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Topics: Vince McMahon, WWE
Jack Kenmare
A storyline featuring Vince McMahon led Donald Trump to believe that the then-WWE chairman had been involved in a fatal incident.
Back in 2007, at the end of Monday Night RAW on June 11, the wrestling world and beyond were left in a state of confusion after McMahon was 'blown up' as he entered his limo.
In the aftermath of “Vince McMahon Appreciation Night,” the WWE reported the incident as though it actually happened and announced that McMahon was "presumed dead" since no body was recovered.
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A number of news outlets even reported McMahon's death as fact, with stock prices briefly dropping, too.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, was seemingly concerned about the welfare of McMahon. In fact, the American politician is said to have made a worried phone call to the organisation.
Speaking in a radio interview, then-WWE superstar Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, confirmed the story.
"What kills me is so that many people [thought Vince was dead]," Triple H said, as quoted by Fightful. "I'm not kidding you, he'll probably get mad at me for saying this, but Trump called and was like, 'Did something happen to Vince?'"
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Dave Meltzer, who has been a wrestling journalist for decades, has also discussed the tale.
“When the limo exploded Trump was actually watching to show and he contacted WWE because he thought that Vince actually died, and then he was elected president," he told Wrestling Observer Radio, as quoted by Ringside News.
The event involving McMahon and the limo was intended to be a major storyline twist, but it was abruptly canceled following the real-life death of Chris Benoit and his family in June 2007.
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Many were unhappy with the limo storyline, including former superstar Mick Foley, who voiced his issues in a phone call with McMahon afterwards.
Speaking on his Foley is Pod podcast, he said: "I was really upset about it. I had about a 45-minute talk/shouting match with Mr. McMahon because I hated that angle.
"At the time I was doing quite a bit with the injured service members and I was always working with kids who are facing challenges, including imminent deaths."