“I’ll never forget that” - Vince McMahon once scolded WWE veteran for dressing inappropriately (Exclusive)

Vince McMahon took charge of WWE in the early 1980s, when he bought the promotion from his father, Vincent J. McMahon. The 80-year-old stayed in charge of WWE for several decades, turning the company into a sports entertainment juggernaut.

WWE veteran Vince Russo, who worked with Vince McMahon during his time with the company in the Attitude Era, recalled an incident involving the two. The incident led to Russo getting scolded by McMahon, and he claims that it is something that he'll never forget.

On the most recent episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's BroDown, the veteran writer said that Vince McMahon was very proud of his father. He recalled a live show at Madison Square Garden, where Russo wasn't dressed appropriately and got a dressing down from Mr. McMahon for it, as Vince Sr. is in the Hall of Fame at MSG.

"A lot of people don't understand this. Vince was very prideful of his dad. I just started with the company, and there was a house show at Madison Square Garden, and Mac, you know how I am, bro. I'd rather die before I wear a shirt and tie; I'd rather die, so I dressed nice[ly]. I did not have on a suit and tie," Russo said.

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He continued:

"And I'll never forget, bro, Vince read me the Riot Act because Vince Sr. is in the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame, and Vince read me the Riot. 'You know what this building meant to my father? He's in the Hall of Fame, and you come dressed [like that]?' I'll never forget that. Vince Sr. was always on the mind of Vince."

Vincent J. McMahon was a wrestling promoter who started Capitol Wrestling Corporation, now known as WWE, in the 1950s. He remained in charge of the company till 1982, before selling his stocks to his son, Vince McMahon, and the rest is history.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed