On the immediate heels (and babyfaces) of WrestleMania Weekend, the worlds of MMA and pro wrestling were shaken up by Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group officially buying out a majority stake in the WWE. Rumors about the buyout and merger plans went public a day before, hours ahead of Night 2 of the annual pay-per-view extravaganza, and the news was made official early Monday morning, with both Emanuel and Vince McMahon shining some light on the massive sports-entertainment deal in an interview. And as interesting and game-changing as it all is, for better or worse, I can’t help but be more entertained by everyone’s mirthful reactions to McMahon’s determination to pull off his new and unnaturally dark mustache.
While the former WWE CEO certainly attracted some responses after showing off his updated look during WrestleMania 39, Vince McMahon sparked a wave of new and endlessly hilarious reactions while speaking with CNBC’s Scott Wapner for a relatively rare TV interview. (Made all the more rare by his temporary absence from events during that much-discussed retirement phase.) Seemingly every roast was 100% on point, no matter how specific or vague, such as this multi-headed comment that works in references to a Hanna-Barbera villain, a Strawberry Shortcake villain, and a real-life politico’s TV fail.
Vince McMahon on TV talking WWE/UFC merge looking like Dastardly/Purple Pie Eater/Rudy Giuliani just before his hair dye started dripping down his face. 😂😂🤣🤣Dude. You were completely grey a week ago. No one is buying this. pic.twitter.com/om9cK8Csy3April 3, 2023
Would it have been cool if Ari Emanuel was arbitrarily dressed up in a way that made him easily comparable to Dick Dastardly's canine sidekick Muttley? Ab. So. Lute. Ly. But we move on.
All the Marvel fans out there no doubt quickly thought of a particularly Daily Bugle head honcho with a penchant for yelling at talented photographers, and that idea was echoed in various ways on social.
- Vince McMahon hopes this merger can bring viewers what they have always wanted: Pictures of Spider-Man - @rodger
- Every time I see a newer picture of @VinceMcMahon, I imagine on his brief time off from @WWE he took a vacation to [Universal Orlando], saw a picture of Jonah Jameson when riding Spider-Man and thought "I have an idea..." - @TheVillainGG
- Vince McMahon out here looking like he really hates Spider-Man - @BigCity914
- I can't tell if this new version of Vince McMahon wants a Mark to think or if he wants pictures of that "menace" Spider-Man. - @JaredFo85904268
Kudos to the commenter just above for also throwing another J.K. Simmons-portrayed comic book character in there, in the form of Invincible's Nolan "Omni-Man" Grayson.
More than a few WWE fans simply voiced insults about the dye job and how weird and/or awful it looked, but it was so much more fun to read all the silly (while still extremely spot-on) comparisons. Such as the reference to Mel Brooks' classic-if-controversial comedy Blazing Saddles below:
Vince McMahon about to build a railroad right through the quiet town of Rock Ridge. #WWE #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/r7QYtBc6zjApril 3, 2023
Or the callback seen below to Christopher Walken's "The Continental" sketch on SNL.
Vince McMahon would like to invite you in for a tall glass of champagna pic.twitter.com/4D3PXB9MzLApril 3, 2023
Feel free to sip on said champagna while reading through a selection of other intuitive comparisons that will hopefully be turned into reality through A.I. generators in the near future.
- Vince McMahon looks like Brak's dad - @jtLOL
- Vince McMahon looks like the evil manager of a haunted hotel in an early 2000s comedy - @BenAxelrod
- Vince McMahon looks like John Waters having an allergic reaction. - @MikeBeauvais
- BREAKING NEWS Vince McMahon to step down as Sanford Somerfield Store Manager - @Porkchop_Lord
- Walt Disney reincartnated - @tgcoach2002
- Vince McMahon looks like Wario's cousin and just sold WWE for $9.1 billion - @mbdailyshow
- Vince McMahon looks like he’s about to fight Indiana Jones for the Cross of Coronado - @MostlyPeacefull
And while the tweet below wasn't commenting on Vince McMahon's mustache, but rather the mogul's notoriousness, it's still worth including for being so equally aligned with reality.
As we go live to Vince McMahon speaking at the WWE Endeavor sale press conference. pic.twitter.com/QmvgvxGdyuApril 3, 2023
The UFC and WWE merger gained a lot of attention for other reasons beyond facial follicles, of course, with many wondering exactly what it meant for the WWE's creative side, with Vince McMahon being purposefully vague about where things stand. He fell back on saying that he wouldn't be "in the weeds" on that end, and would be involved in more big picture things. But wrestling fans know full well that explanation could be subverted by the time Raw airs.
As we wait to see what Mirror Universe Gomez Addams (that's mine) does with his new role, we can also look forward to seeing what other changes are on the way from the UFC and WWE, by way of PPVs, company names, crossover athletes and more.
