5 Times Vince McMahon inserted himself into a feud to elevate it

It has been more than two decades since Vince McMahon decided to become a regular on-screen character and ditched the announce desk in the process. Vince immediately turned into one of the biggest villains in all of wrestling, and his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin was instrumental in WWE trumping WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

For the next 20 years or so, Vince McMahon became an important on-screen figure. Mostly portrayed as a heel, Vince had his fair share of babyface moments. Vince engaged in a string of feuds with WWE's biggest Superstars. On the other hand, there were instances where Vince got involved in a major feud to elevate it. In this slideshow, we will take a look at five occasions when Vince McMahon inserted himself into a feud.

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#5 John Cena vs Batista

Cena and Batista

On the road to WrestleMania 26, John Cena won the WWE title inside the Elimination Chamber at the namesake PPV. Moments after Cena's victory, Vince McMahon came out and announced that Cena would defend the title immediately against Batista. A Spear, followed by a Batista Bomb was enough for The Animal to put Cena down and become the WWE Champion.

Cena runs the gauntlet:

As time passed, Vince focused on his feud with Bret Hart, who had returned to WWE a while ago. On an episode of RAW, Vince took on John Cena in a Gauntlet match. The bout saw Cena taking on several Superstars, who came out one after the other. Finally, Batista's finisher did the trick and Vince McMahon pinned him to the utter surprise of the fans in attendance. Vince didn't forget to mock Bret Hart immediately after his victory. Cena and Hart had the last laugh at WrestleMania, as both men won their respective matches at the event.

#4 Kofi Kingston's road to WrestleMania 35

Vince addresses The New Day

By the time Fastlane 2019 came around, KofiMania had turned into a major fan movement. Vince McMahon decided to garner more fan investment into the feud, and got involved in it in the process. Kofi was granted a WWE title shot at the PPV, but Vince ended up replacing him with a returning Kevin Owens. At Fastlane, Vince forced Kofi to compete in a Handicap match against The Bar, which he lost.

Vince gives Kofi another opportunity:

Vince gave another opportunity to Kofi, by putting him in a Gauntlet match. Daniel Bryan, who was added to the match at the last moment, defeated Kofi to crush his WrestleMania dreams. A final chance was given to Kofi, which saw Big E and Xavier Woods running the Gauntlet and ultimately winning the match to make sure that Kofi would get a WWE title shot at 'Mania. Kingston went on to defeat Bryan at WrestleMania to win his only WWE title, kicking off a months-long reign. Vince's idea paid off big time here, as his dastardly acts against Kofi only helped the latter gain tons of fan sympathy.

#3 Triple H's feud with Randy Orton

The McMahons and Triple H

This feud headlined WrestleMania 25 and kicked off with Vince McMahon being at the forefront of it all. It all began when Orton punted Vince. The Viper went on to unleash vicious attacks on the McMahon family, including Stephanie and Shane McMahon. This prompted Triple H to intervene and he vowed to exact revenge on Orton at The Show of Shows.

The McMahons join Triple H on the ramp:

On the go-home RAW for WrestleMania, Triple H came out on the ramp to confront Legacy. He was soon joined by Shane and Vince McMahon. The trio went on to make short work of the security personnel and launched an attack on Orton, Ted Dibiase, and Cody Rhodes. At WrestleMania, seconds before Triple H made his entrance, Vince and Shane came up to him and hinted that they had full faith in him that he would exact revenge for what Orton had done. Triple H destroyed Orton when all was said and done, retaining his WWE title in the process.

#2 Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle

Lesnar and Angle

Once arch-rivals, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle had become best friends by the time Vengeance 2003 came around. At the PPV, Angle defeated Lesnar and Big Show to become WWE Champion again. On the road to SummerSlam, Vince McMahon decided to get involved in Lesnar and Angle's matters. On an episode of SmackDown, Lesnar faced Mr. McMahon inside a steel cage, with Angle acting as the referee. Lesnar turned on Angle inside the cage and destroyed him in the process. Lesnar and Vince became allies, and Angle suddenly became the top babyface on the Blue brand.

Angle calls out Lesnar and Vince:

At SummerSlam, Lesnar and Angle faced off in a WrestleMania 19 rematch for the WWE title. Vince interfered during the closing moments of the bout and did everything in his power to make sure that Lesnar left the building with the WWE title on his shoulder. In the end, Angle countered an attempted F5 into an Ankle Lock and submitted him to retain his WWE title.

#1 The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

The Rock vs Austin

Rightfully regarded as being one of the greatest rivalries this industry has ever seen, The Rock vs Stone Cold is a feud that the WWE Universe still reminisces to this day. The two men were the biggest Superstars in the business in the late 90s and were major factors in WWE toppling WCW in the Monday Night Wars. On the road to WrestleMania 17, Stone Cold won the Royal Rumble match and bagged an opportunity at the WWE title. Mr. McMahon spiced things up and gave Austin's wife Debra a role as The Rock's manager.

The road to WrestleMania 17 saw Vince McMahon adding Debra into the mix:

On an episode of RAW, Kurt Angle attacked Debra while she was attempting to save The Rock from the Anke Lock. Austin came out and destroyed both Angle and The Rock. At WrestleMania, Vince got involved again, when he came out during the closing moments of the main event. To everyone's surprise, Vince helped Austin defeat The Rock, and The Rattlesnake shook hands with McMahon in front of a stunned crowd.