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WWE Chairman Vince McMahon still calls the shots in the company, even at the age of 74. McMahon, the man who revolutionized pro wrestling, has shaped and moulded several Superstars into legends and worldwide stars, despite having a lot of critics.
The WWE Universe is a vocal and diverse bunch, with millions of fans airing their grievances from time to time about certain Superstars. But, some of these disliked Superstars have earned a lot of trust with McMahon and who have been pushed by him. On most occasions, McMahon has been right about these Superstars, who have been disliked by the WWE Universe.
Here, let's take a look at 7 Superstars fans disliked but Vince McMahon trusts backstage:
#7 The Miz
The Miz has had quite a journey in the WWE. The A-Lister came into the promotion through the Tough Enough reality competition way back in 2004, where he was the runner-up of the competition. But, he was offered a developmental contract and wrestled in the developmental territories before being called up to the main roster.
Despite being in the WWE for 15 years, he hasn't earned the respect he deserves, and perhaps some ardent fans are changing their opinion about him only now. Fans hated him because he had come through the reality show and was mostly a heel, while his in-ring skills weren't very good. He was also not loved by his peers in the locker room as well, having not come through the independent wrestling scene, while also being tough to get along with backstage.
But Vince McMahon has trusted him despite the pushback Miz has received from fans and wrestlers, winning several titles, playing a prominent role on television, and even main-eventing WrestleMania back in 2011.
The Miz revealed in an interview how the entire McMahon family believe in him:
"To be one of the focal points of Raw, to know that Vince [McMahon], Hunter [Triple H], Stephanie [McMahon], Shane [McMahon], that all of the execs, believe in me and know that I can put out there and revolve a show around me, that my star power can bring people into an arena, make people watch at home, that is second to none. That trust, that is what you live for as a WWE superstar."
#6 JBL
JBL has been a part of Vince McMahon's company for two and a half decades, signing for WWE back in 1995. He went on to be a part of the APA tag team alongside Faarooq, which was popular during the Attitude Era.
JBL then went on to have a singles career where he won the WWE Championship and held it for a whopping 280 days, before being beaten by a young, up-and-coming star in John Cena in 2005. After his in-ring career ended, he then went on to become a commentator.
He has been in the eye of the storm a few times with allegations of him bullying wrestlers in the locker room, as well as commentator Mauro Ranallo. Fans were not happy about these claims and wanted the one-time WWE Champion to be fired by WWE.
Despite these serious allegations, McMahon seems to have trusted JBL and kept him involved in WWE, making appearances on PPVs. JBL will also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020.
#5 Baron Corbin
The latest Superstar to face the ire of the WWE Universe is Baron Corbin, who is not hated just because he plays a heel on WWE television. The former United States Champion is not loved by fans who think that he is being pushed ahead of better Superstars.
But, Corbin seems to thrive on the heat that he gets from the fans and uses it to generate even more heat. He has been involved in some high-profile feuds over the last year, first feuding with Seth Rollins on RAW in 2019, who was the Universal Championship. He was recently in a feud with another big star, Roman Reigns, over on SmackDown.
Corbin seems to have the trust of Vince McMahon, and the 2019 King of the Ring winner explained why the WWE Chairman likes him:
I think Vince McMahon has been a fan of mine because I’m a big dude, a little bit old school, and have legitimate toughness. He sees motivation in certain guys and certain guys want to have it and some don’t. (H/T WrestlingInc)
#4 Charlotte
Charlotte Flair is the most accomplished women's wrestler in the history of the WWE, winning 10 women's titles. She has been a key part of the Women's Evolution, but some WWE fans have felt that she has been pushed more than other women Superstars on the roster.
Flair spoke about this in an interview with Sportskeeda's Gary Cassidy, and dispelled a few myths, stating that she has the highest losing record of anyone on the roster. Fans began to dislike her, even more, when she was added to the match between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch, which headlined WrestleMania 35. The WWE Universe felt that Flair did not deserve to be added to that match and wanted to witness a Rousey vs Lynch clash.
But, McMahon believes in Flair, and it was his idea to pit her against NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley, following Flair's win in the Royal Rumble match. Triple H revealed that McMahon wanted Flair to face Ripley and have the former in an "epic role", which shows the importance of Flair in the eyes of McMahon.
"So this was a way for Charlotte Flair needing to be in that big, epic role. I think it really had nothing more to do with that. It’s good storytelling and that’s what the goal is here, good storytelling across the board.”
#3 John Cena
John Cena didn't have the best first impression on Vince McMahon when he debuted on WWE all those years ago. According to SmackDown Executive Director Bruce Prichard, McMahon asked Prichard to "get that walking, talking steroid billboard out of our backstage!", referring to Cena.
But, years later, Cena is probably one of the best things to have happened to the WWE in the last two decades. For a long time, he was the face of the company, with Vince McMahon putting all the trust and faith in Cena, despite the 16-time world champion getting booed often by the WWE Universe.
There was a time when the WWE Universe hated Cena despite him being the top babyface that the company projected. McMahon stuck by his most prized asset and made him a worldwide star and an inspiration to millions all around the world. McMahon, while wishing Cena on his birthday last year, called him "WWE's Babe Ruth" - a huge honor for Cena.
Cena, too, respects the WWE Chairman, calling him not just his boss, but a "friend, a father figure, a mentor, a trusting resource" while speaking to Jimmy Kimmel.
#2 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has been pushed by WWE to take over the role of John Cena as the face of the company. But, Reigns has not had a smooth ride as fans first rejected him, booing him in arenas and criticizing WWE's decision on social media. And then his very serious illness derailed his run as the Universal Champion.
Vince McMahon has been steadfast in his decision to push The Big Dog despite fan criticism, and Reigns has been in and around the top of the card, fighting for top titles on RAW and SmackDown.
It seems that McMahon trusts Reigns and they have a very good relationship. In an interview with The Express in 2018, Reigns praised McMahon and said that the WWE Chairman has never "done me wrong".
“I can’t say Vince has ever done me wrong. Regardless of all the fantasy bookers out there, at the end of the day life’s been pretty good for me in the wrestling business so I have to attribute a lot of that to the relationship that I do have with Vince and the way that he has always taken care of me. He takes care of all of us."
#1 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar has had an incredible WWE career, starting way back in the early 2000s, where he was the hottest thing in pro wrestling, to his return and dominance in the last decade.
It's quite clear that Lesnar does what he wants and does not bow down to anyone - not even the WWE Chairman. But, there seems to be a mutual trust between Lesnar and McMahon. Lesnar, in one of his few interviews away from the ring back in 2015, compared McMahon to UFC President Dana White and said that the former was better at promoting shows.
McMahon seems to also trust Lesnar, despite the huge fan backlash that Lesnar has received for getting far too many title opportunities and not showing up for a lot of shows.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer previously said that Lesnar is the "one who calls the shots" and not McMahon, which shows that Lesnar is his own man. But, it also shows the trust that the WWE Chairman has in The Beast.
“Whether he’s a babyface or a heel, Brock’s only going so far for the team. Brock’s not gonna like… when it comes to Brock and Vince, people hate this, but when it comes to Brock and Vince — Brock is the one who calls the shots, not Vince and Brock can get away with anything and people hate hearing that.
While Lesnar not being a constant fixture on WWE television irks fans, there's no doubt that - even at the age of 42 - The Beast can put on a great performance in the ring and tell a fantastic story. This is perhaps why McMahon still has Lesnar, despite the title-throwing incident, as well as his fewer appearances on WWE television.
