Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon set a strange WWE record via his in-ring return at WrestleMania 38. In most entertainment companies, a top corporate executive taking part in the onscreen product would be seen as eyebrow-raising at best, yet McMahon has been doing it since his earliest days in charge. From the mid-1980s to 1997, McMahon appeared on TV as a play-by-play announcer before the infamous «Montreal Screwjob» involving Bret Hart made the fact that he actually owned WWE apparent to the general audience.
McMahon smartly used the ill feelings against him from the audience for «screwing» fan-favorite Hart to evolve his TV character, becoming the tyrannical Mr. McMahon just in time for the rise of anti-authority hero «Stone Cold» Steve Austin. Since the birth of the Austin feud, McMahon has occasionally stepped into the ring for an actual match; although these usually devolve into brawls (as he is not a trained wrestler). Still, McMahon allowing his employees to go toe-to-toe with him in the ring allows the attending audience to vicariously get revenge on any domineering bosses they might have in real life.
Related: Every WWE WrestleMania 38 Match Ranked From Worst To Best
Unsurprisingly, McMahon hasn't emerged the victor in most of his matches, instead getting beaten by wrestling legends such as Austin, The Undertaker, and Ric Flair. Yet, McMahon's matches are always spectacles, and his unadvertised return against former NFL player Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38 was no different. While McMahon was clearly no match for McAfee physically, he employed his usual Mr.Vince McMahon match tricks to win the day. In doing so, McMahon now holds a WWE record, as he's far and away the oldest man to ever wrestle a match for the
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