Although Vince McMahon had been head of the WWF/WWE for a number of years his backstage role wasn’t mentioned on television.
McMahon served as the main play-by-play announcer for all WWF programming but things began to change in 1996 and 1997. References to McMahon being WWF Chairman became an increasing feature on television and eventually the “Mr McMahon” character was born before dominating the WWF’s output in the wake of the Montreal Screwjob.
Over the next two years McMahon went to war with the company’s biggest star, Steve Austin among others. The rivalry saw McMahon trying to get one over on Austin at every turn, while fans bayed in the stands for their hero to take out his tyrannical boss. It’s a rivalry that’s still praised to this day, and the feuds which were born out of the conflict are remembered as the peak of WWE programming.
Jim Ross Tips Hat To Vince McMahon
As McMahon dominated the WWF, Eric Bischoff became a feature of WCW television after aligning with the nWo. At one stage Bischoff even challenged McMahon to a fight on pay-per-view.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, legendary announcer Jim Ross compared the pair before hailing McMahon as the Attitude Era’s greatest heel. The WWE Hall of Famer explained that McMahon’s rise opposite Steve Austin was perfect timing.
“It didn’t even cross my mind, couldn’t care less. Eric was a great on screen character. There’s no doubt about that. You’re correct. But to me, it’s comparing apples and oranges. I thought for the beginning, because I knew how much Vince enjoyed being the bad guy, and now he can be the bad guy on TV. He could be the bad guy, get physical. He trained like a Trojan, so he was in good shape, you know, if that meant something down the road, and it did.
So, no, I thought it was perfect. It was perfect, timing was good. I said this before and I truly believe it, and I mean it. During that the height of the Attitude Era. I’d say that Vince McMahon was the number one heel in the WWE. And I also say that in that same conversation of who the top heels were, that Stephanie has to be given some consideration, because she was a tremendous, just a tremendous villain. She knew how to play a role, she got that from the old man. But Vince was the top heel in the Attitude Era. And I debate anybody on that topic.”
Vince McMahon remained a presence on WWE television all of the way up to his departure in July 2022. Although his appearances became less frequent, he somehow still managed to have a match at WrestleMania 38.
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