Vince McMahon Once Used John Cena To Prank USA Network

Vince McMahon is known for a lot of things, including his actions outside the pro wrestling business. He once said his favorite thing is the look on someone’s face just before he pushes them in a swimming pool with all of their clothes on. Needless to say, there is story or two about The Chairman’s ribbing ways.

Practical jokes or pranks are a customary in professional wrestling, and even Vince McMahon, the prominent figure behind it, has engaged in such activities with various wrestlers throughout the years. It also seems that there is really no limit to who he is willing to make the target of his jokes.

During a recent episode of Wrestling with Freddie, Freddie Prinze Jr. disclosed that McMahon would also play practical jokes on the television networks he collaborated with, solely for the amusement it brought him.

“Vince would mess with them. On the draft one year he drafted John Cena, which was the only ratings that Monday Night Raw would get, he drafted him to Friday Night SmackDown, and USA freaked out and started calling.”

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“It delegitimizes the entire draft process that they do every year. Like that could actually happen ‘No, we want him, no we want him,’ just every draft pick, and he did it just to screw with the people.”

Despite John Cena eventually being drafted back to WWE Raw later that night as the final pick of the 2011 draft, it’s important to note that the phone calls made during the draft had no influence on this outcome. Freddie Prinze Jr. verified that Cena’s draft was pre-planned and scripted, and it was a deliberate prank orchestrated by Vince McMahon on the USA Network. After all, they didn’t want to lose their cash cow.

John Cena appeared in USA Network bumpers and ads for years, and he still pops up every now and then. The last thing they wanted was to lose the biggest name in the company at the time. Freddie Prinze Jr then expressed his belief that executing such a prank was an incredibly foolish idea due to its negative impact on the integrity of the draft and how it was perceived by the audience.

We will have to see if Vince McMahon lays down any more great pranks. After all, he has a lot more time on his hands now. For more on this story, and many others, stay tuned with us here at Ringside News.

What’s your take on Vince McMahon’s prank? Sound off the comments!