WWE Alters Donald Trump Profile

WWE has a long history with president-elect Donald Trump. He’s close friends with CEO Vince McMahon, and Trump Plaza played host to WrestleMania IV and V. In more recent years, Trump has been actively involved in WWE programming, entering into a lengthy feud with Vince that culminated in a “hair versus hair” match at WrestleMania 23. In 2013, he entered the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame.

However, WWE has avoided any specific mention of the recent presidential election, and with good reason–this year has been contentious, controversial, and ugly, and that’s by political standards. So while the lack of acknowledgement is conspicuous, it’s understandable, even accounting for the millions Vince donated to Trump’s campaign.

But WWE.com now recognizes the recent election in their superstar profile of Donald Trump. Will that recognition expand to on-screen programming? Time will tell.

The full text of the WWE.com profile is below.

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He’s a captivating billionaire who has gone into battle in both the boardroom and the squared circle with equal aggression. He’s a pop culture icon who has seen his self-satisfied smirk on hit TV programs, major talk shows and countless magazine covers. Most of all, he’s an outspoken alpha male who gets his greatest pleasure from uttering two words: “You’re fired!”

And no, we’re not talking about Mr. McMahon.

Donald J. Trump, the most famous businessman in America-turned-U.S. President-elect, has been recognized as an innovator in the worlds of real estate and reality television. And how could you miss him? The Donald’s surname — now synonymous with wealth and power — has been emblazoned in giant gold letters across skyscrapers and high-rises in the biggest cities in the world. But Trump has also been making a consistent impact on WWE since the days when Andre the Giant was still king.

The Donald’s Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J., hosted both WrestleMania IV and WrestleMania V — the only venue to present The Show of Shows two years in a row. Since those unforgettable nights, Trump has remained a familiar face in the front row of WWE events, but it wasn’t until 2007 that the billionaire got in on the action.

In January of that year, The Donald interrupted Mr. McMahon’s “Fan Appreciation Night” on Raw and dropped tens of thousands of dollars from the rafters of the arena onto the WWE fans below. Red-faced that a rival would steal the spotlight from him, Mr. McMahon challenged Trump to a “Battle of the Billionaires” at WrestleMania 23 with the stipulation that the loser of the bout would have their his head shaved bald.

A record number of viewers tuned in to watch The Donald back Bobby Lashley to victory over Mr. McMahon’s Umaga and subsequently shave the WWE Chairman’s signature mane in the center of the ring.

The business magnates locked horns again in June 2009 when Trump purchased Monday Night Raw and immediately announced that next week’s show would air commercial-free and that every WWE fan that who purchased a ticket would be given a full refund. The trademark Trump PR public relations flourish nearly made Mr. McMahon’s head explode and forced him to buy his show back from The Donald for twice the price.

Following this on-screen rivalry with WWE’s Chairman, Trump focused beyond his ever-expanding real estate empire and Emmy-nominated reality television show “The Apprentice,” embracing the world of American politics. In November 2016, Trump culminated his campaign against key contender Hillary Clinton and was elected into office as the 45th President of the United States — the first time in history a WWE Hall of Famer would ever hold the distinguishing title of U.S. Commander-in-Chief.