As a boy, Vince McMahon suffered from both dyslexia and from Attention Deficit Disorder. Given the circumstances of his childhood, it's very unlikely that he received any sort of regimented help. He was sent to military school, but it's doubtful that such an institute, in the 1950s-1960s, was equipped to handle issues such as those.
It's a testament to McMahon that he was able to graduate from the academy, receive his college degree and become a hugely successful businessman given that level of adversity.
However, in the last 12 months, one could be forgiven for thinking that these conditions are beginning to creep back into his life, given the 5 examples on this list.
#5 He thought Mark Hunt would be a nobody
Negotiations between the WWE and the UFC, as seldom as they may be, presumably descend into ego-driven shouting matches which is why it came as such a surprise when Brock Lesnar, a WWE employee, was allowed to make a return to the Octagon.
So when the final slot on the UFC 200 fight card was confirmed as a heavyweight match-up between the returning Lesnar and heavy-handed Mark Hunt, many were hugely surprised. But why did Vince McMahon acquiesce to letting one of his biggest stars fight on the UFC stage again?
At the time, Fox sports conducted an interview with Brock Lesnar to find out, where Brock simply said:
“The devil’s in the details in the language; it’s not complicated when you have the right people who understand your contracts and understand your life.
That really boils down to it. Vince giving me the nod to be able to do this, I have great respect for the man and I think he has a greater respect for Brock Lesnar after I walked out in 2004 and went on to become UFC heavyweight champion.”
However, in truth, Vince McMahon believed that Brock Lesnar was all but guaranteed a win and would be paired up with an inferior opponent, meaning both the WWE and UFC could capitalise on Brock’s marketability.
Also read: Top 5 WWE superstars who've fallen out with the boss Vince McMahon
Sources say that Vince was said to be genuinely horrified when he learnt about Hunt’s genuine knockout power and realised that Brock Lesnar was going into the fight as an underdog.
When he realised that Dana White had got one over him and fearing a defeat for his prized asset, he forbid the announce team from mentioning anything about the fight on WWE television.
#4 He was unaware Bret Hart has bashed WWE talent for years
Bret Hart and the WWE have had a love-hate relationship for years. In recent times, Bret Hart has been critical of several WWE talents, including Seth Rollins, and he has also continually bashed Triple H.
However, despite the criticisms from Bret Hart originating from way back in 2012 to present, Vince McMahon only learnt about all of the comments three months ago. Upon finding out, he immediately had JBL bash Bret Hart on WWE Network’s “Bring it to the Table” show.
The words used by JBL were allegedly scripted by Vince McMahon.
#3 He forgot about Mickie James and John Cena
When Mickie James was re-hired and given a role on Smackdown, she was originally slated to be Nikki Bella's attacker. However, upon his return, John Cena had a polite word with Vince McMahon about both the angle and the fact that Kenny Dykstra was working with the WWE.
Vince had forgotten about the tension and bad blood between the three. The angle was immediately dropped and the attacker was changed to Natalya. Dykstra hasn't been seen in the WWE since.
For those unaware of the situation, Dykstra (real name Kenn Doane) was at one point was engaged to James, until he discovered that she had been cheating on him with Cena when he caught her online searching rumours concerning her act of infidelity. James then confessed her unfaithfulness to Doane in a dramatic episode.
Doanne once tweeted the following about Mickie James:
"She was googling Mickie James and John Cena dating. I asked why, she broke down crying. Then I heard more from others. She was checking to see if it was on the net yet. I feel bad for Magnus. Nice guy dating a .... well u know."
Cena's relationship with James resulted in Doane being transferred from Raw — where Cena and James performed — to SmackDown. Doanne was once branded by Randy Orton as the most talented guy in WWE’s then-development territory OVW, however, he was ultimately dismissed in November 2008.
Cena ended up finishing things with James and marrying his high school sweetheart Liz Huberdeau.
Doane claimed that James was transferred from Raw to SmackDown in November 2009 because she was unable to cope with Cena breaking up with her, thus forcing organisation officials to separate the two from each other at work.
The move led to her being saddled with the unfavourable 'Piggy James' moniker and her contract being terminated in April 2010.
#2 He forgot that Luke Gallows once played Festus
Luke Gallows used to have the slightly less dignified gimmick of Festus, a giant (and perhaps mentally challenged) teddy bear who, upon hearing the ring bell sound, would transform into a monstrous big man that would dominate his opponents in the ring.
Festus had a two-and-a-half-year run on Smackdown and his character was created by Vince McMahon himself. However, according to Gallows, McMahon has no recollection of the big man ever playing Festus.
Again, Festus appeared on weekly WWE programming from June 2007 until November 2009, and Vince McMahon does not remember it. Here’s what Gallows (and his tag team partner Karl Anderson) told the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast about the confusion:
Anderson: “The best part of the Festus character is that we heard from Talent Relations, or the Head of Talent Relations is that Vince doesn’t even remember that he was Festus.”
Gallows: “I don’t know if we’re even allowed to say the word, but my wife didn’t even know that I was Festus when I married her, which is real.”
Anderson: “We go up to the Gorilla Position, and Mark Carano would say, ‘I’m going to go tell Vince and remind him that you were Festus.’ I would say, ‘Don’t tell Vince, I need this run right now.'”
#1 He forgot about this year’s Money in the Bank PPV
As broken on my podcast, The “Dirty Sheets” via my “DS Breaking News” show, I revealed that Vince McMahon was so keen to insert the WWE Universal Title into the Goldberg vs. Lesnar match at WrestleMania, with the future plan being that someone from the main roster would dethrone Lesnar SummerSlam, that he completely overlooked the fact that the “Money in the Bank” PPV is currently slated to be a Raw PPV.
You can learn more by listening to our audio below or by checking out my previous article.
Ultimately the end result was the WWE chaotically revamping the entire PPV schedule and making Money in the Bank a Smackdown PPV, as he did not want to change the booking plans on Raw. This was outlined in this follow-up article.
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