President-Elect Donald Trump was more than willing to get in the mix of things during the infamous Battle of the Billionaires in WWE in 2007. The WrestleMania 23 contest saw Bobby Lashley represent Trump to face the late, great Umaga, who represented Vince McMahon. Lashley would win the match, which per the stipulation, would result in McMahon being shaved of his iconic hairdo.
On the Insight podcast, Lashley detailed the build-up to the match, which he found “funny all the way through.”
“You’re just watching these two powerhouses talk to each other, so they’re going back and forth, and they’re on top of everything.”
The match featured prominent promotion in WWE, including taking center stage on that year’s WrestleMania 23 poster. The image depicts Lashley and Umaga standing behind their representatives, though this was not the original plan.
“Somebody put it down on paper that me and Umaga were supposed to sit in the chairs and have those guys standing with their hands on our shoulders… Trump was like, ‘No, I don’t think we should do this… it makes me look old.”
During the match, Trump delivers a clothesline to McMahon in a clip the President-Elect has since used to encapsulate his issues with the media. The Apprentice star was never taught how to hit the move, Lashley added, before detailing McMahon’s attempt to prank his friend, who was eager to fight, on the biggest show of the year.
” Trump wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to do something. He was like, ‘I want to beat somebody up.’
“Vince’s whole thing was like, Haha, when he starts punching me, I’m gonna put my head down so he could punch my head. That’s the hardest part of my head, so it’s gonna hurt his hand.”
Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, and will take office once again next month. Linda McMahon will join Trump as Secretary of Education after serving in his previous cabinet under a different role.
As for Lashley, he’s now a part of AEW and is quickly establishing himself as part of The Hurt Syndicate. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on the former WWE World Champion as he, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin look to show their dominance in an All-Elite ring.
