'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Vince McMahon is known to be hands-on with every aspect of WWE, including the creative side of things. Anything that falls under the creative umbrella has to go by the WWE Chairman.
While several superstars have had their creative pitches accepted, they've likely had to face more rejections. We're not going to claim that every pitch is a good one, but there have been many missed opportunities because McMahon rejected a pitch.
Here are five times Vince McMahon rejected a pitch but would have done better by accepting it:
#5. Batista vs. Triple H's HIAC match rejected by Vince McMahon
Batista vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 35 is a match that has aged well over the last two years. It's an example of why Vince McMahon's decision to host two-night WrestleManias is the best way to go forward.
WrestleMania 35 was a long, exhausting event, which is why Triple H vs. Batista didn't get the level of appreciation that it should have. But had it taken place in the two-night WrestleMania format, it would have been appreciated for what it was - a masterclass of in-ring psychology between two legends.
Batista knew that WrestleMania 35 was going to be his official WWE retirement, especially since he finally got the Triple H match that he had wanted for years. He revealed on Talk is Jericho that both he and Triple H pushed for their WrestleMania match to be inside Hell in a Cell, but Vince McMahon rejected the idea:
"Originally, we wanted a have a Hell In A Cell, but Vince McMahon, because of the pay-per-view, he didn’t want to have a Hell In A Cell, and we really wanted Hell In A Cell. They’re just great matches, they’re violent. We needed bells and whistles," said Batista.
The No Holds Barred stipulation wasn't a bad one, but Hell in a Cell would have made it a higher-stakes match-up. While Batista and Triple H put on a fantastic bout, it should be remembered that their best bout to date was at Vengeance 2005 - inside Hell in a Cell.
It would have been a greater way for The Animal to bid farewell, but the way he went out wasn't bad at all.
#4. Randy Orton's personal plea to Vince McMahon falls on deaf ears
Vince McMahon's apathy towards WWE's tag team division is no secret. The Revival, now known as FTR in AEW, were vocal about their displeasure in WWE. Their unhappiness had to do with McMahon's mistreatment of the tag team division, and rumors of them asking for their release surfaced any time their contract came up.
They finally got their wish in 2020, but there was one big missed opportunity. In 2019, Randy Orton began to pair with The Revival, hinting at a new trio/faction. Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that Orton personally went to Vince McMahon to pitch the idea of a group with The Revival, but it fell on deaf ears:
"We're told by multiple sources that Orton pushed to do more work with them [The Revival], even going as far as pitching a faction to Vince McMahon personally. The idea fell on deaf ears and Orton and the Revival were put on different brands in the WWE draft."
This could have been exactly what The Revival needed to elevate themselves in WWE. There was a lot of great storyline potential that the WWE Chairman missed out on by rejecting the pitch.
#3. Bubba Ray Dudley "Bully Ray" pitch was rejected by Vince McMahon
Bubba Ray Dudley claimed that he pitched to Vince McMahon the idea of splitting from D-Von Dudley and turning into Bully Ray. The pinnacle of Bubba Ray Dudley's career as a singles star came in IMPACT Wrestling, where he became World Champion as Bully Ray.
It was largely considered his best work, and it would have been great to see that in WWE as well. While Vince McMahon reportedly loved the idea at first, he said that the "Be A Star" anti-bullying program prevented the idea from going through.
While Bubba explained to Vince McMahon that he would get his comeuppance by a babyface before turning into a good guy himself, it didn't go through:
"He goes, ‘My god, I love it! It’s great. But in that year, I’m going to get killed by the media because how can you have an anti-bullying program but call somebody Bully Ray? Now they can have characters that act like bullies, but calling someone Bully something. That was 50 percent of it. The other 50 percent of it, I’ll save for another day. The back-up name was the Intimidator Bubba. He loved it [but it never happened]," said Bubba Ray Dudley.
This was an idea that could have enhanced the "Be A Star" program rather than affect it, especially with the eventual babyface comeuppance.
#2. Bayley's WrestleMania 37 pitches were rejected by Vince McMahon
Bayley was one of the biggest names to miss WrestleMania 37, and fans weren't sure why Vince McMahon decided not to put her in a match despite her availability. She wasn't even half a year removed from her record-breaking reign as SmackDown Women's Champion.
Her run from June 2019 to October 2020 was proof that McMahon had full faith in her as the SmackDown Women's Champion - and she repaid that by becoming one of WWE's key stars in the pandemic era.
Her success in the past couple of years gave her the confidence to pitch ideas to Vince McMahon for a WrestleMania match, but it fell on deaf ears:
"I've pitched for stuff for this past WrestleMania just because there has been so many instances this past year where the pitches have gone through and it becomes easier to talk to certain people," said Bayley.
It's interesting to note that Bayley pitched for non-title matches, but Vince McMahon didn't go through with it. She eventually became what many considered as the "unofficial host of WrestleMania", getting involved in various segments throughout the two-night event.
#1. Vince McMahon rejected Hulk Hogan's game-changing pitch
Long before Vince McMahon refused to turn John Cena heel, he did the same to Hulk Hogan. One of the biggest icons in WWE history, Hogan had a passing of the torch match against The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI - a Champion vs. Champion bout that coronated the latter as the new face of WWE.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and Warrior never became the Hulk Hogan successor that Vince McMahon wanted him to be. While that was for several reasons, it might have happened if McMahon had gone with Hogan's pitch.
Hulk Hogan told Corey Graves on After The Bell that he had no issues putting The Ultimate Warrior over at WrestleMania 37, but he sensed that there wasn't a long-term plan.
In an attempt to turn the wrestling industry upside down, Hogan pitched the idea of turning heel and becoming "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" - a character that would only come to fruition five years later. However, Vince McMahon rejected his pitch:
"I said, 'Well, how about this. When I put him over and hand him the belt and everybody's cheering for him, I get halfway down the aisle. How about I just... turn around and just grind him? Just drop him and just drag him around the ring. And I want to be 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan!' I said, 'I want to be HHH: Hollywood Hulk Hogan. The ultimate bad guy,'" said Hogan.
While all the other pitches on this list would have resulted in great storylines, this was a game-changing idea that would have sent shockwaves to the wrestling industry.
It would have been a move ahead of its time, but Vince McMahon didn't see it that way.
