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Following the disturbing allegations made against Vince McMahon in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, WWE and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings, are working to distance themselves from McMahon, and rightly so. That includes accepting and announcing his rapid resignation from his positions as Executive President and member of the Board of Directors. As WWE and TKO attempt to move in the right direction, which hopefully includes cleaning up a historically toxic workplace culture, an additional step needs to be taken.
Vince McMahon must be erased from WWE history.
It would be wonderful if WWE could somehow erase McMahon’s presence from everything related to the company. But that is an unrealistic effort. Instead, WWE should take the same approach with McMahon as it did with Chris Benoit and Jimmy Snuka.
Following the 2007 double murder-suicide in which wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife, Nancy, and seven-year-old son, Daniel, before hanging himself, all mention of Benoit by WWE ceased. Aside from his appearance at past WWE, World Championship Wrestling, and Extreme Championship Wrestling events, Benoit rarely, if ever, appeared again in top videos, documentaries, and tributes. When WWE refers to Randy Orton’s first world title victory, which was over Benoit in summer festival in 2004, only a victorious Orton is shown holding the belt in celebration.
As for Benoit’s championship accomplishments, they remain intact in WWE Title History Web Page. However, when you click on their name, a blank field It appears without mentioning how he won a particular title to perhaps avoid giving the impression of honoring his memory.
And that’s what WWE should do with McMahon. His image should remain intact in depictions of past events solely for historical accuracy. However, future references to WWE’s past should exclude any mention of McMahon. His title history, which includes a brief stretch as WWE Champion and ECW Champion, should read only his name, Benoit style. Today, McMahon’s achievements still include a description of how he earned each title.
Regarding the WWE Hall of Fame, it’s been said that Vince McMahon would never have been included in the hall while he was alive. After the disgusting charges brought against him, it is likely that he will fulfill his wish even after he has passed his time on this Earth. And if that’s the case, he won’t be alone as he stands on the outside looking in.
In 2015, after being charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter for the 1983 death of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, Jimmy Snuka was inducted from the WWE Hall of Fame. Despite being declared mentally unfit to stand trial in 2016, Snuka was never reinstated into the Hall of Fame, even after his death in 2017.
While the accusations against McMahon are just that, accusations, the disgrace he has brought to the WWE, let alone the professional wrestling industry, is enough to justify his dismissal of past and future accolades, even from the of the company he helped build. Inevitably, however, there will come a day when a conversation about Vince McMahon’s legacy becomes inevitable. But any recognition beyond a concise historical mention, now and always, is no longer justified.