The "Death" Of Vince McMahon Storyline In WWE, Explained

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Even by WWE's own outrageous standards, the angle that saw Mr. McMahon killed in a car explosion, which was purportedly supposed to lead to a "whodunit" style mystery and a major push for at least one new talent stands out as particularly bizarre. This was a rare point of kayfabe drama that went so far as to incorporate death. It became all the more infamous when it was cut short on account of real life happenings that took it from questionable to objectively bad taste. More recent developments in McMahon's real life have recast his legacy, including taking this questionable bit of borderline comedic booking and making it one more tarnished memory for WWE fans.

Vince McMahon
Birthdate:
1945-08-24

Birthplace:
Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA

Birthname:
Vincent Kennedy McMahon

Height:
6 feet 2 inches

Weight:
248 lbs

Debut:
1969-06-03

Championships Held:
WWE Championship, ECW Championship

Twitter:

Notable Allies:
Shane McMahon, Triple H, The Rock

Notable Rivals:
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Shane McMahon, Triple H

Eye Color:
Blue

Hair Color:
Gray

Wrestling fans are usually more attracted to storylines that have “shock elements." These events generate more buzz and discussion than other kinds of storylines, and the more people talk about something, the higher the earning potential. One such storyline happened in 2007 when Vince McMahon “died” on live television. This created several headlines, and WWE could’ve really capitalized on this storyline, but this turned out to be one of the biggest storyline letdowns at that time. It only lasted for about two weeks before the whole idea was scrapped. Here’s everything you need to know about this storyline.

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Even by WWE's own outrageous standards, the angle that saw Mr. McMahon killed in a car explosion, which was purportedly supposed to lead to a "whodunit" style mystery and a major push for at least one new talent stands out as particularly bizarre. This was a rare point of kayfabe drama that went so far as to incorporate death. It became all the more infamous when it was cut short on account of real life happenings that took it from questionable to objectively bad taste. More recent developments in McMahon's real life have recast his legacy, including taking this questionable bit of borderline comedic booking and making it one more tarnished memory for WWE fans.

Vince McMahon Feuds With Donald Trump

Vince McMahon And The Future President Trump Saw Their Storyline Climax At WWE WrestleMania 23

Vince McMahon and Donald Trump clashed multiple times on WWE television.
Vince McMahon promoted a farce of a match between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell impersonators.
Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump culminated in Umaga and Bobby Lashley, respectively, representing them in the Battle of Billionaires at WrestleMania 23.
Donald Trump would appear on WWE television again on occasion.

Let’s go back in time to when Vince McMahon and Donald Trump feuded with each other on television, as their rivalry played a huge role in what happened later. For those who don’t know, McMahon booked a match between Trump and Rosie O’Donnell one night. Of course, the real Trump and O'Donnell would never have agreed to particiapte; WWE cast impersonators to fill these roles for a bad comedy bout.

Sometime later, WWE hosted a fan appreciation night which did anything but serve the fan's interests. McMahon entered the ring and thanked the fans for making him a billionaire. He also showed them his cover image on Muscle & Fitness magazine from April 2006 and bragged about it. Donald Trump appeared on Monday Night Raw and showered money from the top, saying that’s what the fans actually wanted. Later, Trump challenged McMahon to a match at WrestleMania. McMahon declined at first but later accepted it. Both parties chose a wrestler to represent them at the Show of Shows, with Trump picking Bobby Lashley, while Vince chose Umaga, for a Hair vs Hair match.

The match took place at WrestleMania 23, which Lashley won. In front of 80,000+ fans, McMahon got his head shaved. Interesting trivia: Trump had a contract in place that prevented him from losing his hair under any circumstances during this storyline.

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Vince McMahon Wins The ECW Title

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Mr. McMahon wound up taking the ECW Championship off Bobby Lashley, in a storyline that seemed designed to make Lashley a bigger star.
Mr. McMahon's reign and the racial implications of his comedic work were poorly received.
Mr. McMahon appreciation night culminated in his limousine exploding.

After WrestleMania, Trump left WWE and McMahon continued his feud with Lashley. At Backlash, he defeated Lashley for the ECW Championship with the help of Umaga and his son, Shane McMahon, and became a 2-time World Champion. They had a dull feud, but it arguably helped Lashley become a bigger star. He regained his title at One Night Stand. This loss had a big impact on McMahon, and he started to break in a way, acting very strangely.

On Raw, dubbed Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night, he stepped into his limousine, which suddenly blew up and ended the show. McMahon was pronounced dead in the storyline. Interestingly, his real-life friend Donald Trump called Triple H to see if the tragedy was real and Vince had really died.

The Vince McMahon Storyline Ends Abruptly Due To A Real-Life Tragedy

The Benoit Family Tragedy Compelled WWE To Rethink The "Who Killed Mr. McMahon?" Angle

The Mr. McMahon angle had a number of intriguing possibilities, which may have included some rarely seen McMahon family members appearing on WWE television.
The Benoit family tragedy led to WWE calling off plans for the angle surrounding Vince McMahon's limousine exploding.
Former WWE writer Court Bauer offered some insights on the abandoned storyline.

The death angle was reportedly going to introduce Vince’s real-life brother, Roderick, as another member of the McMahon family. This is what a former WWE writer, Court Bauer, said about the abandoned storyline:

"I always think what could've been because we were gearing up to do something with Vince's little-known brother Roderick. His family was going to come in the following week and be part of the funeral for Vince McMahon [...] I think it would've been fascinating because people forget that Vince has a brother and I think that that story would've been amazing."

A memorial show for Vince was even planned, but it never happened due to another tragic event that happened in real life. Yes, the infamous Chris Benoit incident. As a result, McMahon had to come back from the dead and do a tribute show for Benoit, and fans never got to see how the McMahon-death angle would have unfolded. They could have done a lot with this storyline, but things outside WWE’s control forced them to change their plans. The McMahon limo explosion angle took place on the June 11 episode of Monday Night Raw, where another wrestler named Paul London made the mistake of smiling at Vince during a backstage segment.

It has been over a decade since McMahon staged his death on live television, and nobody really knows how the storyline was supposed to end except. Aside from prevailing speculation that Mr. Kennedy was due for a big push coming out of this creative and the little scoop that Court Bauer gave on a podcast, fans are unsure what was in store. It is also possible that there was no end plan for the storyline at that time given WWE does not always think that far ahead.

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WWE fans were still eager for Vince McMahon related content in 2007.
Vince McMahon's standing with wrestling fans has flagged over time and especially in recent years.
Allegations about Vince McMahons real life misconduct have severely tarnished his legacy on all levels.

Part of why an angle of Vince McMahon getting assassinated in a car explosion had dramatic appeal in 2007 was that, while he more often than not played a heel on TV and fans had inklings he wasn't the nicest guy in real life, he was nonetheless a revered figure among wrestling enthusiasts. After all, he was the party most responsible for revolutionizing the wrestling business time and again since the 1980s and the mastermind behind so much of what fans remember best from the business's biggest boom periods.

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McMahon's stock has slid further and further over the years to follow, first with frustrations about his sense for WWE creative, then intensifying with allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal business activities that reached new heights in early 2024. While some fans might want to see McMahon in a bad position--real or fiction--there's a more vocal contingent that simply doesn't want to see him at all anymore based on the heinous behavior he has been accused of. Indeed, there's a touch of irony to the fact that the real-life Benoit family tragedy led to an early ending for the "Who killed Mr. McMahon?" angle, and now McMahon himself is being held in similar esteem to Benoit--purported to be a real life monster whom WWE is increasingly trying to distance itself from.

In the end, the story of Mr. McMahon getting blown up inside his limousine is an oddball bit of wrestling history. While fans maintain some intrigue about where the storyline might have gone and which WWE Superstars might have benefited from it, it also seems like the whole concept may have been snakebit, destined to fail one way or another. Barring truly extraordinary circumstances it doesn't appear WWE or many of its fans will be interested in celebrating anything that dirctly has to do with McMahon again anytime soon.

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