The Undertaker's first opponent on Vince McMahon's reaction when WWE Superstars refused to lose

Mario Mancini says Vince McMahon “got hot” backstage whenever WWE Superstars refused to lose matches.

As WWE’s Chairman and CEO, McMahon ultimately decides who wins and loses matches on his television shows. Mancini, a WWE Superstar between 1984 and 1992, was almost always booked to lose during his time with the company.

Speaking on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Mancini recalled how McMahon would react when pre-determined losers questioned their match outcomes:

“Vince would say, ‘I got the right guy [when stars agreed to lose].’ When they’d come back and go, ‘I’m not doing a job,’ Vince, he got hot, ‘Why?!’ And this is for 95 percent of everybody that was in the business, because Vince took you, Vince gave you a gimmick, put you over on national TV. So Vince made you, he made you, and you’re making money.” [18:47-19:32]

One of Mancini’s most famous defeats came on November 19, 1990 against The Undertaker. The match was the first of The Deadman’s legendary 30-year WWE career, although it aired after his televised debut at Survivor Series 1990.

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Mario Mancini thinks three WWE legends could refuse Vince McMahon’s ideas

Andre the Giant, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin are widely viewed as three of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time.

Mario Mancini believes all three men had the power to refuse to lose matches due to their undeniable star power:

“There are a handful of guys that didn’t have to show that gratitude, in my opinion, and there are very few. Andre the Giant. A guy I call The Natural… that’s Stone Cold Steve Austin. He could have went anywhere and did that. He’s a natural. God put him on this earth to do what he did. He’s just a natural. Dwayne [The Rock] Johnson…” [20:04-20:47]

Mancini also told an amusing story recently about the time that Vince McMahon caught him flirting with female fans outside an arena. The WWE Chairman threatened to fine the former superstar $100 if he caught him outside the dressing room again.

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Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.