Vince McMahon - Controversy Personified

By Adam Bradley

On June 11, 2007, WWE aired a segment at the end of RAW that featured Vince McMahon entering a limousine moments before it exploded. The show went off-air shortly after, and WWE.com reported the angle as though it were a legitimate occurrence, proclaiming that McMahon was "presumed dead". Although this was the fate of the fictional Vince McMahon character, no harm came to the actual person (that is, his death was part of a storyline).

With this being a seemingly obvious storyline why have so many fallen victim. Plenty of news agencies across America believed the story was actually real when it first occurred and even veteran fans have questioned whether the death was real or not.

WWE will certainly face a backlash for this stunt, from the authorities if nothing else, but controversy sells and Vince McMahon may well have pulled off a marketing masterstroke. The controversy itself won't upset Vince McMahon as he's used to it.

Back in the 1980's Vince McMahon was accused of sexual harassment by former referee Rita Chatterton. Chatterton even claimed on the TV show Now It Can Be Told that in 1986 she was raped by Vince McMahon in his limousine after she refused him oral sex. No charges where ever made.

Vince McMahon was also accused of sexual harassment in 2006 by Boca Raton, a tanning bar worker. It was first thought a lie as Vince McMahon was in Miami however it was later revealed he was in Miami the day the incident was reported but not the day before when it was alledged to have taken place. Vince McMahon though has once again escaped any charges.

Vince McMahon has also come under fire for constantly placing himself into sexual angles with many WWE Divas, including Sable, Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Dawn Marie, Candice Michelle, Torrie Wilson, and Jackie Gayda.

McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment as a whole has been the center of controversy in the past, especially in the "Attitude Era" of what was the World Wrestling Federation - including D-Generation X for their sexual references, and Stone Cold Steve Austin for his trademark drinking of beer and flipping the middle finger. On the McMahon DVD, Stephanie comments that she had to nix a potential incest angle. According to her, Vince was to reveal himself as the father of her baby; when she said no, he pushed for Shane to be the father, but she turned that idea down as well. She also nixed Vince's idea that her wedding to Triple H be aired live on PPV and said that the only reason Vince ever hired Eric Bischoff was to be able to say that his longtime nemesis once worked for him.

Of course his biggest case of controversy occurred in 1992. The Vince McMahon owned WBF went out of business as alleged steroid abuse among both McMahon's wrestlers and bodybuilders came under scrutiny. McMahon was put on trial in 1994, accused of distributing steroids to his wrestlers.

As a legal move, his wife Linda was made CEO of the WWF during the trial. He was acquitted of all charges though he admitted to taking steroids himself in the 1980s. The prosecution made Hulk Hogan, who had recently left WWE for WCW, its star witness, and his testimony in the trial severely damaged the two's friendship, even though Hogan's testimony defended McMahon. After Hogan's testimony, McMahon went before the media declaring that he wished that Hogan had not lied about him on the witness stand. Vince McMahon may not be dead but when he does finally pass to the other side his gravestone should read "controversy personified".

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