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WWE Executive Director Bruce Prichard has defended Vince McMahon’s decision to use God as a WWE character in 2006.
At WWE Backlash 2006, Shane and Vince McMahon joined forces to face Shawn Michaels and God in a No Holds Barred tag team match. The storyline revolved around Vince McMahon making fun of Michaels, who is a born-again Christian.
Speaking on his Something to Wrestle With podcast, Prichard said the storyline was entertaining and should not have been taken seriously by WWE fans.
“It’s entertainment! It is parody,” Prichard said. “Again, this is entertainment and this is parody, and it’s okay for movies and all that to do it but not do it here? Religious people that have lived their entire life under that and have grown up that way [might have been offended]. But I do think that based in entertainment and parody, this was entertainment. For those that took it seriously… well, then, sorry.”
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Shane and Vince McMahon won the approximately 20-minute match following interference from The Spirit Squad. Shawn Michaels' partner was represented by a stage spotlight instead of a real person.
Bruce Prichard on whether Vince McMahon's storyline with God would work in 2021
The controversial match at Backlash 2006 began with Vince McMahon cutting a promo on God inside the ring. He also criticized God’s slow entrance and encouraged his opponent to dance to the ring instead.
While Bruce Prichard did not have an issue with the storyline, he acknowledged it would probably not work in 2021.
“I think when you view it in glasses of many years later, maybe not,” Prichard added. “But in the time, when you’re living it in the time, it was parody and entertainment that I found very entertaining. I wouldn’t do it today, no.”
Former WWE producer Arn Anderson criticized the storyline on his ARN podcast in 2020. He said the idea was “low road stuff” that went “too far.”
Please credit Something to Wrestle With and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
