With WWE boss Vince McMahon rumored to make an in-ring return at WrestleMania, here's all his prior matches at the show of shows. For more than a decade, McMahon was portrayed on TV as a simple play-by-play announcer, calling the action on WWE TV and pay-per-views alongside people like Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. It wasn't until 1997, and the early days of the Attitude Era, that he began to be actively acknowledged as the man who owned WWE.
It would later come out that McMahon, who had long been a bodybuilding enthusiast, had considered competing in the ring in his younger days, but was discouraged by his father, who he would eventually purchase what would become WWE from. McMahon's father drew a line between company management and its in-ring performers, but by the Attitude Era, the younger Vince McMahon would decide to throw that out the window. McMahon first had matches as part of the classic feud between his tyrannical Mr. McMahon character and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and continued periodically doing so up until 2012.
The fact that McMahon hasn't had a match in a decade makes reports that he'll be wrestling at WrestleMania XXXVIII against announcer - and former NFL player - Pat McAfee both confusing and shocking to wrestling fans. McMahon is 76-years-old, and while no doubt in great shape for his age, doesn't at all appear to be healthy enough to wrestle a match. Still, in preparation for McMahon's seeming return to the ring, here's every WrestleMania match he's had so far, ranked worst to best.
4. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010
At one time, a match between WWE legend Bret "The Hitman" Hart - another rival of Steve Austin - and the man who infamously "screwed" him at Survivor Series 1997 would've been a dream encounter. Unfortunately, by the time Bret Hart fought Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010, Hart had been retired due to injury for a decade, and McMahon was nearing Medicare eligibility. What's more, due to Hart's health status as a stroke survivor and sufferer of post-concussion syndrome, he couldn't take many actual bumps, so the match, such as it was, was basically just Hart beating McMahon down for ten minutes.
That's fine in theory, but in practice, Hart was doing his attacks at half speed, and McMahon was far from the brawler he had been even five years prior. Adding to the issues was that McMahon is 12-years-older than former guest-star Hart, and the age difference was visible enough that watching him utterly destroy McMahon for minutes on end led some of the live crowd and home viewers to actually feel bad for Vince, as it was akin to watching someone's near-defenseless grandpa getting mercilessly assaulted. Needless to say, the fact that McMahon is now 12-years-older than he was against Hart does not bode well for his potential showdown with McAfee.
3. Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon at WrestleMania XVII in 2001
Surprisingly enough, Vince McMahon's feud with Steve Austin never got a WrestleMania match, as their biggest singles encounter took place in a steel cage at 1999's St. Valentine's Day Massacre event. Vince's first WrestleMania match came in March 2001 at WrestleMania XVII, mere days after his purchase of rival wrestling company WCW. Vince went head to head with his recently fired son Shane McMahon, who in storyline had bought WCW out from under his father.
The match between Vince and Shane McMahon was a no-rules Street Fight, with WWE legend Mick Foley serving as special guest referee. Neither Vince or Shane would ever be mistaken for elite athletes, but the two men tore into each other with weapons like steel chairs and garbage cans for almost 15 minutes, providing a bout that was lots of fun to watch. Shane emerged victorious, with the help of his mother Linda and Vince's storyline mistress Trish Stratus. Later that same night, Vince would help his old rival Austin beat The Rock for the WWE world title, forging an unholy alliance that no one expected to ever happen.
2. Vince McMahon vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania XIX in 2003
Vince McMahon's second WrestleMania match came in 2003 at WrestleMania XIX in Seattle. McMahon went one-on-one with arguably his greatest creation as head of WWE, the 1980s and 90s superstar Hulk Hogan. Hogan carried WWE through its first big period of pop culture ubiquity, and after nearly a decade in WCW, returned to WWE in 2002. Hogan's feud with McMahon was over who really deserved credit for Hulkamania, and again, it was a no-rules Street Fight.
An added wrinkle was that if McMahon won, Hogan would have to retire. While no one really doubted the result, watching the two wrestling icons beat and bloody each other up made for another really thrilling encounter. Many things can be said about McMahon, but one can't allege he's not willing to take a beating for the entertainment of his paying customers. Surprisingly, one of Hogan's all-time greatest rivals, the late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper even showed up to try and help McMahon win, but it was to no avail, as Hulkamania ran wild one more time. While personal scandals have tarnished Hogan's image in the years since, the crowd loving seeing him take down Mr. McMahon back then.
1. Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXII in 2006
Vince McMahon's third WrestleMania match came at WrestleMania XXII in 2006, taking on another WWE legend in Shawn Michaels. Their feud started kind of out of nowhere, with McMahon seemingly taking offense to Michaels' change from the hard-partying, sex-obsessed WWE star he was in the 1990s into a born-again Christian family man. Post-WrestleMania, this would devolve into McMahon repeatedly mocking Michaels' faith, and a regrettable match involving "God."
Before that though, Michaels vs. McMahon at WrestleMania was another highly entertaining No Holds Barred brawl. What makes it better than the rest of McMahon's WrestleMania outings is his opponent, as Michaels is commonly considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, is a WWE Hall of Fame inductee, and is referred to as "Mr. WrestleMania" for his show-stealing performances at the WWE event. As usual, McMahon spent most of the match getting beaten to a pulp, including an iconic moment when Michaels came flying down off a giant ladder, putting McMahon through a table. Michaels unsurprisingly picked up the win.