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Now that Vince McMahon has retired from WWE, the days of creepy and controversial storylines involving the former boss are hopefully a thing of the past. For every fun angle involving McMahon with the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, there was an uncomfortable one, such as McMahon’s storylines with Trish Stratus or the infamous “Kiss My Ass Club.”
The Club Started At The End Of The Attitude Era
In late 2001, after the fallout that was the Invasion angle, a fired William Regal asked Vince McMahon for his job back. McMahon agreed to hire Regal back under one condition, that Regal kiss McMahon’s bare ass on live TV. On November 19, during an episode of Raw, William Regal became the first member of 'The Kiss My Ass Club.' It was an awkward sight, to say the least, to have the man in charge of WWE pull his pants down and wiggle his bare ass before having a legendary wrestler kiss it.
Unfortunately, the angle didn’t die that night. It became a repeated bit over the years, whenever Vince McMahon wanted to humiliate a talent that didn’t want to be fired. Poor Jim Ross, long bullied by McMahon, became the next victim a few weeks later for laughing at McMahon on commentary after he failed to get Steve Austin to become the next victim. Austin refused, giving the chairman a low blow. Worst of all for good ol’ JR, it happened in Oklahoma, his home state.
Even Shawn Michaels Had To Kiss McMahon’s Ass
Thankfully, the club wouldn’t reform for five years, but when it did, even a future Hall of Famer, and one of WWE’s all-time greats, wasn’t immune from being humiliated. On Raw in February 2006, Marty Jannetty, a former partner of Michaels’ in The Rockers, begged Vince McMahon for his job back. Vince told him what he would have to do and Jannetty was going to oblige, but HBK came out to put a stop to it. Shane McMahon then knocked out HBK with a chair and planted his unconscious face on McMahon’s bare ass.
McMahon and HBK would face each other at WrestleMania 22. When Vince tried to get HBK to join the club again, HBK attacked Shane McMahon and inserted his face onto the butt cheeks of his unsuspecting father. Even the potential heir to the kingdom had agreed to humiliate himself on live TV.
Six People Would Kiss Vince McMahon’s Ass
Another legend, Mick Foley, would be the next to join the ‘Kiss My Ass Club’, willingly so in an attempt to save Melina’s job. Little good it did him, though, because Melina ended up turning on Foley, and he lost his job anyway.
The last member of the dreaded club would be WWE’s smallest star, Hornswoggle, who technically kissed McMahon’s ass in 2008, before biting down on Vince's butt cheek. Thankfully this was the last time for such a horrible segment that no fan enjoyed being witness to.
A Few Wrestlers Escaped The Club
Not everyone who got into the ring with Vince McMahon ended up doing as they were told and kissing the chairman’s ass. A few turned the tables and humiliated the boss instead. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, as mentioned, was one. There was no way that Austin, the man or the character, would ever agree to such a humiliating act. It would have destroyed his gimmick. Instead, Austin got the upper hand by giving McMahon a crotch shot and beating him with a belt.
Trish Stratus would escape inclusion into the club in 2001 when The Rock came down for the save. In 2003, Eric Bischoff was fired as the Raw GM. When he asked Vince McMahon for his job back, McMahon told him what club he had to join. Bischoff refused. He didn't get a chance to one-up his boss though. McMahon forced Bischoff to join the 'Get My Ass Kicked Club' instead, by making him wrestle Austin at No Way Out, who at the time was a heel.
McMahon attempted to induct wrestler Zack Gowen into the club in 2003, but Gowen would do a 'Stone Cold' and give his boss a low blow. McMahon also attempted to force his son-in-law Triple H into joining the club, but he would end up being the humiliated one instead. A strange 2006 segment saw Shane McMahon spiking Triple H’s water bottle, so he could force the unconscious star to kiss Vince’s ass, but instead, Triple H switched the bottles and Shane was the one who got drugged. The segment ended with Triple H giving a pedigree to his father-in-law, which left McMahon laying, butt up, showing that he was wearing a thong.
WWE has been known for many strange storylines over the decades. Few are as uncomfortable or as unwanted as Vince McMahon’s ‘Kiss My Ass Club.’ Here’s hoping, now that Triple H is in charge, that he doesn’t ever get the horrible idea to bring it back.