4 Vince McMahon "secret rules" you need to know

There's "no chance in hell" you haven't heard of Vince McMahon and the way he runs WWE if you are a wrestling fan.

His status as the wrestling industry's top pioneer and the brains behind the biggest wrestling promotion in the world is no easy feat, and is the culmination of years of hard work.

Vince McMahon's WWE persona is up there with the best characters in pro wrestling history. Being the boss desperate to rule everything with an iron fist and ruthlessly eliminating those who cross him has defined his life for decades.

Over the years, fans have heard countless stories about Vinnie Mac's code of rules, ranging from performers having to grab brass rings to his obsession with 50-50 booking.

On that note, we present to you four of Vince McMahon's secret rules that give fans an idea as to how the climate in the WWE landscape really is.

#4. On our list of Vince McMahon's secret rules: Superstars should not sneeze

Control your sneezes around Vince McMahon

We'll start with an absolutely ridiculous rule Vince McMahon is very particular about. He doesn't like anyone working for him to sneeze while they are on duty. He believes not having control over your nasal organs is a sign of weakness.

McMahon's no-sneezing policy has been talked about by a few WWE Superstars. Arn Anderson, who worked closely with him, described it best by suggesting that his hatred towards sneezing is in nuclear territory.

"As I saw things, a person coughing, sneezing or maybe they just came in the door and looked bad, sweating or pale, and the looks that they got, I had a whole different mentality and thought process on that, he would look at these people like he wanted them dead."

So if you, dear reader, ever become a WWE Superstar, make sure you hold your sneezes when you are in front of Mr. McMahon.

#3. If a referee takes a bump, they should oversell it

We have all sat here annoyed at how fragile WWE referees are. If they so much as take a shoulder bump, they lie on the ground motionless for eternity. This is in accordance with one of Vince McMahon's sacred rules, which is referees being forced to oversell even the tiniest bit of contact.

McMahon stressed the rule because it gives the heel(s) in the match to do something crooked. We have all hated this phenomenon at some point, but we can't deny that it is purposeful.

#2. Superstars are not allowed to look at or talk to the camera

McIntyre is lucky his boss didn't let him have an earful

Vince McMahon is also very particular about superstars not looking into the camera, let alone speaking to it. He believes that is breaking the fourth wall, and strictly prefers conversations with the WWE Universe happening with the people in attendance.

Drew McIntyre recently broke this rule and explained why he did it. During WrestleMania 36, he looked at the camera and directly thanked the WWE fans watching at home after his WWE Championship win over Brock Lesnar.

"I did beat him (Lesnar), and I couldn’t help myself going down to the camera and reaching out, and saying ‘thank you’ to everybody. We’re not supposed to look into those cameras, that’s considered breaking the fourth wall. I just couldn’t help it. I just went into the camera and thanked everyone for choosing WWE during these times. Thank you for willing me to win the title."

While this is a class act from McIntyre, the fact remains that it is a rule McMahon prefers superstars not to break. We are glad he made an exception for The Scottish Warrior because it was a well-deserved display of emotion from him.

#1. Certain words cannot be uttered on air

Vince McMahon has a whole dictionary of acceptable vocabulary in the WWE ring. The swear words aside, there are some other words that superstars are banned from using. Some of them are so harmless you'd think someone insulted McMahon personally with them.

The boss hates words like 'belt', 'title shot' and even 'wrestler'. Instead, superstars have to say 'title', 'title match' and, um, 'superstar'. Vinnie Mac chews out people who mess up in this regard. Even the likes of Braun Strowman haven't escaped his wrath (watch the video to see him use the wrong phrase), as Mick Foley revealed on an episode of Making Their Way To The Ring With Lillian Garcia.

"I was about to go out there a couple weeks ago, and I heard Braun Strowman say," I want a title shot." Mr. McMahon's behind the curtain, at the board watching the monitor, and he goes, "Oh god, it's not a title shot." I was thinking to myself, then what is it? That's exactly what I would go to call it when I would go out there. You want a title shot. He's like, "it's a title match. It's a match!" So if you ever wonder what it's like to see a six-foot-eight, three hundred pound behemoth get chewed out, you should've been there." (h/t fightful)

It's interesting to note how particular McMahon is regarding these rules, including such trivial ones. Guess it's safe to say you've got no chance in hell of making it under his watch if you break them.