What Donald Trump's 2007 WWE Fight With Vince McMahon Says About His Politics
Donald Trump is known for his bluster and bravado, but he showed he's not all threats when he actually got physical with another billionaire back in 2007 during Wrestlemania 23.
Inside Edition covered the infamous moment when Trump tackled Vince McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment. It was the Battle of the Billionaires, with the two money-making titans going head-to-head. Aside from Trump's brief attack on McMahon, the two had professional wrestlers do their dirty work. Inside Edition spoke with wrestler Bobby Lashley, Trump's partner for the match, about what the event was like. Lashley revealed, "[Trump] just wanted to play more of an active role in it, and I think that part where he took down Vince and kind of gave him a couple knuckles was just him having a little fun with it."
Trump was ultimately victorious, and as part of his win, he and Lashley got to shave McMahon's head. Of course, Trump didn't get out of Wrestlemania 23 unscathed. Stone Cold Steve Austin, who served as a guest referee for the match, performed a Stunner on the future president, which probably makes him the only person in America's history who can claim such a feat.
Some believe Donald Trump employed wrestling tactics during his presidential campaign
With an unpolished attitude and a willingness to start rivalries with anyone and everyone, Donald Trump is a natural fit for the world of wrestling. Needless to say, his feud with Vince McMahon continued over the years. In 2009, Trump bought Monday Night Raw, which McMahon would eventually buy back. And when Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, he vowed to take on McMahon again, as transcribed by the WWE Wrestlemania X account: "I will challenge @VinceMcMahon to a fight next year and I will kick his ass... Kick. His. Ass." In just a few short years, Trump would take on very different opponents while running for president.
Some believe Trump's WWE attitude directly helped his ascendancy in politics. Chauncey DeVega of Salon wrote of Trump in 2015, "His time spent in the world of professional wrestling is invaluable for understanding the path he has cut through the GOP primary field — because the playbook employed by Trump over the past several months bears an uncanny resemblance to the storytelling and character-building stratagem of professional wrestling." Trump understands when to be a hero and when to be a heel, with one portion of the country rooting for his every move while the other despises him. He's even a bully in the eyes of the director of "Home Alone 2," which shows how far his attitude reaches.
Needless to say, Trump has a very specific personality that has influenced pop culture in more ways than one, including inspiring a "Squid Game" character. Trump may not get another rematch with McMahon, but in 2024, he may just get one against Joe Biden.