Many wrestling fans think of Vince McMahon as a promoter and commentator. Initially, those jobs kept him busy in Titan Sports, Inc.’s many ventures, but eventually, he stepped into the wrestling ring, too.
Although it hasn’t happened often, a few times in WWF and WWE history, the elder statesman of the sport parted the ropes wearing tights to settle a score.
Storylines Evolve
Professional wrestling loosely scripts everything. Think of it as a televised improv show with a sporting element.
The wrestlers come up with characters to play, but they also go through intensive training to learn the wrestling moves, how to deliver them without seriously harming another person, how to stunt fall, etc.
The sporting element more closely resembles collegiate wrestling in some ways than it does cage fighting or boxing.
In 2001, Vince McMahon pulled a major coup in the industry when, according to The Sportster, he lured the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) star Ric Flair to the WWE.
Flair had won the NWA’s top title an unprecedented number of times and headed the Jim Crockett Promotions stable. Hiring Flair away from Crockett wasn’t a big enough story, though.
Flair used the money to purchase stock from McMahon Jr.’s kids, Shane and Stephanie. While they owned stock separately, their dad had a controlling interest in the company.
By purchasing the stock of both younger McMahon children, Flair’s ownership interest equaled that of McMahon’s. In essence, they became business partners who could not agree on anything.
From the Boardroom to the Ring
Two more egocentric individuals could not possibly exist in wrestling. The two – McMahon and Flair—have long served as the inspiration for future wrestlers, managers, and promoters.
Their ability to play the part of the egotistical bad guy has enamored them to wrestling history. The one thing these two strong real-life personalities did agree upon was the need to settle their differences. Flair wanted a fight, and he got one in 2002.
Although he wrestled infrequently, McMahon had fought before. He met Flair in a street fight at the 2002 Royal Rumble to settle their business disputes and finally decide who was really boss.
So You Want a Street Fight
According to Ewrestling News, street fight rules resemble those of a no-holds-barred match or a no disqualification (DQ) match. They also bear close resemblance to cage match rules without the physical barrier around the ring.
That meant that the two competitors could use anything without fear of reprisal, like Dusty Rhodes often experienced for using a steel chair in his NWA days.
For a while, the two stuck to wrestling maneuvers. Flair used his famous Figure Four leg lock. McMahon even had a go at the move.
Ultimately, the desire for blood won out and McMahon brought a foreign object into the fray. Flair responded by grabbing a TV monitor to use on McMahon and then a lead pipe.
The match ended when McMahon succumbed to the Nature Boy’s signature move, the Figure Four leg lock.
