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Vince McMahon is a controversial figure in the wrestling world. What can't be argued is that the WWE Chairman knows the business better than anyone else.
McMahon has been able to run a multi-million dollar company for many years. He has given wrestling a new lease on life since buying his father's company from him.
While McMahon has been able to achieve so much on his own, there are several names who have helped The Chairman ensure that WWE is steered in the right direction.
More often than not, McMahon needs convincing on certain talents. The following list looks at five times a WWE employee had to convince Vince to sign a certain talent.
#5. Vince Russo convinced Vince McMahon to sign WWE Tag Team legends The Hardyz
The Hardy Boyz have become legends in WWE's Tag Team Division over the past few decades. There was a time when Matt and Jeff Hardy were just teenagers performing on live shows, hoping to land WWE contracts.
Former WWE writer Vince Russo obviously saw the star power that the two youngsters possessed. Whilst appearing on Sportskeeda's Legion of RAW earlier this year, Russo revealed that he was the one who sat McMahon down and convinced him to sign The Hardyz:
"A lot of people don't know this. I was the one that sat at Vince's living room table and convinced him to give the Hardys a contract. Before they even had a contract, I'm like... at that point, Vince is in his 50s, and he's not really seeing the coolness factor. You know, bro, I was in my early 30s, and I'm like 'bro, you've got to', and he gave these guys a contract."
Over the years, Matt and Jeff Hardy have had several lengthy stints in WWE. Jeff is currently part of Monday Night RAW, whilst his brother Matt is now making waves over in AEW.
McMahon has a lot to thank Russo for given how much The Hardyz did for tag team wrestling in the early 2000s.
#4. Jim Ross convinced Vince McMahon to sign WWE star Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been part of WWE programming for almost two decades. He is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the company. His father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, was believed to be the reason why Orton was signed with WWE.
Jim Ross recently revealed on his Grilling with JR Podcast that Vince McMahon had reservations when it came to handing Orton a WWE contract.
McMahon was worried about his recent dishonorable discharge from the Marines and had to be convinced by JR that he was worth the gamble:
“He [Randy Orton] was, believe it or not, he was somewhat of a controversial hire for us. Vince was the problem child that went to military school and Randy was the problem child that went to the Marines and got discharged. Big time [Randy Orton’s past was a problem for Vince McMahon]. But, you know, it’s one of those deals where you say, look, I said, ‘Vince, you got a second chance, so why not this kid?’ He’s only a third-generation performer and both his father and his grandfather were outstanding in-ring guys.”
It's hard to imagine WWE without Randy Orton, but thanks to Jim Ross, the youngster was able to follow in his father's footsteps.
#3. Bret Hart Convinced Vince McMahon to sign WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin
Bret Hart is a legendary figure in the WWE, so it comes as no surprise that before the Montreal Screwjob in 1997, Vince McMahon would ask The Hitman for advice.
Hart is one of the men who has appeared on Stone Cold Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions in recent months. He was able to drop the bombshell that it was actually him who convinced McMahon to sign Austin:
"I talked to Vince about it, and I remember the next week, you were sitting in the dressing room."
At the time, Austin was competing for ECW and it appears that McMahon asked Bret Hart for his advice. The Hitman thought Austin would be a good recruit for WWE and suggested signing him.
The former WWE World Champion went through some teething issues but as soon as The Rattlesnake was born, Austin became one of the most popular wrestlers in company history.
#2. Jim Ross convinced Vince McMahon to sign former WWE Women's Champion Gail Kim
As already noted, Jim Ross was one of the men Vince McMahon trusted when it came to looking for new WWE signings. One woman who Ross brought up was Gail Kim.
The current IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Famer is someone Ross had to convince Vince McMahon to sign to a contract. Interestingly, Ross had to go about it in a strange manner.
On an episode of The Ross Report back in 2015, JR revealed how he was able to convince the WWE Chairman to hire Gail Kim:
“You want to hire this Asian girl, right?… I don’t know, I just don’t know.” Ross told him how good she was in the ring and that a lot of guys like Asian women, there's Asian porn sites."
Of course, Ross would also vouch for her in-ring ability. Kim went on to become a former Women's Champion before walking out of the company and swearing never to return in 2011.
#1. Triple H convinced Vince McMahon to sign former WWE Champion AJ Styles
AJ Styles turned down a WWE contract much earlier in his career. At the time, he wanted his wife to go to college and couldn't move across the country to train as part of OVW.
Instead, Styles pushed himself forward without WWE and became an icon in IMPACT Wrestling, before making his way to WWE in 2016. Styles was then fast-tracked to the WWE Championship and has been one of the most popular stars in the company ever since.
Despite AJ's accomplishments in companies such as Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Vince McMahon wasn't the one who initially signed him.
During an interview with Cultaholic back in 2018, Styles revealed that it was Triple H who hired him, whilst Vince McMahon is now his boss.
This shows just how much sway Triple H has backstage and not just when it comes to stars who are signed to NXT first. Styles managed to skip WWE's developmental brand, debuting at the Royal Rumble in 2016.
