A new behind-the-scenes story involving Vince McMahon has surfaced, and it’s another example of how even the smallest on-air details could reportedly spark major reactions behind the curtain.
During a recent Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp was asked about the often bizarre and over-the-top nature of past WrestleMania-related stories involving McMahon.
In response, Sapp shared another anecdote highlighting the former WWE Chairman’s intensity when it came to presentation.
According to Sapp, one situation stood out from Tyson Fury’s short-lived WWE run.
At the time, WWE, particularly McMahon, had high expectations for Fury, viewing him as a major crossover attraction. The comparison internally was to Floyd Mayweather, whose WrestleMania involvement years earlier was widely considered a success both in terms of performance and business.
McMahon had reportedly long wanted a legitimate heavyweight boxing champion featured prominently in WWE, and Fury, undefeated at the time and holding significant boxing accolades, fit that mold.
However, things took a turn over what many would consider a minor detail.
“One story that we heard was that Vince McMahon flew off the handle regarding a specific line from one of his on screen personalities — well, more of an omission,” Sapp explained. “Renee Paquette, then Renee Young, had done an introduction of Tyson Fury, or mentioned him on programming and didn’t refer to him specifically as the LINEAL World Heavyweight Champion — something Vince McMahon wanted.”
That omission reportedly led to a major backstage reaction.
“Sources had been told that he screamed and raved,” Sapp continued. “Similarly to him screaming that ‘One of the greatest WrestleMania moments of all time was ruined,’ by Hogan changing out of a pirate outfit, he also screamed that Tyson Fury’s WWE run had therefore been RUINED by this omission on live TV.”
Needless to say, not everyone shared that viewpoint.
In fact, Sapp noted that most within the company didn’t agree with McMahon’s assessment, especially given how Fury’s in-ring performance was received.
“Nobody else agreed,” Sapp added, before bluntly pointing out that Fury “had one of the worst wrestling matches of all-time at Crown Jewel 2019.”
(H/T: Fightful Select)
