commentary really helped sell the significance of what was happening.

Then there was Triple H, who admitted that the situation was “complicated.” He noted that Vince was the one who brought him into the creative process and gave him those opportunities to succeed behind the curtain. Levesque added that Vince was his three daughters’ grandfather and his father-in-law, further complicating the situation. He quickly said he owed McMahon “so much” and said he was grateful for all the lessons he learned from him.

Fully acknowledging it was a difficult spot, at the end of the day, Levesque is an executive in WWE, which is still ensconced in a lawsuit with Janel Grant, who has accused Vince of sex trafficking. One-half of the WrestleMania 41 main event (John Cena) did an interview this week talking about how he still loves Vince unconditionally, despite the allegations.

The smart thing would have been to just sidestep McMahon entirely and not throw more kindling onto the fire. Even while admitting it’s complicated and trying to artfully dance around it, HHH still put Vince front-and-center, giving mouth-breathing fans the opportunity to cheer for him and ensuring a smattering of news items heading into WrestleMania Saturday.