Donald Trump’s wrestling influence as WWE legends lend help – however not all of them

Donald Trump has had many a foray in the world of WWE – from playing the host and antagonist to being added to its Hall of Fame – so perhaps it’s not surprising that some of wrestling’s top stars have leant him a helping hand in the US Election race.

Orange manbaby Trump’s relationship with WWE began during WrestleMania’s infancy in 1988 when it was still the World Wrestling Federation. It’s reported Vince McMahon’s entertainment extravaganza, with Hulkamania in full swing and professional wrestling coming out on top in popular culture, was about to enter its fourth year when Trump decided he wanted a slice of the action.

“I just wanted a piece of it,” said Trump while featuring on The True Story of WrestleMania. “Everybody in the country wanted this event, and we were able to get it.” The then less-fake-tanned billionaire businessman decided to take the bull by the horns and sign a deal to have Trump Plaza sponsor WrestleMania IV, and his convention hall host it.

It was so successful, with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage battling over the WWF Championship and other star-studded WrestleMania events taking place, it soon formed the fan festival dubbed WrestleMania Axxess – which still remains today.

“I never sold tickets to anything so easily as I have to this,” said the ex-president in The True Story of WrestleMania. And, of course, Trump decided he would host it in Atlanta again the next year – the only city to have hosted the event consecutively, as per BleacherReport.

The election candidate would then next be seen at WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles, where he and Chuck Norris appeared in the crowd. Then at WrestleMania XX in 2004 Trump was interviewed by Jesse Ventura, former Minnesota governor and WWE grappler, as he sat in the Madison Square Garden audience.

In 2007 WWE incorporated TV host Rosie O’Donnell and Trump’s bad blood, with McMahon setting up a match between the pair. But fans weren’t happy when two independent wrestlers dressed as O’Donnell and Trump went head-to-head. Trump then appeared on Raw that same month without O’Donnell before he cut short McMahon’s self-congratulating speech at Raw’s Fan Appreciation Night and, at The Donald’s command, money rained down onto the fans in a show of appreciation.

For PPV’s sake, the pair then each decided to send a proxy into the ring to fight at WrestleMania 23 (McMahon chose Umaga and Trump sent Bobby Lashley), with the loser being forced to have their head shaved bald in front of the audience. The Battle of the Billionaires saw the men meet in an in-ring contract signing as Trump strutted in flanked by two female wrestlers. Steve Austin showed up and threatened Trump, who then pushed McMahon over a table.

Lashley won the match and McMahon was soon bald as he was embarrassingly shaved in front of the crowd. Lashley told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated: “He understands success, and everything he did was top-notch. A lot of the success from that WrestleMania was because of him.” It meant that WrestleMania 23 surpassed 1.2million PPV buys, the most in its history – with Trump having taken credit for most of it, of course.

In June 2009 Trump announced he had bought Raw and told fans “I’m going to do stuff that’s never been done before, never been seen before”. Trump hadn’t actually taken charge of it, it was just for show, but just four years later he was inducted in the celebrity wing of WWE’s Hall of Fame. He told fans: “Vince and I have had an amazing relationship for many years,” and added of his induction: “I consider this to be my greatest honour of all. I do”.

So, now we’ve made it clear why Trump is considered so important in the world of WWE, it seems obvious as to why so many wrestling legends have come out in his support during the race for the White House. First up is Hulk Hogan who, at the Republican National Convention this summer, ripped off his shirt to reveal a bright-red Trump 2024 tank top before declaring: “Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!” It’s clear to see where his head is at.

Trump also received an endorsement from the Undertaker and Kane, who in a TikTok video flanked The Donald and told fans to pick between Trump and his wrestling allies, or Kamala Harris and WWE star Dave Bautista who has come out in support of the current US Vice President. Trump added the decision should be an easy one.

Bautista recently mocked the Republican presidential nominee by calling him a “weak, tubby toddler” and instead endorsed Kamala for November’s election. One of Bautista’s fan wrote: “The fact that Undertaker threw shots and talked s**t about Batista in that TikTok is dumb. Batista is ten times more famous, cooler, richer, and a better person in every way imaginable. F**k Mark Calloway. F**k Glenn Jacobs. F**k Donald Trump. Be like Dave Bautista.”

Another WWE legend, Mick Foley, also didn’t mince his words when speaking on Trump’s candidacy. “I think it’s important for everyone to have a moment where enough’s enough,” said the 59-year-old. “For me, enough was enough eight years ago – the Undertaker is correct in saying Donald Trump made politics fun for about three weeks in 2016. But it’s eight years later, and there’s absolutely nothing fun about this to me.

“To me, there’s nothing fun about a man who could be the next President of the United States talking about the enemy within, making it clear that this was not a mistake. This is his go-to line, the enemy within, which he co-opted from Senator Joseph McCarthy, one of the worst people to ever grace our planet.”

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