5 WWE Superstars Vince McMahon has a father-son relationship with

"What is your relationship like with Vince McMahon?"

Anyone who has an interest in the real-life people behind WWE’s Superstars will probably know that the question above is frequently asked in out-of-character media interviews.

While some WWE Superstars prefer to let their in-ring work do the talking, others have worked hard to establish a relationship with Vince McMahon over the years.

Drew McIntyre, for example, revealed in an interview with PW Insider in September 2020 that he tries to learn as much as possible when he is able to interact with Vince McMahon.

“Backstage, I’m obviously building my relationship with Mr. McMahon. It’s a big part of it and there’s always lessons to be learned when you get to interact with the boss. I always take great pride in maximizing those minutes with the boss because every single second is a learning experience.”

McIntyre has been able to form a good working relationship with Vince McMahon, especially since winning the WWE Championship, but did you know that several Superstars have become so close with the WWE Chairman that they consider him to be a father figure?

Excluding Vince McMahon's actual son, Shane McMahon, let’s take a look at five Superstars who had – or, in some cases, still have – a father-son relationship with the WWE boss.

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#5 Kurt Angle had a father-son relationship with Vince McMahon

Kurt Angle has been very open about his dealings with Vince McMahon throughout the years.

Speaking on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show on the WWE Network, Angle said he sometimes found his father-son relationship with Vince McMahon difficult when they discussed business matters.

“It [relationship with Vince McMahon] was always good. The good thing about him is he not only gave me good advice, he treated me well. He’d pull me aside, tell me when I screwed up, he’d correct me. I know he had this with a lot of people, but I felt like I had a father-son relationship, and I liked it. The only thing I didn’t like about it was I wasn’t that business-savvy, so sometimes I didn’t think I got as much [money] as I should have.”

Angle also credited Vince McMahon with creating his heel character in 1999.

At the time, the Olympic Gold medallist did not think Vince McMahon’s plan to immediately turn him into a bad guy would work. However, after taking the WWE Chairman’s instructions on board, he realized that his boss knew a lot more about audience reactions and character development than he did.

#4 Bret Hart had a father-son relationship with Vince McMahon

Bret Hart is a five-time WWE Champion

One of the most controversial moments in WWE history took place at Survivor Series 1997 when Vince McMahon changed the finish to Bret Hart’s match against Shawn Michaels without Hart knowing.

Hart, who was competing in his last WWE match before joining WCW, recalled on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show in 2020 that he knocked Vince McMahon out cold when they returned to the backstage area.

In another 2020 interview, Hart told ESPN that, despite his differences with Vince McMahon, the WWE Chairman has always been like a father figure to him.

“Vince and me have always had our issues in life, and we’ll always be tied in with the screwjob and what happened there and it was an unfortunate circumstance for both of us, but I think they were wrong and I was right. That’s just my opinion. I always had a father-son relationship with Vince.” [H/T 411mania]

Hart added that Vince McMahon gave him a pep talk when he was in hospital in 2002 after suffering a stroke. He said the conversation broke the ice between the two men after the Survivor Series 1997 incident, and all the hate they had for each other went away.

#3 Braun Strowman has a father-son relationship with Vince McMahon

Braun Strowman revealed in his WWE Chronicle documentary in August 2020 that he considered taking his own life before having a heart-to-heart conversation with Vince McMahon in early 2019.

The conversation took place at a time when Vince McMahon was supposed to hold a production meeting before an episode of RAW. Strowman interrupted the meeting and requested a chat with the WWE Chairman.

“He kicked everybody out of the production meeting and he sat down and talked to me. Not like boss-to-employee but like man-to-man, almost like a father-son talk thing.” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

Strowman went on to say that he does not know what he would have done if he did not receive assurances from Vince McMahon that day about his position in WWE.

“I'm very thankful to have a relationship with him like that because I might not even be here. I don't even like talking about this out loud but I was thinking about killing myself a couple of times. That I got to that point, I should have talked to somebody sooner.”

Strowman said he was unaware how much Vince McMahon cared about him before they had that conversation. Up until that point, the former Universal Champion felt like he was just another number in WWE’s system.

#2 The Undertaker has a father-son relationship with Vince McMahon

The Undertaker’s Last Ride docuseries on the WWE Network captured lots of interactions between the man behind The Deadman character, Mark Calaway, and Vince McMahon.

Calaway revealed during the series that he stopped talking to Vince McMahon for a short time due to a disagreement that they had over his Starrcast booking in May 2019.

Vince McMahon pulled his Superstar from Starrcast because the convention was closely associated with rival company AEW – something that Calaway was not aware of.

Other than that dispute, it was clear throughout the series that Calaway and Vince McMahon are very close behind the scenes.

Calaway even went as far as saying that he would take a bullet for Vince McMahon if he had to.

“I can't think of anyone more influential on my life, other than my father, than Vince. He'd be the first one to pat you on the back, but also the first one to kick you in the a** when you need it. I love Vince to death. I'd take a bullet for the man, honestly I would. Yes, he's my boss. He's my friend. He's been like a dad.” [H/T The Sun]

Calaway all but confirmed his in-ring retirement in the final episode of the series. However, he also said that he would be willing to return if Vince McMahon ever needs him in an emergency.

#1 Steve Austin had a father-son relationship with Vince McMahon

Like others in this list, Steve Austin has had his fair share of differences with Vince McMahon.

Their most famous disagreement came in June 2002 when Vince McMahon wanted The Texas Rattlesnake to lose a King of the Ring qualifier against the up-and-coming Brock Lesnar on RAW. Austin was willing to lose to Lesnar but he felt that their first match should have some kind of storyline build-up.

With neither man backing down, Austin decided to no-show RAW and he did not make amends with Vince McMahon until early 2003.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2015, Austin said he almost had a father-son relationship with Vince McMahon while working for him in WWE.

“At times he’s been like a father figure, a brother, a mentor, a best friend, and an enemy. That was a short window of time when I say enemy, but we were at odds every now and again. This is a high-stakes business that is extremely personal.”

Austin also clarified in the interview that he has total respect for Vince McMahon and rumors about the two men having real-life issues are false.