The gradual slide over into recognizing him as the owner was well done.
It really was. Right around 1996, I saw wrestlers coming out for their match and screaming at Vince McMahon while he was sitting at the commentator desk accusing him of being the owner and ripping them off of their earnings. And McMahon was like “umm I don’t know what you’re talking about umm yeah.” Totally looking suspicious and like he’s lying. And that act was just part of it all. I think I’ve made another post about how I saw this one interview around 1996 where Stone Cold Steve Austin was being interviewed by Vince McMahon and he said, “everyone knows you are the real owner of the WWF Vince McMahon. Gorilla Monsoon and everyone else is just a puppet.”
….but the real coming out party was after the Montreal screw job in 1997 when Bret Hart lost his title. That was the official birth of the character Mr. McMahon…. And it was all based on real shit. That’s crazy! After the Montreal screw job, Vince McMahon just started giving interviews where he flat out claimed ownership of the WWF and said “Bret screwed Bret.” I think the story was that McMahon knew Bret Hart was going to WCW and Vince didn’t want him to take his title with him so he needed to make sure Shawn Michaels won the title. And Vince McMahon made sure that the referee was in on it calling a Bret Hart submission that never actually happened so he therefore lost his title. And this was where the storylines of wrestling and reality started to combine together because Vince McMahon was giving real life media interviews claiming ownership of the company, as he was explaining why he did what he did to Bret Hart. The infamous- “Bret screwed Bret“
Lol i have mentioned this total situation and scenario of Vince McMahon being the owner a number of times. I even found a thread from here from like 15 years ago or even more where I’m posting about wanting to know how the hell this transpired where Vince McMahon went from commentator to owner. I was really stumped on this and I couldn’t understand how this transition took place for what felt like an eternity.
I think I care a little bit too much about this LMAO. What can I say I grew up on Three’s Company and wrestling….
Philip