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Who is Vince McMahon’s favorite wrestler? How wrestling legend influenced WWE patriarch’s idea of a top star
Find out who is Vince McMahon’s favorite wrestler of all time. Read why his father was against Vince’s admiration for the man, and how he played a big role in shaping Vince McMahon’s life.
Vince McMahon is a name in the wrestling world who needs no introduction. The architect of modern-day professional wrestling has given the world some iconic wrestlers like The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart, The Rock, Shawn Michales, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, and the list is endless.
But you will be surprised to know that none of these wrestlers, whom Vince McMahon gave a platform in WWF (now WWE), is Vince’s all-time favorite wrestler. In fact, the wrestler who inspired Vince and the one who made him what he is today, is the veteran wrestler, Dr. Jerry Graham.
The late wrestling superstar played a pivotal role in shaping Vince McMahon’s life in his childhood. Despite being a villainous character, Jerry Graham’s mannerisms and approach to life had struck Vince.
Over the years, Vince McMahon has opened up on how Jerry Graham fascinated him in his childhood.
How did Jerry Graham influence Vince McMahon?
In Vince’s Playboy interview from 2001, he described watching Jerry Graham and his girlfriend throwing alcohol at each other in fun at a party, and how it caught Vince’s attention. “We’d be at a party — my dad, Jerry and a couple of the other wrestlers. Jerry and his girlfriend would be arguing and pouring drinks over each other. It was sheer entertainment. I was learning that you can be drawn to people for their charisma, but that’s not all there is to them,” Vince recalled. 
Vince recalled how Jerry would light his cigar, run red lights, curse anybody he wanted to curse, and just lived a King’s life. In an interview with New York Magazine in 1998, Vince said, “He would … run red lights, curse anybody he wanted to curse. And I just thought he was the coolest guy. He was a wild man, he would do anything he wanted to do.”
Why did Vince McMahon’s father not like Vince’s admiration for Dr. Jerry Graham?
Vince McMahon was well aware that his father didn’t like his adoration for Jerry Graham. Jerry’s style of living, being a spendthrift and a womanizer, had alarmed Vince’s father, Vincent J. McMahon, who knew that Vince would go wrong in his life if he drew inspiration from him.
“My dad was very upset when he found out I was sneaking around town with Jerry Graham, because he didn’t think he was a very good influence on me,” Vince told New York Magazine.
In fact, Vince’s father wanted Vince to be cautious in life, spend wisely and think of the future seriously.
Vince once said that his father didn’t want him to join his company. Speaking to Playboy in 2001, Vince said, “My dad was pragmatic. He remembered the bad years he’d had. He’d say, "Get a government job, so you can have a pension.”
But Vince didn’t look back. He had already idolized Jerry Graham and it started to have a big impact on his life. Over the years, when Vince took the wrestling business from his father, in 1982, he carried the same aggressive nature he had acquired in his childhood.
He would yell at wrestlers, did things out of the box, and kept everybody on their toes. For Vince, the wrestling business was his child and he molded it in every way he wanted.
And that did give dividends. Vince transformed a struggling wrestling business into a multi-billionaire empire that became a household name.
In the last three decades, the company has only grown and has given wrestling fans amusing shows. Thereby, we can say that Jerry Graham did have some productive impact on Vince’s life.
ALSO READ: Are Triple H and Nick Khan planning to ignore Vince McMahon’s religious WWE rule?
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