Wrestling veteran reveals Vince McMahon’s reaction after a journalist trying to expose wrestling got smacked in an interview 

Vince McMahon had a highly surprising reaction when one of his wrestlers slapped an interviewer trying to expose the wrestling business.

Wrestling veteran reveals Vince McMahon’s reaction after a journalist trying to expose wrestling got smacked in an interview 

Vince McMahon celebrates an interviewer getting smacked (via WWE)

It is a well-known fact in today’s world that professional wrestling is scripted. However, this was not the case a few decades ago. Kayfabe was the concept of trying to portray wrestling as a legitimate fight, and wrestlers did everything in their power to maintain this image. It is no secret that Vince McMahon tried to hide the truth behind the business for as long as he could.

The recently released Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary showcased an incident where the WWF tried its best to keep up kayfabe. A journalist named John Stossel in 1984 wanted to interview some of the company’s performers. He went up to Hulk Hogan and asked if the wrestlers used razor blades to make themselves bleed. This immediately triggered an alarm in the mind of The Hulkster.

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Hulk Hogan went rushing to McMahon and told him that the interviewer was here to expose the secrets of the business. The former WWE chairman immediately went to the locker room and alerted everyone of his presence. However, a wrestler named David Schultz decided to take matters into his own hands.

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The interviewer asked Schultz whether wrestling was fake. The wrestler immediately took offense to this question and slapped Stossel as hard as he could, making the interviewer fall to the floor. As soon as he got back up, he was smacked once again by the fuming wrestler. When this news reached the locker room, everyone, including McMahon, celebrated this incident.

Vince McMahon allegedly wanted Dusty Rhodes to be the WWE Champion instead of Hulk Hogan

Cody Rhodes revealed in an interview in 2023 one of his biggest motivations for finishing his story. He revealed that Vince McMahon initially wanted Dusty Rhodes to be the WWE Champion when the 79-year-old took over the company. More light was thrown on this topic in the billionaire’s docuseries.

Hulk Hogan Dusty Rhodes
Hulk Hogan and Dusty Rhodes (via WWE)

McMahon wanted a charismatic figure to lead the charge as the company looked to expand. He shared that Rhodes was a frontrunner to become the face of the company but ultimately passed up on the opportunity. The Son of a Plumber thought that the venture was too ambitious and that he did not believe in it.

Later, before I left WWE while I was still doing Stardust, Vince actually told me the same story. He was upset that Dad left and said he was ready to make him the next Hogan and give him everything.

Cody Rhodes on Mr. McMahon Netflix Documentary
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McMahon eventually turned to Hogan, who became arguably the biggest figure in professional wrestling and catapulted WWE’s popularity. He became a 6x WWE Champion and a 9x WrestleMania main-eventer. Rhodes said that things probably turned out for the best, but it is still highly curious how “Dustymania” would have turned out.