About a month ago, reports began to surface that Vince McMahon, the executive chairman of WWE, was spotted backstage at a “WWE Raw” show sporting a “creepy little mustache,” as one reporter put it. And just last week, McMahon appeared on CNBC to discuss the company’s new deal with Endeavor and UFC, unveiling his mustache to the world. This caught the attention of British comedian John Oliver, who has been critical of WWE in the past.
While Oliver didn’t spend too much time on the subject, he couldn’t resist poking fun at McMahon’s new look on his HBO news/comedy program, “Last Week Tonight.” Oliver compared an old photo of McMahon with a shot from the CNBC interview, joking that it looked like “clearly an AI-generated response to the prompt ‘snake tycoon.'” He then proceeded to deliver a rapid-fire series of burns in just 30 seconds, comparing McMahon’s appearance to that of Salvador Dali living without imagination, someone about to challenge others to a balloon race around the world, Vincent Price having an allergic reaction to bee stings, and a 1930s circus owner who harasses the dancers, mistreats the animals, and is eventually murdered by a lion while the whole town cheers.
“He looks like the answer to the question ‘What if Salvador Dali chose to live without imagination,'” Oliver said. “He looks like he’s about to challenge someone to a balloon race around the world. He looks like Vincent Price having an allergic reaction to being stung by bees. He looks like a circus owner from the 1930s who harasses the dancers, mistreats the animals for fun, and is eventually murdered by a lion while the whole town cheers. And sadly, that is my time.”
This isn’t the first time Oliver has taken shots at WWE. He previously criticized the company’s deal with Saudi Arabia in 2018, questioned the status of WWE wrestlers as independent contractors in 2019, and joked about Ted DiBiase’s welfare scandal earlier this year. Oliver’s criticism of WWE may not sit well with some fans, but it’s clear that he doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his opinions on the company and its leadership.
Wrestling Twitter, I present to you @iamjohnoliver mocking Vince McMahon's mustache for 1 minute and 11 seconds straight.
Media: HBO, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver pic.twitter.com/iA0aol4h5j
— David (@thedavidserras_) April 10, 2023
