It’s no secret that Vince McMahon is quite an intimidating person. The power he has is extraordinary; it’s something you hear about in various recounts of stories and articles. It may be fascinating to all of us, but as we have heard over the years, his intimidation many times keeps his employees at bay.
But that doesn’t stop some people from standing up for what they believe in and feel they have nothing to lose. Some of the Superstars who stood up to McMahon have wielded power of their own, in a give and take situation.
Here is a list of those Superstars
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
#5 Chris Jericho
Jericho has penned three books so far (and working on a fourth), and throughout those books are described the times he has stood toe to toe with McMahon.
Regardless if it was something Jericho himself did, money, or even birthday parties, Jericho didn’t back down from McMahon most of the time. Even though they seem to butt heads a lot, Jericho says that McMahon is the best boss he’s ever worked for.
Not all relationships are perfect, are they?
#4 Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett’s contract was about to expire in 1999, and he was still holding on to the Intercontinental Championship. And Vince McMahon was willing to do anything to prevent him from defaulting to WCW with the belt.
Realising this, Jarrett held the belt to ransom for a princely sum of $300,000, forcing McMahon to cough up in order for him to drop the title to Chyna before he left. Needless to say, the duo didn’t do any business together after that.
#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin
When Austin walked out of WWE in 2002, it was earth-shattering news.
Frustrated over creative decisions, especially asking him to put over Lesnar on a non-pay per view event, the move spoke volumes on what it was like backstage.
It took a bit of an effort for McMahon to get Austin back, but they had eventually come to terms. In later years, particularly on his podcast, Austin says he wishes he had gone about the situation better, and that the walkout had cost him thousands of dollars.
#2 Bret Hart
The Montreal Screwjob obviously left Hart feeling some kind of way after all the events had taken place out in the ring.
On screen, everyone saw Hart spit on McMahon in retaliation, but the real good one took place backstage. Hart confronted McMahon and it ended with Hart socking him in the face.
In a funny turn of events, that altercation led McMahon to fall and sprain his ankle. I guess its safe to say that wasn’t a good night for McMahon. Thirteen years later, Hart and McMahon reconciled and are now on more amicable terms.
#1 CM Punk
The most recent story about a Superstar standing up to McMahon is CM Punk. Punk has a reputation for being tenacious at times, but he always stood up for himself and what he believed in.
Surely it rubbed the brass the wrong way, and Punk would say in podcasts that he constantly was arguing with them about creative direction.
The day Punk walked out on the company, he stood up to both McMahon and Triple H, telling them how he really felt before shutting the door on his pro wrestling career. Punk is on a new journey en route to his first UFC fight, and with him still criticizing WWE, I don’t see this relationship rekindling anytime soon.