5 WWE Superstars Vince McMahon is friends with in real life

With WWE Superstars giving more out-of-character interviews now than ever before, there is hardly a day that goes by without someone from the wrestling world telling a story about Vince McMahon.

Superstars are frequently asked in interviews about the kind of relationship that they have with the WWE Chairman, especially if they are a newcomer to RAW and/or SmackDown.

Matt Riddle, for example, said after moving from NXT to SmackDown that he has an “amazing” relationship with NXT founder Triple H, but his meetings with Vince McMahon have only ever been “one hundred percent professional”.

More experienced Superstars, such as The Undertaker and Braun Strowman, have made it clear that Vince McMahon is also a friend to them, as opposed to simply being their boss.

In this article, let’s take a look at five Superstars who have been in WWE long enough to form a friendship with Vince McMahon outside of work.

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#5 Vince McMahon is friends with Braun Strowman

In modern-day WWE, Superstars usually spend several years at the Performance Center and on NXT television before making the move to RAW and SmackDown. In Braun Strowman’s case, Vince McMahon decided to call up “The Monster Among Men” after SummerSlam 2015, despite the fact that he had only competed in seven matches, all of which were untelevised.

Vince McMahon’s show of faith in Strowman turned out to be a good decision, as the former Wyatt Family member became one of WWE’s top singles Superstars following his 2016 split from Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Luke Harper.

Speaking on NotSam Wrestling, Strowman revealed that he was so frustrated around the time of the 2019 Royal Rumble that he told Vince McMahon he was “miserable” and he “had enough” with his position in WWE.

Vince McMahon kicked staff out of a production meeting two hours before an episode of RAW and spoke to Strowman for 45 minutes to reassure him about his future.

“Vince doesn’t get the credit that is due to him. He’s an unbelievable man and I’m fortunate to not only work for him but to also call him my friend.”

Strowman added that Vince McMahon envisages him staying in WWE for at least the next 10 years.

#4 Vince McMahon is friends with The Undertaker

You only need to have caught one episode of the WWE Network docuseries ‘Undertaker: The Last Ride’ to know that Vince McMahon and The Undertaker’s relationship is very close.

There was even one stage when an emotional Vince McMahon said, “Can’t do that,” and signalled for the interview to end after he was asked to sum up how much The Undertaker has meant to WWE.

The five-part series focused on the man behind The Undertaker character, Mark Calaway, and his struggles to find the perfect time to finally bring an end to his legendary WWE career.

"I love Vince to death. I would take a bullet for the man. Honestly, I would. Yes, he is my boss, my friend, he has been like a dad, he has been like a brother."

The Undertaker’s wife, Michelle McCool, repeatedly stated throughout the series that Vince McMahon is the one person who her husband cannot refuse an offer from, which is why he has reversed his unofficial retirement on so many occasions over the last few years.

#3 Vince McMahon is friends with The Rock

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is arguably the most successful person to come out of Vince McMahon’s WWE, so it is no surprise that the two men have formed a close friendship over the years.

Speaking on an Instagram Live in April 2020, The Rock described Vince McMahon as a “very close friend and confidant” and, much like The Undertaker, mentioned how it is difficult to refuse offers from the WWE Chairman.

“You never say never to Vince McMahon, who has been one of my mentors in the business for a very long time. [He’s] a very, very close friend and confidant. You never say no.”

The Rock added that he would consider returning to WWE to face his real-life cousin, Roman Reigns, but only if the venue and business model is right.

“The Great One” is yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, so it is inevitable that he will appear on WWE programming again in the next few years, even if he does not return for another match.

#2 Vince McMahon is friends with Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan was Vince McMahon's biggest star in the 1980s

Vince McMahon’s “best for business” attitude has allowed various blacklisted Superstars to return to WWE, including Hulk Hogan.

In 2015, Hogan was fired by WWE and removed from the company’s Hall of Fame after audio emerged of him using racist language in a recording from 2007.

Hogan’s daughter, Brooke Hogan, told TV Insider in April 2018 that her father will always be friends with Vince McMahon, regardless of whether he works for WWE or not.

"I know that dad will always have a relationship with Vince no matter what has happened publicly. They have had a friendship and business relationship for so long - I think that time heals all."

Three months after those comments, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame and he began appearing sporadically on WWE television again towards the end of the year.

His first televised appearance back with WWE came in November 2018 as the host of the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, while he was also involved in a segment with Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania 35.

#1 Vince McMahon is friends with John Cena

Vince McMahon has had rocky relationships with some of his top guys in the past, but the same thing cannot be said for John Cena.

Interestingly, Cena’s first meeting with Vince McMahon did not go exactly as planned. The WWE Chairman was “disgusted” by his future World Champion’s blond hair and he instructed WWE’s stylists to immediately give him a haircut.

As the years went on, Cena ended up becoming the most successful Superstar of his generation, and the man himself told Jimmy Kimmel in 2020 that Vince McMahon is also a friend to him, as well as a boss.

“He is so much more than that [a boss] to me. He is a friend, a father figure, a mentor, a trusting resource, he’s filled with wisdom, but above all else, yes, I still think of him as my boss. I always like for them to give me ideas and then me to kind of make it my own.” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

In 2020, Vince McMahon described Cena as “the standard-bearer, the benchmark and the epitome of what it means to be a Superstar in WWE and in life” in a birthday message on Twitter.