The WWE has always had a penchant for falling back on old gimmicks and characters.
That’s always been true for wrestling in general because it’s much easier to go back to something established, and the return of Vince McMahon’s onscreen character is no different.
Yes, the owner of the largest wrestling company in the world made his TV comeback right before the calendar turned to the new year. It marked the first time in more than a year that the WWE chairman graced audiences with his presence.
McMahon’s new mission is to rid the WWE of Roman Reigns once and for all. Well, at least in kayfabe terms.
What McMahon really wants is to finally push Reigns to be the new face of the company. After beating down Triple H at TLC and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in December, it seems as though that might come to fruition for McMahon.
But to see the return of McMahon to push his narrative is nothing new. This is the same person that figuratively, and sometimes literally, held down Stone Cold Steve Austin for his company’s gain.
It’s refreshing to see a character like Vince McMahon come in and have no shame. The great thing about McMahon is that he’s willing to do anything to prioritize talent.
Over the years, McMahon has allowed himself to get sprayed with beer, have feces dumped all over him and take some of the biggest beatings ever seen in the WWE. His mentality hasn’t changed much since the last time he was on this stage.
In his short three-week stint, McMahon has already taken several bumps and was even “arrested” by the New York Police Department. That’s a far cry from what we’ve seen with Stephanie McMahon’s character, one that seemingly refuses to be one-upped by anybody.
It will be unfortunate when McMahon decides to shelve the character again. His character allows others to gain so much without hurting McMahon at all.
McMahon also brings an air of unpredictably to a stale WWE. With his power as chairman of the company, he has the power to make matches with whatever stipulation his wants.
This past week on Raw, Vince McMahon decided to use that power and make this year’s Royal Rumble match for the WWE title. That makes the match much more interesting and also a bit of a mystery. The WWE can go in so many different directions now with that match alone.
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Regardless, it’s nice to have Vince McMahon back in the fold. With all the injuries to the WWE it was probably necessary to bring him back, but it’s nice to have a solid foil for Roman Reigns at the moment.
Whether or not Vince McMahon’s rub on Reigns works in the long term is up in the air. Right now it’s time to enjoy the return of Vince McMahon.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
