Vince McMahon "Death" Featured in Pennsylvania Paper
The following is an article from The Times-Leader in Pennsylvania...
Did Vince McMahon, whoâs bluffed and blustered his way into the ringmasterâs role of the testosterone-fueled soap opera that is professional wrestling, really fall for the old bomb-in-the-limo trick?
Though World Wrestling Entertainment would have you believe otherwise, the answer is no.
âNo one was in any danger,â said Steve Poremba, a Wachovia Arena spokesman, of Monday nightâs WWE RAW spectacle at the arena, though he would not elaborate.
A WWE spokesman echoed that, but also wouldnât elaborate, instead pointing to a news release from the company and âreportsâ on its Web site. The release inferred that celebrities who have âless than flattering things to say aboutâ McMahon, including real estate mogul Donald Trump, sportscaster Bob Costas, rapper Snoop Dogg and wrestler âStone Coldâ Steve Austin, might be behind a plot to bump him off.
Despite articles on the Web site that firefighters and federal agents are investigating, workers at the Luzerne County 911 Center confirmed that it was âa stuntâ and that no emergency vehicles were called to the arena on Monday night.
âThe âfederal agentâ (referenced on the Web site) is definitely not the FBI,â said Jerri Williams, a special agent spokeswoman with the FBIâs Philadelphia office. âWe have not been made aware of any car bombings. ⦠We would definitely have been informed.â
But fans from across the country have been contacting local media to find out if McMahon, the chairman of the board of WWE, was actually blown up in a fiery limo-bombing on his so-called âMr. McMahon Appreciation Night,â which was televised on USA Network. McMahon had walked out of the building to the waiting vehicle, so fans inside the arena saw the same televised live scene.
Only it was wasnât live. Supervised by Zenith Pyrotechnology, based in Deer Park, N.Y., the explosion was actually filmed at the arena late Saturday night, the footage of the burning hulk taped Sunday night and the whole mess spliced together, said Andy Kratz, the townshipâs zoning officer.
âThey did it, I believe, at 11 oâclock at night until 3 a.m., so no one would be around,â he said, adding that it was done in a section generally blocked from public view by the building and surrounding land features.
The pyrotechnics company had to get permits, which Kratz said it did about a week ago. âWe have pyrotechnics shows in the arena all the timeâ for wrestling and ice skating, among other things, he said. âThey say they do this quite a bit,â but usually not outside.
Representatives of the pyrotechnics company have not returned calls for comment.
Based on reaction from fans, who expressed indignation with the stunt, the story hook could instead hook itself.
âItâs messed up. A death is a serious matter,â said Kenny Noe, of Lakewood, Wash. âWrestling is not about death. Itâs about beating people up, maybe getting hurt.â
He referenced the actual deaths of several wrestling personalities in the past and said this incident casts a shadow over their memories. âWhat if Eddie Guerrero isnât dead?â
âFor (McMahon) to do something like this is ridiculous, if itâs a hoax,â Chris Dent of New Freedom, Pa., said, â⦠because the American publicâs gonna wind up not watching his shows and itâs going to go down hill,â he said.
Still, they also agreed that the stunt will cause a buzz. âItâs just kind of weird, and my friends are probably going to be talking to me all day,â Dent said.
June 13th, 2007 7:27 PM
It was not funny, my 9 year old grandson was quite upset. I was also. I hate to say it but I am 68 and a wrestling fan too.
June 14th, 2007 1:21 PM
i have just seen monday nights raw and the so called death of mr vince mcmahon all i can say is this what the hell is the wwe up to i like wrestling and i am 44 but it was like watching the wcw of i would say 10 years ago
June 14th, 2007 4:00 PM
i am a big fan of raw and grow up watching it stone cold and hulk hogon was the best to i liked. but after me seeing raw and vince is a cold heartted person to do this to us we are the fans and yes it true i never got a chanch to see a live event like raw and smackdown but i will say this death is not nothern to laugh at and thats what is being done in this matter. i don't greee with the stuff he pulls off to fool the fans and i think the coments that was made by sertain wrestels like stone cold and bret heart was true but i will say the america dream was right in his comments but now i think vince is a cold heartted person/ and the only good thing that i see in him is that he has evil in his eyes and as fair as raw goes and smackdown and wcw the show should go on with out vince and justice should be served by stone cold the way it should be and i am 36 but never miss with death like this because it can be taken away in a second so he got a family well death can come at any moment i just lost my dad to death it hurd to deal with it everyday to now i never can see my dad again but this joke is not funny to me at all. well as ratting go raw is number one the ratttings will stay good if you bring back stone cold and hogan so i will say good by on this matter you cold heatted evil person i have some name i want to say as a fan but thay an't to nice to say because i am a christian person and cussing isn't nice to say but vince to me you now what i mean like stone cold has called you in the past and the names he has called you sign David p's theres a saying i like and it taken from stone cold the messsures and said thats the bottom line because stone said so. well your a low life to me and the fans of the wwe that see the shows that pay good money to be intertain but this joke has gone to fair to me.....
June 15th, 2007 12:01 PM
Did anyone actually believe that this was real? If it was, how come it's not on CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC, or other news outlets? Vince is a sports entertainment giant and if he really died, it would be plastered all over the television. Another thing is that the WWE cameras were right beside the so-called fire fighters as they extinguished the burning limo. Allowing cameras right next to fire fighters as they do their job is a huge safety liability. It would never be allowed anywhere. Lastly, why would Vince get into a running limo with no apparent limo driver? If this whole story was true, how come there has been absolutely no talk of the limo driver? You are not going to get into a running limo with no driver in it. It doesn't make any sense. Vince wanted to find and amazing way to step back from the limelight and go back to working behind the scenes again. If it's attention he wanted, he certainly got it. The WWE really lowered themselves on this one. They, along with the creative writers need to go back to the drawing board and come up with something that makes some sense and isn't far-fetched.
June 15th, 2007 6:29 PM
vince aint dead, fools
June 15th, 2007 7:28 PM
vince isn't dead and personally i think this whole stunt is stupid! first off death isn't something to joke about. I have been watching wrestling for over 25 yrs. and this is worse than when he was comparing himself to God. I think vince is in for a huge downfall. like they say when u play with fire u'll eventually get burned!
June 15th, 2007 8:06 PM
This is SICK. I know it is a stunt, but what about the kids that believe it. It just proves they will do anything for money. WWE and all McMahon's products should be boycotted.
June 15th, 2007 8:14 PM
Man, I am disgusted with Vince, that was soooo uncool, to fake a death is really unjust, and it caused a lot of people to be concerned, and sadly it was for nothing! Vince you better get a grip and to remind you, if it wasn't for the fans, you wouldn't have an empire, you inferior fool!
June 15th, 2007 9:01 PM
You know i been watching this show for years. My kids think that these guys are heros. They are always saying they want to be wrestlers. But now that is said. I think that all the people that has died in that show is been disrespected. What makes us all think that there wasnt a story line behind all of them, Vince you are a real piece of work. I direct this to you because you are the Chairman. I hope and pray that you lose everything . You are the sickest person i have ever seen. My kids come up to me almost in tears. You think that only adults watch this dam show. Its know wonder that people are not wanting to work for you. That they are going to Tna. Jeff Jarret may be an ass. But he would never go this far. I hope they take you company off the stock exchange. And i hope that your show goes from the biggest thing ever made. And goes to hell with you.
June 15th, 2007 9:11 PM
totally agree with u josh, this stunt was taken too far but it will keep ratings.