WWE Video Package Left Vince McMahon Crying For 20 Minutes
A former WWE employee claims Vince McMahon was in tears after watching a touching video package.
Any fan of WWE knows that when the company does a video package hyping up a match or paying tribute to somebody who deserves it, they usually do a great job.
Lifelong WWE fans can seemingly recall specific video packages just as well as matches or promos, which is a testament to how good they are.
Vince McMahon has a reputation of being a tough boss during his 40+ years running WWE until he departed the company in January 2024 due in part to a scandalous sexual harassment and sexual trafficking lawsuit filed against him. McMahon sold most of his WWE stock and has been away from the company for over two years since then. McMahon has denied any wrongdoing and is fighting the lawsuit.
David Sahadi is a former WWE creative director of on-air promotion who worked for the company for many years, including in the Attitude Era, and also worked for other promotions.
While promoting his new book, Backstage Pass: Tales from Beyond the Squared Circle, Sahadi told Busted Open Radio about a time when he made a video package about WWE Attitude that aired around WrestleMania 14 in 1998. That video featured some old timers like Freddie Blassie, Ernie Ladd, Gorilla Monsoon, Pat Patterson, and Killer Kowalski, even though WWE was obviously focused on the current stars in the company.
“Vince calls Kevin Dunn and says, ‘What the hell is Sahadi doing in Albany with the old timers? We’re not about the old timers anymore.’ And Kevin Dunn goes, ‘I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s gonna be good. He has a good track record.’ And Vince goes, ‘Goddamn it, better be good.’”
Vince McMahon Was Emotional After Watching Legends Video Package
David Sahadi recalled the opening line from the video package: “I can still hear the echoes cheering my name. Time has not silenced the crowd.”
As Sahadi explained it, the video featuring the legends was their way of passing the torch to current WWE stars.
“Now they’re doing things like flying through the air, walking the top rope, doing moonsaults, something they never did. They’re comparing themselves. ‘We were men of steel, men of courage. Today, they’re men without fear.’ To me, it was a passing of the torch from the legends to the new generation.”
When Sahadi showed the video to Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Shane McMahon, Sahadi noticed Vince had an interesting reaction.
“He is not wanting to love the spot. I can tell. He comes in there, and he has his arms crossed. ‘Play that spot.’ Ten seconds in, it’s like, ‘Oh God.’ Then he’s like, ‘Oh geez, oh man.’ I’m not sure if he’s liking it or not. And before the spot is over, he leaves the room.”
Sahadi asked Shane McMahon what Vinec thought.
“Shane goes, ‘Sahadi, you got him.’”
According to Sahadi, the almighty, powerful Vince McMahon was in tears.
“Vince is sitting in a suit on the concrete floor, and he’s crying hysterically. He’s saying, ‘Thank you, thank you,’ shaking my hand as I’m standing up.”
Twenty minutes later, Sahadi said he saw Vince was still crying with Pat Patterson beside him.
“He’s still crying, sitting on the stairs with Pat Patterson. He’s like, ‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.’”
“To me, the spot was a passing of the torch from the old generation to the new guys. I think for Vince, though, it was a passing of the torch from his father to him, and that’s why it hit him so hard on a visceral level.”
WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley is a co-host on Busted Open Radio and agreed that Vince was likely emotional because it made him think about his father, Vince McMahon Sr.
“Vince always sought his dad’s approval, much like Shane has always sought Vince’s approval. You see that in the McMahon men.”
That video from 1998 is below.