Since the Janel Grant lawsuit broke in January of 2024, it has effectively become acceptable for even the most hardened members of the greater WWE Universe to speak out against Vince McMahon, with everyone from Seth Rollins to Becky Lynch, CM Punk, and even Cody Rhodes – kind of – suggesting that while they appreciate where their careers are at the moment, the former Chairman of the Board's actions were downright deplorable.
Granted, WWE would probably like to simply move on from the most important man in the company's history, as they have largely removed him from any promotional material and try to focus more on the current Paul “Triple H” Levesque era than going back to a man who is about to be profiled in a documentary series on Netflix called Mr. McMahon.
And yet, there are a few people who have remained not quite loyal to McMahon but at least appreciative of what he's done for them specifically, even if he was doing downright deplorable things to his employees behind the scenes while shaking hands and challenging God to a wrestling match on television.
In a recent appearance at Comic-Con Northern Ireland, Mick Foley and Rikishi answered questions from fans, including one about Mr. McMahon, the disgraced former Chairman, and the documentary series. Despite being aware of what McMahon was accused of, Foley still appreciates everything he's done for Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love, even if he did “more bad than good” behind the scenes.
“I genuinely liked him. My relationship was never the same with him after I left WWE and went to TNA for three years. But to this day, I'm still trying to find an address to write to him, just to thank him for taking a chance on me. I think all of us are a combination of good traits and bad traits, and you hope your good traits outweigh your bad traits, and it seems perhaps that Vince got it backwards there for a little while. But I've been there when he's done good things. I've seen him do good things. I know I wanted, when I was writing books, I wanted to essentially do something like ‘Chicken Soup For The Wrestling Fan's Soul,' about some of these heartwarming moments,” Foley explained via Fightful.
“He was someone who did the right thing for the right reasons a lot of the time. I feel really bad that someone I care about got into something that seems pretty unsavory. I'm gonna hold off judgment until I see the [docuseries], but I think one thing that's fortunate is whatever he did or did not do; I don't think many of us are allowing that to mess with our memories. He was instrumental in creating some of those memories, so I'm choosing to appreciate him until I learn more about what may have gone down.”
Now, understandably, fans have been taking Foley's comments and running with them, expressing everything from anger to sadness to disappointment at learning that one of the most popular men in wrestling history would want to reach out to Mr. McMahon to personally thank him for his career. Still, Foley wasn't alone in his comments, as Rikishi echoed a similar sentiment when he answered the same question.
Rikishi, like Mick Foley, is withholding judgment on Vince McMahon
Taking his turn to answer the very same question, Rikishi also recalled fondly his relationship with the entire McMahon family, thanking them for helping to shine a light on their small island home country. While he, too, will withhold judgment until the Netflix series comes out, he will still appreciate McMahon for providing for his family.
“We have a long relationship with the McMahon family. Well over 75-plus years with this man. We've kind of grandfathered into the McMahons. Me personally, I thank him for the opportunity of giving a bunch of guys from the island of Samoa, this small place, to be able to give us a platform, to introduce our culture and our people to the world,” Rikishi explained.
“If it wasn't for the McMahons, then nobody would know who Afa and Sika was, nobody would know who Peter Maivia, Rikishi, all the way down to Roman Reigns to The Usos. So as far as the Fatu-Anoa'i clan, we're forever McMahons in WWE. Since I've left the WWE, I've been underneath, a legend in that umbrella, with the family still in contact. They've given me another opportunity. I feel it's the trust and the relationship of our families that's given me the opportunity to help my business grow in Los Angeles with a wrestling school. I have nothing but respect for the McMahons, and when I say McMahons, I say all of them.
“What's happening with him now, as far as the Netflix [series], I'll make a decision when that comes out. But for now, I always believe in people having a second chance in life. There's nobody in this arena that were perfect. We're never perfect. It's not made like that in this world for us. There's always speed bumps for us to be able to learn from one another, each one teach one. At the end of the day, I would like to keep my happy memories of the McMahons, what they have done. They've really taken wrestling to another level. They have taken care of a lot of professional wrestlers, their families. So let's think how far this man has reached out to everyone to be able to give them the lifestyle that possibly some of us could never achieve. So I want to thank them.”
Has Mr. McMahon helped to change a lot of lives via professional wrestling? Yes, but has he hurt, damaged, or even destroyed multiple lives along the way, too? Based on what is alleged in the Janel Grant lawsuit, that certainly appears to be the case. While WWE legends may forever be grateful for where they are today, having to come to terms with the broken dreams that paved that path will certainly be a unique journey for everyone who has ever worked for the WWE.
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