Former WWE creative director David Sahadi has shared a remarkable story about Vince McMahon’s emotional reaction to the legendary WrestleMania XIV promotional package.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio while promoting his new book Backstage Pass: Tales from Beyond the Squared Circle, Sahadi recalled how McMahon initially opposed the idea before later breaking down in tears after seeing the finished video.
The package featured legendary names including Freddie Blassie, Ernie Ladd, Gorilla Monsoon, Pat Patterson and Killer Kowalski inside an abandoned warehouse with a worn down ring. The video reflected on their careers before symbolically passing the torch to the next generation of WWE stars.
Before filming even began, Sahadi said McMahon was skeptical about focusing on past legends.
“Vince calls Kevin Dunn and says, ‘What the hell is Sahadi doing in Albany with the old timers? We’re not about the old timers anymore,’” Sahadi recalled.
Dunn reportedly tried to calm McMahon down by backing Sahadi’s creative instincts.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s gonna be good. He has a good track record,” Dunn responded.
McMahon’s reply remained blunt. “Goddamn it, better be good.”
Despite the pressure, Sahadi believed strongly in the concept. He even remembered the opening line of the video years later.
“I can still hear the echoes cheering my name. Time has not silenced the crowd.”
The video showed the legends reflecting on the evolution of wrestling before praising the modern generation for taking things further than ever before.
“They’re doing things like flying through the air and walking the top rope,” Sahadi explained. “They’re comparing themselves. ‘We were men of steel, men of courage. Today, they’re men without fear.’”
When the time came to show McMahon the finished product, Sahadi could immediately sense resistance in the room. McMahon arrived with Pat Patterson and Shane McMahon and appeared unimpressed from the start.
“He comes in with his arms crossed and says, ‘Play that spot,’” Sahadi said.
As the video played, McMahon’s reaction remained unclear.
“Ten seconds in he’s going, ‘Oh God… oh geez.’ I’m not sure if he’s liking it or not. Before the spot is even over, he leaves the room.”
Sahadi assumed the worst until Shane McMahon gave him a surprising response.
“Shane goes, ‘Sahadi, you got him.’”
Moments later, Sahadi walked outside the studio and discovered Vince McMahon sitting on the concrete floor outside, still wearing his suit and visibly emotional.
“Vince is sitting on the concrete floor in his suit and he’s crying hysterically,” Sahadi said. “He’s shaking my hand saying, ‘Thank you, thank you.’”
The moment did not end there. Roughly twenty minutes later, Sahadi ran into McMahon again in a stairwell, still overwhelmed by the video.
“He’s sitting on the stairs with Pat Patterson and he’s still crying,” Sahadi said. “He just kept saying, ‘Thank you.’”
Years later, Sahadi believes he understands why the segment affected McMahon so deeply. What he intended as a symbolic passing of the torch between wrestling generations may have carried a far more personal meaning.
“To me it was a passing of the torch from the old generation to the new guys,” Sahadi said. “For Vince, I think it felt like a passing of the torch from his father to him.”
Busted Open co host Bully Ray agreed, noting McMahon’s complicated emotional relationship with his father Vince McMahon Sr.
“Vince always sought his dad’s approval,” Bully Ray said. “You see that pattern in the McMahon family.”
Sahadi served as WWE’s creative director of on air promotion for nine years during the Attitude Era. During that time he produced the cold opens for WWE pay per view events including WrestleMania, along with numerous commercial campaigns and promotional packages.
His new book Backstage Pass: Tales from Beyond the Squared Circle is now available on Amazon.
