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  • 7 months ago
With hindsight, these moments feel very different.
Welcome to WatchMojo, where we’re looking at 10 disturbing Vince McMahon moments that are unsettling because of what we know now, from shocking storylines to real-life controversies that changed how fans see them.

Which Vince McMahon moment shocked you the most in hindsight? Let us know in the comments!

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Transcript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at on-air moments involving Vince McMahon
00:10that have since taken on a darker context in light of recent allegations levied against
00:15the former chairman and CEO of the WWE.
00:40This storyline from 2001 featured Vince McMahon cheating on his wife Linda who, we should
00:46mention for the sake of narrative, was in a wheelchair and in a catatonic state.
00:52At the time, it was just seen as another shocking plot twist, fitting right in with the soap
00:57opera-heavy storylines of the era.
01:00Revisiting the on-screen affair now, complete with elaborate make-out sessions between Vince
01:05and Trish in front of Linda, it isn't just uncomfortable, it's downright exploitative.
01:10Given the real-life rumors of McMahon's infidelity and shocking accusations of mistreatment towards
01:23women, as outlined in the Janelle Grant lawsuit, his lurid affair with Trish takes on a much
01:29darker tone, one that potentially reflects real-world behaviors.
01:34The accusations by former employee Janelle Grant against McMahon and another former WWE executive
01:40are detailed and explicit.
01:429.
01:43Vince McMahon's Kiss My Ass Club
01:52The Kiss My Ass Club was a recurring segment in WWE for a time where Vince McMahon forced
01:58various personalities to literally pucker up and kiss his backside in the middle of the
02:03ring.
02:04The humiliating powerplay saw wrestlers and even commentators smooch his bare buttocks.
02:18While meant to showcase McMahon's character as a sadistic boss, these segments now appear
02:23as a disturbing abuse of power.
02:32Having been accused of forcing employees to engage in degrading acts in the real world is
02:37a much darker connotation to this so-called club.
02:41It's a troubling reflection of how far McMahon was willing to go to humiliate others, both on-screen
02:47and off.
02:548.
02:55Jim Ross's Rectal Exam
02:56For reasons never made clear, celebrated play-by-play announcer Jim Ross found himself
03:02the punchline to many of Vince McMahon's cruel jokes.
03:05However, on a 2005 episode of Raw, things went too far, as Vince took part in a mock rectal
03:15exam of Ross, this while the real JR recovered from an actual colonoscopy treatment.
03:27In the extended segment, Vince, as Dr. Heine, along with his assistant, Nurse Slobberknockers,
03:33pulled several items out of JR's behind.
03:36Seeing as how Vince has been accused of disregarding the dignity of his employees, the segment only
03:43further shows his willingness to publicly humiliate those under his command.
03:48It all raises major concerns about the bullying culture at WWE during this period.
03:537.
03:54Mr. McMahon's Illegitimate Son
03:58Just when you thought WWE couldn't become any more of a soap opera, it was revealed that
04:12Vince McMahon's on-screen character had an illegitimate son, which, as it turns out, was
04:18none other than Hornswoggle.
04:30This was meant to be nothing more than scandalous entertainment and made for some genuine intrigue
04:36among fans.
04:37However, in light of recent allegations, it takes on a more disturbing subtext.
04:43The storyline implied that McMahon had engaged in an extramarital affair, which, we now know,
04:50mirrors his real-life accusations.
05:00While the storyline was fictional, it's unsettling to consider how it normalized questionable behavior,
05:06making it particularly tone-deaf in light of Vince's private behavior where he's been
05:11accused of forcing himself on females.
05:146.
05:15Wrestling His Daughter
05:16In 2003, Vince McMahon had a wrestling match against his own daughter, yep, Stephanie McMahon.
05:35Just days before her real-life marriage to Triple H Paul Levesque stepped inside the ring to fight
05:40her father.
05:41In the I Quit match, Vince tossed Stephanie around while repeatedly slamming her into the
05:46mat, even choking her with a pipe.
05:49While Vince had previously wrestled his son Shane, the idea of a father physically assaulting
05:54his daughter, even in a scripted context, is unsettling.
05:58It's a brutal scene that raises questions about boundaries, especially with the public now
06:04who are more aware of McMahon's alleged history of control and manipulation.
06:09Did we mention Vince once pitched a storyline where he's revealed to be the father of Stephanie's
06:14baby?
06:155.
06:16Romance With Sable
06:18Curiously, when Valet turned wrestler Sable returned to WWE in 2003, she was immediately
06:25placed in a romantic storyline with her boss, Vince McMahon.
06:33This angle is particularly troubling given that just a few years prior, Sable left the
06:38company and promptly filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Vince and company citing allegations
06:44of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions.
06:54To bring her back and place her in this lurid storyline feels manipulative at best and exploitative
07:00at worst, especially given McMahon's alleged history of using his position of power to engage
07:06in unlawful relationships with female employees.
07:10One can only wonder what the true motivations were behind this storytelling decision.
07:15Meryl also claimed in the Just Settled lawsuit that the WWF wanted her to partake in a lesbian
07:21storyline and other wrestlers threatened to disfigure her face.
07:264.
07:27Sexual Dance
07:28You've likely seen the meme created from this moment, a string of images showcasing Vince's
07:35shocked look of amazement as it intensifies with each passing one.
07:39Well, it all stems from this segment in which Stacey Keebler was made to perform a seductive
07:45dance for Vince McMahon.
07:55This naturally was during an interview to see who would be his new personal assistant.
08:01The scene no doubt objectifies Keebler, placing her in a series of submissive positions next
08:07to her boss, both on-screen and in reality.
08:11It's part of a pattern of storylines that sexualized female performers for the benefits
08:16of McMahon's sexually charged character.
08:29In retrospect, it all echoes the alleged exploitative behavior behind the scenes.
08:34In yet another controversial WWE storyline, Vince McMahon took part in some provocative segments with Tori
08:54Wilson, one of WWE's top female performers at the time.
08:58During an episode of SmackDown, Vince set up a risque scene where he and Tori were backstage
09:04together.
09:11Vince convinces Tori to undress him, leading to a provocative moment where he disrobes, only
09:17for Vince's wife, Linda, to catch them in the act.
09:26With real-world stories of Vince McMahon's inappropriate behavior surfacing, scenes like this become disturbing
09:32evidence of his willingness to blur the lines between performance and reality, exploiting
09:38his position to engage in uncomfortable situations with female talent, in this case, Tori Wilson.
09:462.
09:47Candice Michelle is Vince's Sex Slave In 2006, WWE aired a storyline where Candice
09:54Michelle was portrayed as Vince McMahon's sex slave.
09:59This angle involved a plethora of suggestive scenes and implied sexual encounters between
10:04the two.
10:09At the time, it was viewed as somewhat edgy entertainment, albeit in bad taste.
10:15But in light of recent real-world revelations, including damning accusations from Janelle Grant,
10:22where she alleges she was treated as a sexual slave for McMahon and his cronies, it's deeply
10:28unsettling, while referring to her as his porn star.
10:32This storyline blurred the lines between fiction and reality in a way that now seems potentially
10:38indicative of a toxic culture rampant with mistreatment towards women in WWE at the time.
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11:021.
11:03Making Trish Stratus Bark Like a Dog
11:13This now infamous segment leading into WrestleMania X7 was shocking even at the time, but it's
11:19especially disturbing today.
11:21In it, McMahon, portraying his villainous Mr. McMahon character, forces Trish Stratus to
11:27strip down to her underwear and crawl around the ring barking like a dog.
11:40The scene was meant to showcase McMahon's power trip and penchant for humiliation, but
11:45it now appears as a gross abuse of authority.
11:49Given everything we know about Vince, this moment takes on an extremely darker tone, suggesting
11:55a pattern of objectifying women in his employ.
11:58In the lawsuit, Janelle Grant accuses McMahon of sharing sexually explicit photographs and
12:03videos of her with the wrestlers and recruiting men to have a threesome at the WWE headquarters
12:10even during working hours.
12:12If this is how far McMahon went to demean women publicly, how far did he take it privately?
12:18We may soon get our answers in the court system.
12:22Grant's lawyer states she hopes this lawsuit will prevent further women from being victimized.
12:28Which on-air segment featuring Vince McMahon do you think has aged the worst?
12:33Share your picks in those comments below.
12:36Vince's public persona, the Mr. McMahon character, was intentionally outrageous.
12:43And tied up in all of that was this notion that he was rapacious and sexually deviant.
12:49Thank you so much for watching.
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