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Vince McMahon.
Unquestionably one of the biggest names in wrestling, Vince McMahon is a lot of things to a lot of people. To some, he is the creator of wrestling as it is today and a genius of the sport. To others, he is responsible for some of the worst decisions in professional wrestling and a vindictive businessman who has destroyed careers in the pursuit of his dream.
Regardless of how you feel about the WWE CEO, it's safe to say McMahon has led an interesting life. Much of it has been documented, such as the creation of WrestleMania and the Monday Night Wars, but there are things many fans still don't know.
Here are five shocking stories involving WWE CEO Vince McMahon you probably don't know about.
#5: He fought Dracula and won
Vince McMahon has often been seen as a ruthless businessman, but it should be noted that the WWE CEO is so much more than just that. McMahon is also a father and grandfather, and like many others, would do anything for his children.
McMahon explains in his February 2001 interview with Playboy magazine, about an incident where he was telling a scary story to a young Shane McMahon, who was left too terrified to go to sleep. Fearing that Dracula, the iconic vampire of lore was in his closet, Shane asked his father to check, as McMahon explained:
"I went in that closet and started growling and yelling, having a battle. I threw a little furniture. Now Shane's really scared to death, until finally his dad walks out of the closet. I said, "Son, you never have to worry about Dracula again. Dracula's dead."
#4: He out-wrestled Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Before hanging up his boots and singlet at WrestleMania 35 earlier this year, Angle was a phenomenal athlete in WWE, as well as IMPACT Wrestling, and various other promotions around the world. As good as Angle was in the ring, there was one instance where he fell to the Chairman of the Board.
In Angle's autobiography It's True! It's True! the former WWE World Champion talks about a time backstage where McMahon jumped him from behind and took him down by surprise. Being the competitor that he is, McMahon rubbed it in Angle's face every time he could. After a while, Angle couldn't take it anymore and decided that revenge was in order.
While on a plane ride, the only Olympic gold medalist in WWE history was able to pin the chairman down in the aisle. During the ensuing scuffle, the one and only Undertaker awoke from his sleep and choked Angle out thinking it was a legitimate fight. I suppose Angle won the "match" via disqualification, but it's a great McMahon tale nonetheless.
#3: He loves hugging
Some fans have the impression that Vince McMahon is a cruel, cold-hearted businessman who shows absolutely no compassion for anyone else, and to be fair, that has been his character on-screen for several years! With that stated, McMahon's current and former employees have plenty of stories that go in detail about how kind and generous he can be.
According to Paul Heyman on Talk is Jericho, Heyman's 2012 return to WWE was welcomed with open arms from the chairman. Heyman was unsure of how McMahon would react, as they ended their relationship on bad terms back in 2006. That year, the Extreme magnate was put in charge of the re-branded and relaunched ECW show on SciFi, but was removed from his position after the third brand's sole pay-per-view, December to Dismember.
Heyman's fears evaporated as McMahon screamed out to him, "Give me a huggy!" and proceeded to give Heyman a bear hug that even Bruno Sammartino would find stiff. It's a nice story that goes to show that as tough as McMahon can be, he still cares about his roster.
#2: He fought Kofi Kingston
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has had an interesting career to say the least. Debuting on ECW in 2008, Kingston was moved to RAW not long after, where he won the Intercontinental Title. Capturing the United States, WWE Tag, SmackDown Tag, and eventually the WWE Championship, Kingston has enjoyed a truly Hall of Fame worthy career, but did once have a scrap with the Boss.
In Chris Jericho's book The Best In The World: At What I Have No Idea, Y2J tells a story where after a few drinks on a flight with Kingston and Jericho himself, McMahon told Kofi "Maybe you'll get over one of these days." Kofi was going to let it slide, but Jericho told him to challenge Vince to earn his respect.
After some back and forth tough guy talk, Vince shot in on Kofi with a double leg takedown. The two scuffled in the airplane aisle before McMahon had a good laugh and left the plane. Sure enough, Kofi would get over with the crowd and in 2019 has been one of the company's most popular stars.
#1: He hates sneezing
As chairman of the most prestigious professional wrestling company on the planet, Vince McMahon is used to being in control over every aspect of his own company. His domain of influence can extend over his company and into his own body.
On that same podcast mentioned earlier, Paul Heyman told a story where he was pitching a storyline to McMahon, who was buying into Heyman's vision until a catastrophic, monumental disaster happened, which would change the fabric of reality forever. Vince McMahon sneezed.
Once he discharged his snot, McMahon muttered to himself until Heyman asked him what was wrong.
McMahon responded, "I sneezed... I should be better than that, I should be able to control that." Heyman innocently asked Vince if he hated sneezing and McMahon said, "In my world pal, there is no sneezing."
McMahon may be a billionaire, one of the biggest names in wrestling, and arguably the greatest heel the industry has ever seen, but it seems there are some small things that still get to him. Hopefully he carries a tissue with him at all times.
