As Americans consume as much information as they can on Super Tuesday we look back at the time Donald Trump won WrestleMania and he put his hair on the line – literally. That’s right, if Trump didn’t. win match against Vince McMahon he would have been shaved bald.
His first steps into the bizarre world of WWE began decades before he became President of the United States. Donald Trump saw the promise of the sports-entertainment franchise in it’s early years and wanted to get in on it. In 1998, chairman Vince McMahon used Trump Plaza in Atlantic City for the fourth instalment. The Apprentice star’s Trump Plaza sponsored the event. Donald Trump was such a fan of how successful it was, he asked he hosed WrestleMania V in the same venue the next year. But what was really exciting, was how years later the celebrity went into the ring himself.
Donald Trump’s wild history with WrestleMani
“I just wanted a piece of it,” Trump explained at the time. “Everybody in the country wanted this event, and we were able to get it.”
When WrestleMania V returned in 1989 after requested it return, he was loving it.
He declared: “I never sold tickets to anything so easily as I have to this.”
He would be seen sitting in the audience in other years too, like in 1991 when it was in Los Angeles. So he was clearly still a fan.
Then in 2004, during WrestleMania XX, Donald Trump was interviewed by Jesse Ventura, WWE grappler and former Minnesota governor in the ring. Ventura joked America needed a “wrestler in the White House” and had no idea what was to come.
It would be three years later when the WWE decided to include Trump in on the action though. They spurred bad blood between TV host Rose O’Donnell and the businessman, and McMahon advertised a match between the two. Of course, they didn’t actually fight in real life, two wrestlers dressed up as the famous faces instead in a hilarious battle.
But fans were divided, booing and chanting throughout.
Later, as McMahon was bigging himself up, talking about his accomplishments and so forth during Raw’s Fan Appreciation Night and Trump cut in. Playing the good guy, he scorned the chairman for only thinking about himself. Then he made a gesture and money fell down on to the fans, something that is like a Hollywood movie.
But it was all part of a storyline between the pair that was pre-planned.
Trump and McMahon battle it out
Weeks later, both parties decided to send a proxy into the ring to fight a match at that year’s event. During WrestleMania 23 Donald Trump chose Bobby Lashley, an ECW world champion, and McMahon picked Samoan beast Umaga to fight for him.
The WWE dubbed it the ‘Battle of the Billionaires’, and they signed a contract in the ring beforehand. Sitting behind a desk, opposite each other, Trump was smirking. They agreed whoever lost, had to have their hair shaved in front of thousands of roaring fans.
But there was a raucous before the fight even begun. Steve Austin appeared and threatened the future POTUS who ended up shoving McMahon over a table. Then the real match began. Umaga and Lashley did most of the heavy lifting, of course they’re the professionals. But Trump did try to get in one shot, pushing him to the mat. It must have been a sign of victory to come as it was Trump’s chosen champion that brought the win home. This mean his hair would be safe, intact.
More than 80,000 spectators watched McMahon having his head shaved. Trump even took the clippers to make sure the job was done.
Lashley later told Sports Illustrated: “He understands success, and everything he did was top-notch. A lot of the success from that WrestleMania was because of him.”
Trump was inducted into the Hall of Fame
The now 77-year-old gained entry to the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame. Although at the time the crowd both booed and cheered for him.
He said during his speech: “Vince and I have had an amazing relationship for many years.”
“I consider this to be my greatest honor of all. I do,” he added.
He went on to challenged McMahon man-to-man – with no stand-ins this time – and was confident he’d win.
“I will kick his a**,” he promised.
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