WWE: Vince McMahon Fired, Says Goodbye on Monday Night Raw

It is easy to say goodbye to the ones we loved.

Hulk Hogan’s final appearance in the WWE brought fans to the arena, Edge’s heart felt goodbye brought fans to their feet, and Shawn Michaels' final match against the Undertaker brought fans to tears.

They came to perform, they came to entertain, and they came to be loved by wrestling fans across the globe.

But how do you say goodbye to the ones we loved to hate?

Ever since Vince McMahon stepped out from behind the announcers table, his only goal was to draw heat. His greatest triumphs came from screwing over fan favorites. His greatest humiliations came when the fan favorites got the best of him.

He never wanted to be loved, and in the end, that’s what we love him for most.

In front of thousands of fans in attendance and millions watching at home, the CEO and Chairmen of one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world has been put through tables, sprayed with beer, hit with chairs and humiliated in just about any way you could think of.

He did it to put over his top stars, he did it to build his brand, and most importantly, he did it to entertain the fans.

A lot has been said about Vince McMahon; people have criticized his business tactics, wrestlers have lambasted the way he treats his stars, and fans have questioned the current direction in which the WWE is going in.

But there is one thing you can never take away from the man who revolutionized wrestling: the man was an entertainer, and when the cameras came on, that man gave his customers everything he had each and every night.

His abrupt farewell on Monday Night Raw took a minute to sink it. Fans realized the gravity of the situation and changed from sarcastic chants of “Goodbye” to heartfelt chants of “Thank you, Vince!”

And for the first time since stepping behind a microphone, the man who could never be silenced had nothing to say. The man who has put his whole life on center stage showed the WWE Universe the only side of Vince McMahon they had never seen.

Vince McMahon, in what could be his final appearance in the ring, stood center stage for the whole world to see and cried.

Not a word uttered, not a dramatic gesture made. The greatest heel to ever walk this earth looked out to the crowd, with tears in his eyes, and gave a small nod of appreciation as Monday Night Raw faded to black and wrestling fans everywhere stopped to digest what just happened.

It’s never as easy to say goodbye to the ones we loved to hate, but on behalf of every wrestling fan that has had the privilege of listening to Vince McMahon call a match, work a mic or perform in the ring I say, “Thank you, Vince.”