One Moment WWE Wants You To Forget From Every Year (1985 to 2026)

4. 2023 - The Vince McMahon Of It All

Vince McMahon Netflix
Netflix

Just how involved was Vince McMahon in between his first disgraced resignation in 2022 and second (and as of press time, final) one in 2024?

At one point, it had been suggested that the Brock Lesnar/Omos match from WrestleMania 39 was reflective of his inclusion in the creative process. Cast as an old moron on the end a bothersome Skype call Triple H had to make before getting on with the job of creating cohesive television, McMahon hadn't ever truly gotten out of the way, making a mockery of his initial PR exit particularly when he relaunched himself as a moustachioed business mogul around the time of the TKO-branded merger with UFC in 2023.

Following the enormously controversial conclusion to WrestleMania 39 and a comically abysmal Raw the next night, it was announced that WWE and UFC were coming together under a new leadership team spearheaded by McMahon, alongside details of him being right back in the catbird seat on Monday. It had taken 24 hours for fans to spot his fingerprints all over the show, but what really disgusted most fans was just how insidiously he'd done it with all outstanding charges against both him and the company. Just how much had been in the weeds all along? Ronda Rousey said plenty, it was later confirmed he changed more finishes than the main event on the aforementioned 'Grandest Stage', even if it had previously been at arm's length.

Money spoke louder than anything then, as it would in January 2024 when the full extent of his alleged interactions with Janel Grant leaked days before the Royal Rumble. News and details spread, Slim Jim threatened to pull their sponsorship, and McMahon was finally gone for good as a result.  

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.