Donald Trump is the richest man ever to occupy the White House, but did you know he’s also the first sitting president to also be a member of the WWE Hall of Fame?
Trump’s involvement with the WWE stretches back to 1988, where he was instrumental in bringing WrestleMania IV and V to Atlantic City. Both of these events were hosted in the city’s Boardwalk Hall, but were promoted as being held at Trump Plaza Casino and Hotel on television broadcasts. Trump also appeared on camera at WrestleMania VII and XX.
Trump’s involvement with WWE became a bit more direct in 2007. On a January edition of Monday Night Raw, Trump interrupted a Vince McMahon celebration event to rain money down on the fans like confetti. And yes, most of the money was real.
The Trump v McMahon feud ran for a couple of weeks, before both men selected a champion to represent them in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23. The losing man was to have his head shaved – live on the biggest pay-per-view show of the year. Vince selected Umaga as his champion, while Trump opted for fan-favourite ECW Champion Bobby Lashley.
At WrestleMania, Lashley emerged victorious and Trump floored McMahon with a clothesline. Stone Cold Steve Austin acted as a special guest referee and Vince McMahon’s defeat led to immediate baldness. However, Trump didn’t escape completely unharmed, suffering a Stunner from Austin to the delight of the crowd.
To this day, it’s often regarded as one of the biggest pay-per-view sells in WWE history, and the video of Trump receiving a Stunner went viral during his Presidential campaign.
Two years later, in 2009, Trump again appeared on Monday Night Raw as part of a new storyline. Vince McMahon had sold Raw to Trump who was suggested to be the controlling owner going forward.
This was, of course, not true, but was treated as real – Trump’s very own fake news. The WWE even went so far as to distribute a press release about the change, causing a reaction on Wall Street which led to the organisation’s share price plummeting by 7%. Just one week later, McMahon grovelled with Trump on Raw and “bought” the company back.
Finally, in 2013, Donald Trump was entered into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Celebrity Wing alongside the likes of Mike Tyson and Drew Carey.
“I consider this to be my greatest honor of all. I do,” he remarked in his acceptance speech. [nofollow]
Great article.