10 Moments From Donald Trump's Decades Long History With 'WWE' and Professional Wrestling
Donald Trump's Extensive 'History' with WWE
Former President Donald Trump's relationship with professional wrestling and WWE has spanned decades. While he's not the first U.S. president to admire the sport, no president has had such direct links to the industry as Trump. As perhaps the most polarizing figure in American politics, Donald Trump continues to cast a large shadow even after his presidency ended in 2020. His long-standing relationship with Vince McMahon and WWE still endures, spanning more than three decades. Tracking this extensive history can be challenging, so here's a timeline of Trump's most significant moments in WWE:
1. Trump's Relationship with Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon has owned the company, then known as WWF, since 1982. This was also the year Trump made the Forbes list of wealthy people, for shares he possessed in his family's estimated $200 million net worth. It didn't take long for the two businessmen to become friends, beginning their relationship in the mid-to-late '80s, marking the start of Trump's long history with WWE as per Indy100. In 2013, Trump spoke to wrestling media personality Renee Paquette about his relationship with McMahon and the company, saying, "Well, there is a great energy. You are dealing with great athletes and I love sports of all kinds ... But there is a great energy that WWE has always had. And I think ... it all comes to fruition because of Vince because he is a very unusual guy. Amazing guy."
2. Hosting WrestleMania IV and V
Trump's Atlantic City property, the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, hosted WrestleMania IV (1988) and V (1989)... kind of. Despite advertisements claiming the events were at Trump Plaza, they actually took place next door at Atlantic City Convention Hall. However, Trump paid for and sponsored the events. Teaming up with WWF, Trump promoted WrestleMania using non-wrestling events like autograph signings, now commonplace the week of WrestleMania. "I just wanted a piece of [WrestleMania]," Trump said in the documentary The True Story of WrestleMania. "Everybody in the country wanted this event and we were able to get it."
3. Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23
Fast forward to 2007, and Trump became more involved in WWE than ever by becoming an on-screen character. 'The Battle of the Billionaires' at WrestleMania 23 was a storyline that focused on Trump and McMahon. Each billionaire picked a representative to compete on their behalf at WrestleMania, with the losing billionaire having to have their head shaved. Trump's associate Bobby Lashley won the match, and Trump assisted 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Lashley in shaving McMahon's head, before later receiving a Stone Cold Stunner. This physical altercation became the basis of a meme that Trump shared on Twitter/X to attack CNN.
4. Trump Thought McMahon Died in a Limo Explosion
Nothing is off-limits for WWE, not even faking the death of its own chairman. Apparently, Trump couldn't distinguish reality from fiction when McMahon 'died' in a fiery explosion on the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw. McMahon's son-in-law, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, revealed on the Opie and Anthony Show in 2008 that Trump had called to check if something had happened to Vince. Plans for the storyline were scrapped after WWE wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before hanging himself, resulting in one of the darkest periods in wrestling history. McMahon eventually returned to WWE television unscathed, and the explosion was never mentioned again.
5. Trump's Hall of Fame Induction in 2013
In 2013, Trump joined the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, giving a speech after being introduced by McMahon. The speech, received with mixed reactions, saw Trump speak about his relationship with WWE, claim his father congratulated him on bringing WrestleMania to Atlantic City in 1988, thank his family members, plug his projects, and tease a rematch with McMahon that never materialized. The next night, Trump was booed at WrestleMania 29 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
6. Reality Television Parallels
Pro wrestling and reality television share several similarities, including the use of both scripted and unscripted content, character development, and audience engagement. Given his experience with pro wrestling, Trump became a natural host of NBC's The Apprentice. The show featured contestants vying to "climb the corporate ladder" over multiple weeks, with the winner receiving a $250,000 starting contract to promote one of Trump's properties.
7. WrestleMania XX Cameo
One often-overlooked appearance is Trump's cameo at WrestleMania XX in Madison Square Garden in 2004. During the show, WWE legend and former Minnesota Governor Jesse The Body Ventura interviewed Trump, who was ringside with his son, Donald Jr. The brief segment saw Trump receive a mixed reaction from New York fans. Ventura hinted at a return to politics, asking if he had Trump's support, to which Trump replied, "100 percent."
8. Linda McMahon's Job in the Trump Administration
Following his election as the 45th President in 2016, Trump appointed former WWE executive and Vince McMahon's wife, Linda McMahon, to lead the Small Business Administration. She served from February 2017 to April 2019, sharing connections and commonalities with Trump that earned her the appointment. "Our small businesses are the largest source of job creation in our country," McMahon stated in December 2016. "I am honored to join the incredibly impressive economic team that President-elect Trump has assembled to ensure that we promote our country's small businesses and help them grow and thrive."
9. Donald Trump vs. Rosie O'Donnell
Trump's many feuds extend beyond politics. His long-standing public feud with television personality Rosie O'Donnell began in 2006 after O'Donnell criticized Trump's handling of the Miss USA beauty pageant. In retaliation, Trump used a 2007 real estate conference platform to call O'Donnell a pig. The disdain between Trump and O'Donnell remains evident 17 years later. In an attempt to capitalize on their feud, Vince McMahon decided to have "Trump" and "O'Donnell" settle their differences in the ring on the January 8, 2007 episode of Monday Night Raw. As expected in such segments, wrestling stand-ins portrayed both Trump and O'Donnell during the match as per Wrestling Inc.
10. Trump's Appearance on Logan Paul's Podcast
Trump's most recent WWE-related interaction is his interview with United States Champion Logan Paul on Paul's podcast Impulsive, set to air on June 13, 2024. The promotional picture featured Paul and Trump holding Paul's WWE United States championship belt. Paul, who signed a WWE contract in June 2022, has since competed in various high-profile matches. In other promotional content, the duo faced off with the championship belt displayed behind them. It seems the former president's connection with WWE might not be over just yet.
