Vince McMahon and the Stage Collapse

[ironman1180]

This angle is just....great. Finally, we're getting something new here.

My theory: Steph and/or Shane were behind it. The way I see it, they're mad about Vince giving away millions of their inheritance week after week after week. So, they rig the stage and everything, KNOWING that it would end the contest indefinitely and therefore save the rest of whatever inheritance they could get in the future.

Now.....Having said that, I have a question. Does anyone know what the "update" was at the press conference WWE was pushing? Thanks in advance.

 

[motownjunk]

I think the angle is working exactly as intended, it got everyone talking, theories flying around and I think creative hopes this will boost the ratings that RAW gets on monday nights. I just hope they don't ruin it by having the culprit someone incredibly stupid, and if the culprit gets suspended use a legitimate substitute ... I would literally put a gun to my head if its Hornswoggle returning the "tough love" and showing he's a mcmahon. Furthermore, I'd probably pull the trigger too

 

[Straight_Edge_Mystic]

I admit that I was one of those who thought that it was real. I was dooped, but Steamboat Ricky kindly informed me that it was all a work and then it all clicked. What a perfect way to end the Million Dollar Mania, albeit a very strange way. When Vince collapsed, I thought oh gosh, he's having a heart attack out of shock of giving away all that money, but alas someone had sabotaged the stage and Vince is now injured. Who did it, that's the question. Shane and Steph, in particular, Shane seem very plausible to have done it. The reasons are there. He's giving away their inheritance, not to mention they both supposedly hate Vince so it would work out. I highly doubt it would be Taker, it didn't seem his style at all. Maybe it was Linda for the same reasons as Shane and Steph. Personally, I think it wil be revealed to have been non other than Vince McMahon himself. He realized he was in a bind and so had to get to get out of it. Killing himself wouldn't work as that plan was tried and failed. He decided to rig the stage and is only faking his injuries in the storyline. His accomplice in the whole set-up would be a returning Rikishi, he ran down Stone Cold, why not take out Vince for Vince. I'm just kidding, it should be Triple H, great way to turn him heel and bring up the whole son-in-law thing. He was trying to help out his father-in-law and in so doing his wife, Steph, and kids. Anyways, I hope this works out better than the Vince is dead angle.

 

[mcflyboy]

I'm going to go out on a limb here. When I saw this occur, I assumed it was story-line. But I didn't think it was going to be set up as an "assassination attempt" that it seems like everyone else who has posted in this forum. My initial reaction was that it was just an "accident", and it would keep vince off TV for a little bit, then he'd come back and somehow be different for a while; even more angry than usual, or more nice. Maybe he'd be in a wheelchair for a while too. The thought that this was going to turn into someone trying to kill him honestly did not cross my mind.

While it is possible that this may be where the story goes (and to be completely honest, I sure hope not), there also is the possibility that the story will have this be nothing more than an accident to somehow change the vince persona for a while.

 

[Crimson Bonez]

I just want to point somthing out that I don't think was a good idea with this angle that I don't think anyone else noticed, and I'm sorry if this seems spammy, but I bring up a good point.

What happened last night was basically, the stage fell apart and somthing fell on Vince. It would have been a great idea on their behlaf if they didn't try somthing simaler last year, but there is one other HUGE thing that comes to my mind right now... Didn't someone working with TNA actually die in a simaler way a few weeks back? Having a part of the stage fall from onder them or somthing? I know this wasn't the point of last night, but if this gets noticed by too many people, heres another crappy angle to look at people bitch about...

yea i was thinking the same thing, i mean they did this the same month last year where vince's limo blew up, and the whole set blowing up happens a day before beniot had died , and a few weeks after the guy working for TNA gets killed from a accident similar, i think the story line that they're going with
this is good (if they dont mess it up) but i think they cut it close with with these other events (deaths) that happend

 

[Fizzy]

heres what i think at first i thought it wasnt fake cause vince was callin triple h paul which they NEVER call him on tv they always call em hunter tht made me think it was real then i started thinking about it and i relized its fake as shit cause the thing didnt even hit vince plus anyone no why he like totally jumped or fell off the stage? ive been wonderin tht

 

[Sparky]

I like the story line it's interesting and it aint over doing it like last year's angle. Just hope noone get's hurt like last year. I might be the only one to think it but could this just be away to turn face and end the Money Mania.? Face it Vince has a near death experiance, Comes back in a month or so a changed man, It frightend the hell out of him and realised that life is to short. so he is going to give the fan's what they want. it would also boost rating's. People will be just tuning in to see what Vince is now like. Either that or.. Edge. Vickie might of been the one to of done that segment. Edge didnt want to go through with the marrage so he figures he would try and make her quit the WWE. not that this will be the storyline but it sound's good. I still think it was either an accident in the storyline or that vince somehow had something to do with it.

 

[andymcg]

Hmm few intrestng posts in here. first off id like to agree with a few of the other guys and say is this ment ot be set up as a "who hurt vince" storyline ? could jst be a way to end money mania as wwe did need to try end it. as soon as this incident occured there was a message on wwe.com saying that money mania had been suspended.

However moving on , if this is a who hurt vince storyline then ive got a few guys. now i no some might sound weird but keep in mind everything wwe has done for storyline wise for ages has always had weird endings. hornswoggle bein vinces song , kennedy helpin kill him , etc etc.

suspect 1 - obvious one first , the undertaker. Off tv for sometime now and would be a nice way to bring him back. however i dont think its him. it doesnt fit his charcter at all as he is pretty much the only legend left. Also edge got him fired why would he go try take out vince ? wouldnt edge n vickie be the first to take out ?

suspect 2 - edge - vickies power may be to little in edges view and he may have got her to try take over the WHOLE wwe so he could take as many titles as he wants. taking out vince would be a nice way to start. he also done a segment with edge earlyer that night were he said something like "use 2 could be split up by this draft" for no apparent reason. Edge has the perfect charcter type for this as well , afterall he would do anything for wwe gold wouldnt he ?

suspect 3 - kennedy - this ones a tricky one to for me but who noes. kennedys just starting to turn face n hes away to smackdown now weres theres not alot of faces. specially with batista away and possibly taker. would they turn him heel again so fast ? However he was ment to be behind the vinces limo explosion last year so who noes.

suspect 4 - shane or steph maybe even hhh - was wondering out off all the wwe superstars vinces name could have called (cena = john , edge = adam , batista = dave) why did he shout on hhh ? could this be a link to show that miby shane n steph with the help of hhh r tryin to take out vince for givein away so much of there cash ? suppose you could say hhh is his son-in-law (i think its tht ?) but with wwe you never no.

suspect 5 - jericho - hes been needin to turn heel since his return as he works a hell of a lot better heel. hes started off by taking out hbk could he now be takin out vince ? his titantron has went from "save us" to "save me" so he could be tryin to take out all of the lier and cheeters that he hates. afterall vince is one of them.

suspect 6 - finlay n horny - could be revenge for tuff love ? we never did find out what finlay and vinces "deal" that they made ? or did we and i just missed it ? i never seem to recall hearing anything about it anyway.

these r what i think but with wwe you never no what ur dealing with.

 

[michaelj817]

Confession: while watching the incident occur on Raw and the piece of the stage fall, I thought it was real. When the pyro went off around Vince, I changed my mind and figured it was a work. However, after the stage fell out, the Money Mainia sign fell, and all of the wrestlers kayfabed breaking kayfabe, I immediately got sucked back in and turned to my friend and said, "I think this is real". However, I once again questioned the reality of the situation when the cameraman jumped into the crevasse and started shooting footage of Vince, who for all they knew(if it was real) could have been dead.

Had they stayed at a wide shot until the end when they pulled him out, or cut to a crowd shot, or just cut the show off suddenly, it would have completely sold it as real to a general wrestling and general audeince. Regardless, it was very well done, and only time will tell if it boosts ratings. I missed ECW, but I will be sure to catch SD to see if they replay it over and over like any other wrestling angle. In my opinion they shouldn't do this, and treat it as "real" as possible for the time being. Also, the fact that they didn't go for a more realistic ending in effect, killed off any possible news coverage the following day in the national media.

If WWE had gone the more realistic route, they would have undoubtedly incurred major criticism for pulling such a stunt almost exactly a year after the Benoit Incident. While some might say that stunts such as these are in bad taste in a post-Owen Hart era, I see no fault in an angle such as this. What is the difference between the stage collapsing on Vince, and a wrestler getting beat up in the back and working an injury?

This has the opportunity to make or break WWE in transitioning into a new era. I know we all throw the "E" word around a lot, but when I saw that stage fall, I saw a glimmer of hope for the WWE to once again break through into the mainstream in a way that mirrors the WWF of the 80's and attitude eras. However, what will determine the companies path is whether or not they waste this opportunity. They already squandered any chance of getting news coverage of it by giving it a worked feel with the camerawork. But that doesn't mean that they have to squander the opportunity in one more..."who killed/tried to kill vince" storyline.

Personally, I hope that this will be the straw that broke the camels back in publicly revealing on TV that HHH is indeed part of the family. As far as suspects go, HHH is the most logical because Vince was giving away all of his and Steph's inheritance. I think that part is a little predictable, but is probably where they will go with it. It has the potential to be huge if they want it to be. This could be the beginning of an angle in the vein of the NWO and Austin vs. McMahon, but whether WWE chooses to waste this potentially money angle is in their hands.

 

[oddone]

I cant believe Im the first one to go here. Who is McMahons biggest rival of all time?
Stone Cold Steve Austin. We have all heard the rumors and speculation,that Austin is going to wrestle his last match at Wrestlemania 25, which just happens to be in his home state of Texas. We probably wont find out who was behind this until at least Summerslam. We find out it was Austin, we've got 6-7 months of Vince trying to get his revenge on SCSA. Austin pulling his normal stunts on Vince,Shane,and Steph. Around the time of the Rumble Vince brings HHH back to Raw as a surprise. He admits that HHH is family and the focus shifts to HHH vs Austin at Wrestlemania, where Austin wins his last match in the main event. The biggest guy in the history of the company[yeah austins bigger than hogan] beats the top guy in the business now, at the biggest event ever that just happenes to be in his home state. It doesn't get any better than that.

 

[tha_icon85]

here's storyline
milk this for a nice month or so then let ted sr reveal that he another wit shane and they took him out in order to buy the company @ a lower price cuz wit vince out stocks drop. but shanes not revealed till SS as his business partner. shane states his reasons r more personal, vince was selling the rest of the families stocks to current wrestlers in order to rasies the weekly million to give away. orton v cene ME reveals the next gen stable as they distract cena and orton hits the rko to win the wwe title. raw shane proclaim that he is the controliiing hand of the wwe and everyone in it. out comes orton and he states that he doesn't control him. shane orders orton v shane and cena no dq and if orton loses he's stripped of the belt. and he bans cenas goon from ringside. just when cena abot to hulk a win up shane turns on cena and hit him wit cena chain wrapped around his fist. orton looks shocked and and it faded to black. the next week cena comes out and demands to kno wht the hell happen, orton comes out and says he has no clue whts going on, shane pops on the titantron and says he controls everything even ortons goon and they come out and jump cena and orton. ME orton cena V shane and the next gen stable. in the end they all jump cena and next week shane reveals that he and ted sr wit the assistance of the next gen stable take vince out. their gonna take over the wwe one title @ a time. he is the power behind the next gen stable being a 3rd gen star himself.

this could go in all type of directions, is vince gonna get revenge. will cena from a chain gang stable to get revenge. wit shane owning the company the next gen and go to any brand and get title shot. it can be a complete hostle takeover until someone steps up and stops them. this will rasies rating on all brands and get over countless stars. tell me wht yall think

 

[buddy_z34]

interesting storyline icon. it never crossed my mind that Shane was a 3rd gen star. maybe he will be the manager of the stable instead of Ted Sr.

instead of Cena forming a chain gang i think the better one is having the 2nd gen stable go across every brand and take away the titles from everyone. thus leading us into survior series or something of that nature after we get done with summer slam.

but this storyline has got me excited once again about wrestling. i cant wait til it unfolds in our very own eyes.

 

[chasingamy]

I'm undecided whether they'll take this angle in a 'Who done it' direction, but I'm sure they'll replay the stage collapse often and play on the viewers' sympathies for the great WWE chairman for the next few weeks. Clearly it was a way to end the Million Dollar Mania. It didn't really help the ratings and Vince was going to just keep giving away millions. I think they'll keep McMahon off TV for awhile to really sell the accident and his injuries.

In his absence, Raw will lack a central authority figure to govern the show and let's not forget the Raw GM position remains vacant. This sets up Regal's return, and his suspension is up in three weeks. He could go to the Board of Directors, Linda, or Shane and ask to be re-instated, claiming the show needs his leadership, having literally crumbled without him. In sharp contrast to McMahon showing fan appreciation, Regal's loathing for the fans will be stronger than ever and he'll find new, innovative ways to bring Raw and the fans under his firm hand. With Kennedy on Smackdown now, my only question is who will step up as the next hero and take on Regal?

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Amy got the closest.

It was Regal. His character was that of a crazy, over bearing, power hungry tyrant. He was then dumped, fired, in a very unceremonious, humiliating manner. SO how does he go about getting his job back?? by getting rid of the guy in charge now. The guy who fired him. Unless they want to just waste the entire push they gave him. Its a rather easy, simplistic storyline really. He comes back, meaner and more evil than ever. I will further be entrenched in this theory if Cena or Batista wins sunday. They are the perfect kinds of faces to have an upward battle against the british tyrant GM.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

That was so fake looking, how could you even think this wasn't an angle. Nothing cool will come from this. It will more than likely be William Regal as a way to work him back into the show.

I'm gonna tell you right now. If they wouldn't of added in the fireworks, and just left it with the fixture falling from the roof.. I would've completely questioned it being staged or real. It looked real at first, but as someone else said.. the fireworks just screwed the whole angle.

Hell, even if McMahon acted scared and played off not knowing what to do, then having the stage give-way.. I would've somewhat bought into it until I knew for sure it was staged. Because again, the fireworks were the only thing making the whole segment look fake. (apart from the show being wrestling, and storylines being fake.. but still)

 

[mrtuddy]

I'm undecided whether they'll take this angle in a 'Who done it' direction, but I'm sure they'll replay the stage collapse often and play on the viewers' sympathies for the great WWE chairman for the next few weeks. Clearly it was a way to end the Million Dollar Mania. It didn't really help the ratings and Vince was going to just keep giving away millions. I think they'll keep McMahon off TV for awhile to really sell the accident and his injuries.

In his absence, Raw will lack a central authority figure to govern the show and let's not forget the Raw GM position remains vacant. This sets up Regal's return, and his suspension is up in three weeks. He could go to the Board of Directors, Linda, or Shane and ask to be re-instated, claiming the show needs his leadership, having literally crumbled without him. In sharp contrast to McMahon showing fan appreciation, Regal's loathing for the fans will be stronger than ever and he'll find new, innovative ways to bring Raw and the fans under his firm hand. With Kennedy on Smackdown now, my only question is who will step up as the next hero and take on Regal?

I don't know if Regal was responsible for it, but I think that he will return as GM. His profile is still up on WWE.com while Undertaker's was taken down almost immediately... kind of hinting toward the idea that he's coming back to RAW.

Either way, I think that his closest ally on RAW was Paul Burchill. It would be good exposure to have Paul Burchill be like... the RAW Ambassador or something. You know, kind of like Val Venis/Sean Morley under Eric Bischoff.


But as far as the Vince McMahon angle goes... I'm hoping that it will make RAW better because right now I don't want to watch it... no world champion and we're kind of left without storylines right now.... let's hope.

 

[RBH]

I am surprised that they went with this as I thought that they would have learned their lesson after last year. At least he is not dead and just injured. McMahon is known for loving the spotlight and this should be no different. It seems that we are in line for a new mystery storyline involing the entire McMahon family (do not really know about Steph since she is pregnant.).It will hopefully involve a top face in the company or an up and comer and allow them to grow into something better. I am really intriuged to see where this is going and I hope this does not become a dropped storyline. I hate seeing stories dropped for no apparent reason.

 

[NYSandman]

I'd love if it were JR! After the way he's been treated over the years, it would be great if he snapped.

That would mean his whole getting angry over the Smackdown! switch was a work.

I also find it interesting, even though they were in Oklahoma, having the whole JR farewell from Raw speech. I think it would be a great choice, and I also don't think too many fans would think that Good Ol' JR would do such a thing.

Imagine JR as a MONSTER heel? He could start a stable, have the King and other announcers beat up. It would be gold. He could recruit some of the younger wrestlers, giving them a chance to show their stuff.

Another possibility. Randy Orton! The Legend Killer decides to destroy the ultimate legend, the CEO of WWE!

I don't think it's Kennedy, unless they bring back the whole illegitimate child thing, being they never really said WHO it was, as the Hornswoggle thing was proven a hoax.

I really don't know where they're going with this, but my interest in Raw has been peaked for the first time in awhile, which I consider a good thing.

 

[Mr. TM]

Are we going to say that this was an "accident," someone elses doing, or something else?

An Accident could go in a few story lines.
1.) Vince McMahon vs Shawn Michaels- Continuation of the God story line from WM22
2.) Vince McMahon vs WWE- budget cuts by the WWE has caused the stage to collapse

An attack by someone else could also play out
1.) JR's Revenge. After getting drafted to Smackdown, JR calls up a hit on McMahon the same night as a revenge against Vince McMahon
2.) Shane's time. Shane made an appearnce on Raw saying that Vince needed our support or whatever. Could it have been Shane who has a plan to take out the chairman and insert himself into the throne of WWE?
3.) Ric Flair's Woooooo! Ric Flair makes his return, and Vince McMahon, the man who forced him to retire, is knocked almost to death. Coincidence? or a con on vince? you decide

 

[Wrestling_No-logicX]

The storyline is a great set up, I highly doubt when Undertaker comes back he will be directed back to smackdown as in real life HHH and him don't get along, So maybe it is undertaker..We just have to wait and see.,..

 

[Golden Standard]

Or this could be a way for the Undertaker to return. He could have set the whole thing up so he can get his revenge for being put out of the wwe. And he continues to do these things until he can come back and when he returns he returns as Big Evil an on the raw brand.

 

[dvayne]

The way its playing out so far i see it as a power struggle storyline making it most likely to be

1 JBL - fed up with losing decides to take out Mr. Mcmahon to call martial law on raw to keep himself in title contention

2 Regal - I see this as the perfect set up to get him over as a top heel when he comes back. They could use The Burchill's as the ones that set it up for Regal. Like how Rikishi got over because HHH hired him to run down Austin

However a huge storyline like this should be used to catapult a young up and coming star that needs the push, hence new suspects
1. MVP - He needs something big right now to get him over for good

2. Mr. Kennedy - Everytime they try a big storyline or push it gets ruined so its possible to throw him in again

3. Lance Cade - very unlikely with the honest man gimmick I could actually see himself and Jericho aligning themselves with Mr. Mcmahon

 

[phat_inallthegoodplaces]

all i say is let's hope no one else dies like last year with benoit and sets the story back an ENTIRE YEAR. i think it's McMahon's way of saying he's ready to retire, so he's going out with a bang, like he tried last year. make way for shane to take over. but the death of one of his wrestlers called him back to duty, so he never got arond to retiring. now's his chance.

 

[Ad!]

I'm going for Shane O'Mac. He gets himself an enforcer on RAW. When Steph returns, she enlists Triple H and they have a big match sometime. Something like that.

Or JBL is the other option, to declare himself Marshall of RAW like he did this week.

 

[Colamania]

OK, I'm gonna go right ahead with my opinion on this whole Vince debacle. Now, the fact is, one year ago, Vince did this storyline for the first time. And it was looking interesting, before the whole Benoit scandle. Again, I'd just like to outline, this IS the same storyline. No matter how WWE try to cover up any evidence of the existance of the limo explosion or the Benoit scandle, this is a "who killed Vince" all over again. So, the eternal question - whodunnit?

My personal suspects are as follows:

1) John Cena, possibly with Cryme Tyme. Cena has been in desperate need of a heel turn for a long time, but since the draft, he's crying out for a storyline. Orton's injured, Trips is on SmackDown, Edge is on SmackDown. Cena's only enemy on Raw right now is JBL. What better rivalry is there than with the Chairman himself? And this new alliance with Cryme Tyme could be a serious moneymaker if it's played out right, as has been discussed previously. And attempted murder of the Chairman of WWE - that's one hell of a Cryme.

2) Mr. Kennedy. Again, he's crying out for a storyline, and with SmackDown now being the A-Show, Vince appearing on it seems a lot more likely than it did a month ago. Personally, this is my preference, because I'd love to see Kennedy as the new Stone Cold, flipping off authority, Mic Checking referees and officials, beating up Shane on a regular basis. Kennedy is one of those guys who's loved by the fans no matter who he is, so give him that role and watch him explode.

3) CM Punk. I know, it's unlikely, I'm only really including him as a different option. But think about it. Before the night of the draft, Punk was stuck on ECW, going nowhere fast despite having the briefcase. Suddenly, the stage collapse happens, and boom, within a week, Punk's the World Champion. Hell, it could even turn out that the young guys have formed a stable to take over Raw. I mean, come on, a stable of Punk, Kofi, Cody and DiBiase could be interesting.

Those are my main suspects anyway. Aside from those guys, the only others I can really think of are Shane O'Mac, JBL and 'Taker. But if you really want my opinion..

I'm going out on a limb and saying my money (money, yeah yeah) is on Cena and Cryme Tyme.