Vince McMahon is the most important figure in the history of wrestling and the godfather of professional wrestling. He killed him competition and created a monopoly in wrestling that lasted over 20 years.
He has had a in-ring career that can rival most WWE legends, despite not wrestling a match until he was in his 50s. He is one of the most famous wrestlers of all time and there is not a wrestling fan alive who does not know the name Vince McMahon.
So why isn’t Vince McMahon in the WWE Hall of Fame? By the end of this article you will know exactly why he has not been inducted and just how much he deserves being honoured as a legend of pro wrestling in front of a crowd of his friends, peer and likely deadly enemies.
Why isn’t Vince McMahon in the Hall of Fame?
Vince McMahon deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame, but the 76 year old has yet to be inducted. The simple reason is that because Vince McMahon decides who goes into the WWE Hall of Fame and he has decided not to induct himself.
Many WWE stars and legends have confirmed that Vince McMahon does not want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for a wide variety of reasons. Many have even claimed (with Triple H revealing this during DX’s induction in 2019) that talent are told NOT to mention nor thank Vince McMahon during their induction speeches, to keep the focus away from the WWE Chairman.
He does not often appear at the Hall of Fame, but under special circumstances he has appeared on screen to induct some WWE legends into those hallowed halls. Vince McMahon inducted the following WWE superstars into the Hall of Fame;
- James Dudley (1994)
- “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (2009)
- Donald Trump (2013)
- The Undertaker (2022)
Vince McMahon did not induct his father, Vince McMahon Sr, during his Hall of Fame induction in 1996. Instead, Shane McMahon, Vince’s son, inducted his grandfather in the Hall of Fame.
There are many reasons why McMahon has decided to preclude his Hall of Fame induction, according to a number of former stars in wrestling, including legendary manager and booker Jim Cornette.
He wants to remain humble
Wrestling Legend Jim Cornette revealed that Vince McMahon will never be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame – at least as long as he is alive.
He revealed on an episode of his podcast that Vince McMahon constantly tells everyone backstage that he will never accept the induction whilst he is alive, and also never wants anybody to mention his name during their speeches, claiming it ruins the viewing experience for the WWE Universe.
“Vince will never go in the Hall of Fame as long as he is still alive. That is one thing he constantly tells everybody, he gets mad if they don’t listen, he doesn’t want anyone to thank him on their acceptance speeches. I don’t know if it’s because, let’s face it, Vince has a fairly healthy ego. I don’t know if he wants to be humble and loveable like a shoeshine boy, but he knows the ways that the boys are.
He claims the reason is the Vince McMahon is humble, which is hard to believe if you look at Vince’s on-screen career. The Chairman of WWE had never been shy of playing the arrogant Mr McMahon on TV, and never missed an opportunity to put down any wrestler he was feuding with.
Clearly behind the scenes he is a completely different animal. As the ceremony is a chance for legends to speak to their fans for one last time on the big stage, it is admirable that he wants to stay out of it and give these legendary pro-wrestlers one last opportunity in the spotlight.
He will be inducted once he passes
Just like his father, I fully expect Vince McMahon to be placed in the hall of fame once he passes. He would never accept the accolade whilst he was alive, no matter how much his children (Stephanie and Shane McMahon) would push for it.
He is too humble to accept the induction and be honoured in front of thousands of fans. He has admitted on the Stone Cold podcast that he is shy speaking in front of people and being himself, so he may be wary of speaking from his heart rather than through the mouth of his ruthless “Mr McMahon” character.
Will Vince McMahon be in the Hall of Fame?
Vince McMahon is certain to inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. He is one of, if not THE, most important and influential figures in wrestling history. He destroyed the territory system wrestling had relied upon for decades and created a multi-billion dollar empire and monopoly on wrestling for almost 20 years.
He has been booking wrestling for over 40 years and has helped create some of the biggest stars in the history of the business. Without McMahon, we would not know the likes of Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Steve Austin and The Rock as the household names we know today.
However, his impressive career does not stop at just behind the scenes in WWE. He has an impressive canon of matches inside the ring, despite having his debut against Steve Austin in 1998, at the ripe old age of 52.
Since his debut he has featured in some incredible fights in WWE and performed at multiple Wrestlemania events. Vince McMahon’s Wrestlemania matches span from Wrestlemania 17 all the way to 2022’s Wrestlemania 38, having a final match at the age of 76. This makes him one of the oldest wrestlers of all time.
He also has the distinction of winning not one, but TWO world championships in WWE, as well as a host of accolades that make him a shoe-in for the WWE Hall of Fame, even if we ignore his behind the scenes contribution to WWE.
Vince McMahon’s accolades in WWE include;
- WWE Championship (2001)
- ECW Championship (2007)
- Royal Rumble Winner (2000)
- Wrestling Observer Best Booker Award (1987, 1998,1999)
- PWI Match of the Year (2006, vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21)
Who will induct Vince McMahon into the Hall of Fame?
There are a number of candidates who would be suitable to induct Vince McMahon into the Hall of Fame once he is finally introduced into it. Whilst any number of WWE Superstar over the years could stake their claim, we have narrowed it down to a short list of wrestlers who could do him justice with an incredible speech in front of 1000s of fans before Wrestlemania.
- Stephanie & Shane McMahon – The children of the Chairman have long been associated with their father both on and off screen, and would have some of the best stories to tell about their long-suffering father. Both have wrestled Vince in huge matches and would be perfect to induct their father.
- Triple H – The Game has been taken under the wing of McMahon in recent years and has been groomed as the man to take over the company when he finally goes. The pair have feuded many times over their careers and their lives have been intertwined with each other since even before he married Stephanie McMahon.
- The Undertaker – Vince McMahon inducted The Undertaker in the Hall of Fame in 2022, so it would be fitting for the Deadman to return the favour. Having worked together for over 30 years, the pair are good friends and it would be an emotional moment for sure.
- Steve Austin – another man who Vince inducted was Stone Cold, the man who he had the best rivalry in WWE history against during the Attitude Era. Austin was McMahon’s biggest star in history and would be a fitting man to give a hilarious and moving speech about his boss.
- Hulk Hogan – The man whose back Vince built WWE upon was Hulk Hogan. They go back over 40 years together and are two of the WWE’s biggest stars of all time.
It is unlikely that Vince McMahon will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame any time soon, but when he does it will be the most significant Hall of Fame in the companies history.