Modern wrestlers’ relationship with Vince McMahon
By Scott Keith on 21 August 2021
Something I've noticed is that wrestlers during WWE's most successful periods always had a close relationship with Vince McMahon. Although tumultuous, Hogan and Austin always seemed very close with him, and guys like Hart, Michaels, Angle, Undertaker, Warrior, Foley, and (obvious joke aside) Triple H have suggested or directly stated that he's a father figure to them. The relationship seemed far more than purely professional. And it seemed to be true with guys lower on the card too.
And yet, when you hear former Superstars from the modern speak, that doesn't really seem the case. When guys like Hawkins and Ryder talk about him, they don't seem like they had an especially close relationship with him. Same with a guy like Aleister Black. Nor did guys higher on the card, like Moxley/Ambrose. Even when guys like Roman talk about him, it certainly doesn't seem like a father/son-like relationship, like we saw in the past. It all seems very professional.
Do you think some of the issues that have impacted WWE lately — downright strange booking decisions, missed opportunities with hot Superstars, releases that don't seem to make any sense — has anything to do with Vince not developing a closer relationship with his current roster?
Yeah I think Vince felt personally burned by his relationship with Bret going how it did and it made him disengaged from other stars afterwards.