Mr. McMahon is Dead! (The Character that Is)

[Turd Ferguson]

According to The Observer, the Mr. McMahon character is finished.

Vince McMahon's evil "Mr. McMahon" character is said to be finished, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The character was spawned back in 1997 following the infamous Montreal Screwjob. McMahon's on-air character turned heel for the first time and it became the antagonist to the company's top star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in arguably the best run in the history of the company.

With Bret Hart's return to WWE after 13 years, McMahon felt WrestleMania would be the perfect chance for Bret Hart to get his ultimate revenge and wipe out Mr. McMahon once and for all. The over-the-top beatdown he sustained at the hands (and feet) of the Hart family signified the end of the character.

McMahon is a firm believer in pushing younger acts and is not blind to the fact that he's in his 60's and the character more than ran its course.

Very sad that McMahon's over the top character is going away, and it really is the end of an era. McMahon might very well be the greatest heel of all time. Even post-Austin, the character of Mr. McMahon was still a great heel antagonist, and during the Bret feud, we saw flashes of what made that character so great. Personally, I'm going to miss this character a lot. I think that even in infrequent appearances, the McMahon character would still have a lot of impact on the overall product, because his presence would mean something.

Wrestlemania 26 as a whole was a very bittersweet night. Also, everything regarding the Montreal Screwjob really came full-circle. We had Shawn Michaels' last match, Bret Hart's last match, and the last appearance of the Mr. McMahon character. I also think it's pretty neat how the McMahon character was born out of the Montreal Screwjob, and died 13 years later getting the crap beaten out of him by Bret Hart.

I just hope they find a good heel authority figure to replace Vince. Honestly, I think Triple H would be the perfect person and the most natural replacement. He's in the McMahon family. He'll have a position like Vince's some day. He works much better as a heel. He's getting on the tail end of his career. He has major quad injuries as well. Right now, or at least in the very near future, he's going to need to begin working a lighter schedule. He seems very content being a face now, but down the road, I think he'd be the perfect on-camera replacement for Vince as an authority who makes the lives of wrestlers miserable.

 

[mvalley]

As I said in another post, this felt to be the perfect ending. What began with Bret and the sharpshooter ended with Bret and the sharpshooter.

The authority figure angle has run its course and then some. I would literally suggest NOT even CONSIDERING running such an angle for another twenty years. Twenty years would be another lifetime and era, which means the angle would be fresh for many fans.

As for Triple H, honestly, I see him having another five years at least in terms of his career. Yes, is body is starting to wind down, but that's the important word - starting. In about fivc eyears, the wear and tear will probably be more significant. In addition, Vince will be about seventy and probably ready to hand the company over to Steph and Triple H. That will mean Triple H will have to transition into more of a non-wrestling role. The timing would work out well.

If anything. don't be surprised if Triple H doesn't retire until he meets Flairs sixteen reigns...

 

[3,000 Pound Gorrilla]

As a fan, and avid viewer... COME ON MAN. VKM killed his character a few years back. He has had Horswaggle as a child... No way is he done. He will take some time off, then when he gets the itch...WHAM "NO CHANCE...THAT'S WHAT YOU GOT"... and the roof will blow off whatever venue they are in. And as long as we, as viewers still find his 65 year old tom-foolery enjoyable, he will continue to do it. The difference between VKM and Flair are minute...wrestling is all they know and they will die before they quit...but Vince freakin' owns the WWE. So he can play as long as he likes, 'cause it's his ball. It's Vince's world...we just fill arenas for him. Now, will SOMEDAY HHH fill his role, yes, I believe so. But, it will be YEARS from now.

 

[vimeskane]

both shows need a gm to book matches on tv, and as long as they have long on sd there is no need of vince on a regular basis there.

But it all depends on how long this guest host thing on raw last, as long as the guest host lasts u don't need mcmahon on raw, unless it's a former wrestler vince have feuded with.

But if I had a choice I would rather have steph/shane on tv then hhh as top head of wwe.

Lastly they should go back to what they did in the bischof era on raw, have a gm and then when the power of the gm corrupts the gm after a couple of months he will need to face a mcmahon.

If you have hhh in the gm role every week who is gonna hold him line or threathen to fire him on tv, steph no, shane no, and vince and linda by then be retired from wwe.

Atleast vince fired steph as gm of sd a couple of years ago, but I guess they could build a storyline around where vince retires and since shane has quit the company hhh will be the take over and overuse his power and in the end this big strong wrestler has to bow down to steph.

But I see Steph will take the role linda had in wwe as a office person in stamford and will rarely be on tv

But if they where to kill the mcmahon char do it like what u would do a couple of years ago in a explosion or something, or go the hbk route stand in the ring and give a speech,

 

[Mr. TM]

I can't really see him being gone for good. It sounds nice to say, retiring the character that was spawned from an incident that happened 13 years ago against a man who has now cleared that incident.

Vince isn't about to let it end although. The character is actually a bit of a ratings boost. He is great on the mic, and he gets people fired up, as he might be one of the greatest heel speakers the WWE has had since his character dawned.

I see Vince going away for a long time although, he took a pretty good beating at the hands of Bret. Maybe Vince has some things he wants to head offscreen for a while now. Seems like the perfect time to do so.

 

[Midgetmania619]

I doubt that will happen. Vince McMahon will live as long as he dies. Vince McMahon[character] is a mixture of Vincent K. McMahon in his real life personality and his work life personality. It will never die until VKM dies. When Vince dies/retires you know who will taker over. Triple H would most likely take over the company, but in the mean time he has kids to take care of. I see Triple H retiring after about 18 title reigns just to stick it to Flair. Even better, 17 title reigns. It's just that 1 more that Flair won't EVER get. A lot will happen when Vince steps down or passes on.

 

[XgringolocoX]

The thing is that the general audience has been conditioned that there needs to be someone in charge. While back in the day it was just done through commentary mostly, every once in a while ol' Jack Tunney would meander to the ring and say somethin. Or they'd show a pretaped vid of him making some sort of decision.
I don't think this idea should go away. Otherwise it's just the inmates running the asylum.
I'd like the idea of a retired wrestler being an occasional face of the company. There's the agents who could fill this role easily. My pick would be Steamboat. The man has got the respect to carry off the role without resorting to being an over the top character. I think I'd be nice to have that role be impartial to a large degree.

 

[Takerfan93]

According to The Observer, the Mr. McMahon character is finished.

Very sad that McMahon's over the top character is going away, and it really is the end of an era. McMahon might very well be the greatest heel of all time. Even post-Austin, the character of Mr. McMahon was still a great heel antagonist, and during the Bret feud, we saw flashes of what made that character so great. Personally, I'm going to miss this character a lot. I think that even in infrequent appearances, the McMahon character would still have a lot of impact on the overall product, because his presence would mean something.

Wrestlemania 26 as a whole was a very bittersweet night. Also, everything regarding the Montreal Screwjob really came full-circle. We had Shawn Michaels' last match, Bret Hart's last match, and the last appearance of the Mr. McMahon character. I also think it's pretty neat how the McMahon character was born out of the Montreal Screwjob, and died 13 years later getting the crap beaten out of him by Bret Hart.

I just hope they find a good heel authority figure to replace Vince. Honestly, I think Triple H would be the perfect person and the most natural replacement. He's in the McMahon family. He'll have a position like Vince's some day. He works much better as a heel. He's getting on the tail end of his career. He has major quad injuries as well. Right now, or at least in the very near future, he's going to need to begin working a lighter schedule. He seems very content being a face now, but down the road, I think he'd be the perfect on-camera replacement for Vince as an authority who makes the lives of wrestlers miserable.

I couldn't agree with you more, I hope so much that this isn't true because I love the character, Mr McMahon is the greatest heel of all time. I know some people don't like the McMahons on television but I myself ABSOLUTELY LOVE every time they are on TV, the whole "dysfunctional family" thing was always so entertaining I thought and it really contributed to the Attitude Era and gave us so much of that shock value.
And as you said, even after Austin left, his character was great, especially in his feud against Shawn Michaels. I just love how Mr McMahon always pushed everything over the limit, such as his feud with God and creating McMahonism, the Kiss My Ass club, fighting both his son and daughter in matches etc. The character is such a brilliant heel and I will miss it so much. I understand this being the end though, since it started and finished with the whole Bret Hart rivalry, a fitting end. But I would still like to see him on television, maybe he should just appear in a smaller capacity.
I don't think there is anyone who could really replace Vince though. If I had to put someone in that role though, it would be Shane because he could be a similar character and compete in matches as Vince did. But since he's gone now, I guess I'd have Stephanie, who I believe would put on a more similar product to Vince's than Shane would. As the leader, I think Stephanie is better because she's not afraid to "go there" and produce these shocking over the top storylines that we all love, like the ones in the Attitude Era. Shane is more..tamed? He has spoken in interviews before and basically said he prefers not to produce the crazy storylines, he's much less ecentric than Vince and Stephanie, him and Linda are more alike. The only thing is, he could compete in the ring occassionally as Vince did. But overall, I would choose Stephanie as I believe she has a lot of drive and that winners instinct like Vince.

 

[ckoneagain]

Now that Vince has supposedly done with the evil manager character that doesn't mean he can't come back as a different type of manager or something, but that aside, what if he is truely done with the majority of the on-air stuff, not because he wants to bow out or anything but maybe because next year he will be inducting WCW wrestlers into the hall of fame and what better time to induct himself!! I mean if he's gotta give them stage time at his show, even if they are still on TNA what better way to finish than to have them clapping for his induction, making it clear that he's the top dog and they all bow down to him, whatever show they're on??

 

[future admin]

He says that now but he'll be back, and he'll be back by the end of the year, he has tried to kill his character a couple of years back, but that failed, his ego is too big. which is exactly the point, his ego is too big to stay away

 

[Aaronliveshere]

Why does the Vinny Mac ever have to die. He can just switch back and forth as needed anytime he is on TV. Vincent Kennedy McMahon will always be a good character. He was "evil" after Montreal and was bad with the worse Stone Cold, but then we felt for him when he was with DX against Randy Orton. Plus, is he that "evil" when he talks to Teddy Long about being on Probation? Not really. Besides, it always has the same ending that we all see coming months ahead of time. Vince gets "bad" against superstar X, tries to make superstar X feel like crap with assaults and put downs, and in the end superstar X wins the fight over Vince and Vince goes out looking like an old fool.
I know it's coming EVERY TIME, but I still like to watch him.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

I think I would like to see the McMahon back that was when there was the Orton going after the whole McMahon family. Like when RKO was punting McMahon, then Shane, Steph, etc. Was he technically heel, or face? He really didn't seem to be anything. I guess he was face since he was having people go after Orton? I kinda preferred that man, the one who gave a darn was the fans thought. It seems hard to predict which Vince will show up week to week. The storylines change so rapidly and yet the fans seem to bow down to him no matter what.

 

[Tenta]

Um...... Excuse me..... But "LULZ!!!!1!!1!". In the words of a great poster in his views of Matt Hardy winning MiTB, "My Ass."

Look, there's absolutely no way the McMahon character is done. Now, the logic behind him being done is perfectly all right by me. Bret Hart was the reason behind the Mr. McMahon character, and he should be the one to see the end of McMahon. So from a story perspective, it makes absolute sense. From a developing talent perspective, it makes no sense.

Why? Because even today, Mr. McMahon is still the most hated character in the business. He has been the only character that has constantly gotten superb heat, besides Vickie Guerrero, in the last five years. People just absolutely love to hate that character.Hell, I think one of the driving reasons behind the failure of the Trips/Orton feud, aside from their horrible chemistry and over the top nature of the feud, was the fact that you just could never get fans to feel any sympathy towards Mr. McMahon. He's not a face, but a full out heel, and will always be one.

Thus, if you have a face who needs the rub, who will you turn to? Sure, you could turn to a heel like Trips, and maybe Randy, though the IWC will always slob on his knob. But if you really want a face to get over, you feed him to Mr. McMahon, and let him spin gold. Bobby Lashley, John Cena (recently), and pretty much every other face you can think of in the last five years have gone over McMahon, and are usually inserted into the top feuds with the man. If McMahon ever needs a face major over, he has one choice; put himself against the guy, not even from a physical standpoint, but even a character standpoint.

Besides that, Vince still has unfinished business. He has a prophesized World Champion on Smackdown who he's already been seen in cahoots with. Drew McIntyre is still going to need Vince's heat, and if Vince really wants this guy over, he can really help McIntyre by toying with his matches. If Vince needs someone super over, either as a heel or face, having the Mr. McMahon is the most probable way to do it. And hopefully, Vince realizes that

 

[kmkjunky25]

yes vkm was a great heel character, i think we can all agree on this. i feel that we can all agree for the most part that wwe, and most of wrestlig is stale. idk if t is because the fans are more educated now, maybe because of no thick competition (as of yet) or just a combinaton of alot of things. i personally feel that if the character of "vkm" should be kinda used like the old presdient of the wwf like with jack tunney and gorrilla monsoon. vkm should onl make maybe a half dozen appearances on tv per year, you know make that certain event or storyline more meaningful. such as maybe on either smackdown or raw after the royal rumble, vkm shows up and states that the new #1 contendor for the other belt is...... or if there is a heated rivarly show up and say "his has to end once and for all, and it shall in a last man standing match, hell in a cell, loser leaves town match etc"

sometimes less is more ya know. i just feel that too much of todays' title storylines are involving too much anti-authority figure, like heel dosent get along with gm or gm hates hel champion blah blah blah. it was great to see the original storyline with vkm and stone cold, but those need to be put to rest. let the storylines focus on the talent as being talented, being gifted, and not the guy who has sided with or against the boss/gm/commissoner etc.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

It's Vince, he'll appear mybe less often but he'll still appear. I think that he'll probably show up occasionally. Remember 1999? If Undertaker lost to Stone Cold at Fully loaded Vince would be gone from TV for good, two months later hey presto here's Vince winning the WWF Championship! Not gone for good just for a while.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I dunno, part of me is kind of glad that the character is gone. It was a great character but they've really done just about everything that they could with the Mr. McMahon character. Vince turns 65 this summer, he's said that he wants to avoid having to wrestle another match if he can and I think that retiring the Mr. McMahon character is a pretty good way of going about it. Vince has also said that he does prefer to be behind the scenes more now, particularly as he has gotten older.

It was a great, evil heel character. As far as it being retired for good, well who knows.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I don't think the Mr.McMahon character is dead. I just find that very hard to believe. If this is the end of Mr.McMahon, then he went out in a perfect way. He got the beating of a lifetime from the man he screwed years ago. Montreal is the most famous controversy in pro wrestling history, and Bret finally got his revenge.

I think the Mr.McMahon character will return at some point because he can still get a great amount of heat from a live crowd, and even in his mid 60's, he still does a great job of playing the evil boss. The evil Mr.McMahon character will have to come to an end some day, but I believe he still has some more years left.

 

[theHeadliner]

Since his evil character is supposedly done, maybe he can start doing voice-overs for video packages again like the old days, or some kind of announcing role, not necessarily play by play. That character did run its course, but it was an entertaining ride. It seems like all things involving 1997/Screwjob/Bret-HBK-Vince came full circle this year at Wrestlemania with Michaels retiring, Bret returning, getting revenge and making amends with Shawn, and Vince's character receiving a beatdown and putting the character to rest.

 

[RockFan89]

Seeing as Vince is old enough to collect social security (although he obviously doesn't need it) he probably won't be able to make regular appearances on TV going forward. But I do think he will make an appearance every now and then. But the heel character should be laid to rest. Remember, when Vince only shows up every once in a while, he gets cheered like a face. Vince can only be a heel if he is part of a storyline.