At this point, everybody knows that wrestling isn’t real, and things that happen on the TV shows shouldn’t be taken seriously.
When corpses are defiled, babies punted into the crowd or characters die on screen, everybody knows that its just a TV show (well, almost).
However, when Donald Trump showed up on a 2009 episode of Monday Night Raw, WWE’s investors freaked out and ruined a potentially brilliant storyline.
This is the story of how Donald Trump bought Monday Night Raw (in storyline), continuing a multi-year feud with Vince McMahon that began in 2007.
Donald Trump Buys Raw
On a special three-hour episode of Monday Night Raw (before that became a nightmarish chore every week), Vince McMahon announced that he had sold Raw.
Not the WWE – just Raw. The June 15, 2009 episode of Raw would be the last one owned by the WWE, before being independently run by its new owner.
It was made clear that this would still include the WWE wrestlers, and was clearly just part of a storyline.
Vince McMahon cut a promo in the ring on June 15, 2009, claiming to have received an offer too good to turn down, before revealing Raw’s new owner – Donald Trump.
Trump had previous with McMahon – the pair had fought in “The Battle of the Billionaires” at WrestleMania 23.
In the contest, Trump’s hand-picked champion Bobby Lashley defeated Umaga, which ended in them all shaving McMahon’s head live in the ring.
This was referenced when Trump came on screen at Raw, announcing he had bought Raw, remarking that Vince “looked better bald”.
The future US President (this is still utterly bizarre to say) warned McMahon to “stay out of his way”, and claimed that Vince had taken advantage and made money from his fans for too long.
‘Thanks Vince, You’ve finally put your ego aside and made a smart business move for a change. It’s true, Donald Trump, I’m now the sole owner of Monday Night RAW. You never really show any appreciation for the RAW audience.
Donald Trump, 2009
To show his appreciation for the WWE Universe, Donald Trump announced the WWE’s next show would commercial free, and feature some huge matches.
The main event of the next week’s Raw (which was without any commercial breaks, and felt like a pay per view) saw Randy Orton defend his WWE Championship against Triple H in a Last Man Standing match.
This was a huge bout for Raw, and the Last Man Standing match was a stipulation that was usually kept for big pay per view matches.
Trump was viewed as a successful host, with some entertaining backstage segments as he ran his show for the first time.
Stockholders Force The End Of The Storyline
Just like when Vince McMahon faked his own death on live TV, WWE’s shareholders seemed to forget that wrestling isn’t real.
There was chaos among the stockholders when Trump’s “purchase” of Raw hit the newsstands.
The WWE stock price explode when Trump was announced as the new owner, before shooting up and down throughout the week.
This volatility was horrible for the shareholders, and their apprehension forced Vince McMahon to “buy back” the show from Trump.
The following week on Raw, McMahon agreed to pay a record-high price for Raw, looking stupid in his sale in the first place, ruining what could have been a great angle.
Trump wouldn’t return to the WWE until 2013, when he accepted an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame – so far, the only US President to have the honor.