When one thinks of Mr. McMahon, the image that pops up in mind is of a scheming, dastardly authority heel who is capable of going to great lengths to make his opponents pay. The Mr. McMahon character was created back in the mid-90s, and he went on to feud with the anti-hero in Stone Cold Steve Austin, regarded by many as the greatest rivalry in the history of this business.
Mr. McMahon, over the course of his decades-long on-screen career, has cemented himself as one of the biggest heels in the industry. But there have been moments when Vince ended up delighting the fans with his acts. WWE's storied history is filled with a bunch of these moments, when Vince actually did something to please the WWE Universe, saving the day in the process and sending the fans home happy.
Here are five times Vince McMahon saved the day.
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#5 Vince and his family take control of Raw and SmackDown Live
Last year, Baron Corbin was made the General Manager of Monday Night Raw. The decision resulted in Corbin taking control of the red brand and running roughshod on a bunch of babyfaces on the roster. The primary target of Corbin was Braun Stroman, who fell short of winning the Universal title at WWE Crown Jewel, as Corbin attacked him before the match.
The ratings soon plummeted and it was clear as day that fans were not happy with Corbin's antics. On the December 17th episode of Raw, Mr. McMahon came out, followed by the entire McMahon family, minus Linda McMahon. The family promised that a change was coming, and that the McMahons were going to take control of Raw and SmackDown Live. Baron Corbin was later removed from his position, and the fans couldn't have been happier.
#4 Vince has had enough of Kurt Angle
After WrestleMania 20, Angle suffered from a neck injury and was made the General Manager of SmackDown. As a heel authority figure, Angle made sure to make things hard for the likes of John Cena and Eddie Guerrero. Angle went on to cost Guerrero the WWE title at The Great American Bash 2004, resulting in JBL winning the title for the first time in his career.
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When Vince McMahon learned that Angle was faking his handicap status all this time, he was livid. The boss confronted Angle on an episode of SmackDown and fired him from his position as the General Manager of the blue brand. This decision had been a long time coming, as fans weren't thrilled one bit with Angle taking liberties with his position and costing the beloved champion Eddie Guerrero his WWE title.
#3 Cena or Batista?
Back in 1994, the ending to the Royal Rumble match saw Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Lex Luger getting eliminated at the same time. This controversy resulted in both men being declared the winners, and went on to receive WWE title shots at WrestleMania 10. Getting co-winners after going through a long bout such as this wasn't something the fans had expected.
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The same thing happened in 2005, when John Cena and Batista fell off the top rope at the same time. There were many who thought that history would repeat itself, and they would get co-winners again. The idea of not getting a clear winner wasn't something the WWE Universe wanted. Thankfully, Vince McMahon came down to the ring and ordered the officials to restart the match. Eventually, Batista won the free-for-all and fans got a clear winner in the end, as opposed to a half-baked decision with two men being declared winners.
#2 Vince comes to the aid of The Rock
At Royal Rumble 2013, the WWE Universe witnessed a match they never thought they would see. The Rock faced CM Punk for the WWE title, in what was a legit dream encounter and a battle of generations. Punk had won the WWE title back in 2011 when he defeated Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series.
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The closing moments of the match saw The Rock being attacked by unknown assailants, which resulted in Punk retaining the gold to a chorus of boos. Suddenly, Vince McMahon's music hit and out came the boss. To a loud sea of cheers, Vince announced that Punk would be stripped of the WWE title. The Great One had other things in mind though, as he requested to restart the match and went on to pin Punk for the title, ending his 434-day reign.
#1 Vince fires Eric Bischoff
After John Cena was drafted to Monday Night Raw in the Draft Lottery 2005, he became the hottest act on the red brand. This didn't sit well with the Raw GM Eric Bischoff though, and he went on to kick off a feud with Cena. The rivalry seemed to mimic the legendary storyline from the Attitude Era that pitted Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon.
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Bischoff attempted to dethrone Cena for months on end, but to no avail. By this point, fans had gotten tired of the heelish antics of Bischoff. On an episode of Raw, the fans witness the trial of Eric Bischoff, which ended with Vince McMahon uttering those dreaded words with all his strength: "You're fired". This time though, the WWE Universe loved every bit of it, as the man on the receiving end was Bischoff, someone they had grown to hate over the past three years.