Vince McMahon had a particular method when it came to his matches.
Never one to ask someone to do something that he wouldn’t, The Chairman has faced off against some of the top stars on the grandest stages. Despite being the more inexperienced competitor, notable opponents such as Steve Austin and Shawn Micheals would be able to do the majority of the heavy lifting. But what happens when it’s McMahon’s opponent who is the inexperienced one?
At Vengeance 2003, McMahon would face off against Zach Gowen, the one-legged wrestler who was signed to a WWE contract after defeating The Big Show. While this sounds impressive, a greedy McMahon made the match No Disqualification, meaning that Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar gave a vital assist to Gowen.
Incensed that Gowen crossed the boss, the two were set for the singles match at the pay-per-view. According to Gowen, the match was heavily planned out to look as good as possible.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Zach Gowen described how he and Mcmahon prepared for their encounter, which was said to follow a similar format to Logan Paul matches in the modern era:
“Vince did not carry me through that match at all. Listen, I’m not going to speak ill of the man because I love Vince McMahon. And he saved my life literally. And, he put me in that position and gave me that platform, which launched me into the rest of my life, you know. But we did that. And it might have been one of the first ones to do that style of match. It’s the way that Logan Paul does his matches now.
Continuing to describe the process, Gowen revealed that the match was planned out a month beforehand and was run through again nearer the time:
So it’s move for move figured out 2, 3, 4 weeks beforehand. They fly me to New York. I’m in a warehouse with the ring. It’s me it’s Vince. And this is like three weeks before a match with the agents. So you got Bruce Prichard there and you got Pat Patterson’s there and there was all this huddled around Mike Chioda, is there the referee. And we just talked about Alright, well what can we do? You know? What can you do Vince? Zach, what can you do here? Well, I can do that. Okay cool and then we piece it together move for move for move for move.
The day before the pay-per-view they fly me to Denver early. They rent a local community college gymnasium. They set up a ring, me and Vince again go over it the day before move for move with the agents there and the referee.”
McMahon would go on to win the match at Vengeance. Also during Gowen’s time with WWE, there was a pitched beatdown angle involving Brock Lesnar that could have ended very badly.
Vince McMahon’s Questionable Booking Decisions
Not every McMahon decision has been well-received by the fans or even the wrestlers themselves. During a recent interview, The Undertaker revealed how Vince McMahon once forced him to wear some infamous ring attire.
If you use any quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet and leave a h/t to Inside The Ropes.