WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has shared an in-depth account of Vince McMahon’s private 80th birthday celebration, a two-night affair hosted at Gotham Hall in New York City. Long was an invited guest and recently spoke on Sportskeeda’s “WrestleBinge,” where he gave insight into the guest list, entertainment, and his personal exchanges with McMahon, while also clearing up a number of circulating rumors.

Long described how his evening began on the Saturday night of the party. “I just go and sit down at a table, and they come and get me,” he recalled. “The lady says, ‘You Teddy Long?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘Well, you’re at Vince’s table’.” According to Long, the seating was highly exclusive. “So only [people at] that table as far as talent was me, John Cena,” he explained.

He also revealed a personal interaction with McMahon on the first night, highlighting the warm greeting he received. “First thing he did say to me, said, ‘it was so nice to see you. It is so good to see you.’ And I thanked him for everything that he’s done for me,” Long shared.

Addressing speculation about McMahon’s health, Long stated that he appeared strong and in good spirits. “He didn’t look bad to me… His face looked like it might have been a little swole or something like that, but he looked nice to me,” Long said. “Had on a nice suit both nights. Man. I mean, he was getting around, moving around, he looked great to me.” He added that McMahon even slipped back into his familiar role during the event. “Vince had his headset on too. And it just reminded me of him at TVs, you know, walking around, doing his thing. I think it was great for him too, because he was like back at work, you know. He loves this.”

Rumors of high-profile performers such as AC/DC or Kid Rock appearing at the party were firmly dismissed by Long. Instead, the evening’s main act was country and rock star Jelly Roll. “Entertainment was Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll came out,” Long confirmed. He also mentioned “another choir there that was from Brooklyn or New York or somewhere, a black choir,” in addition to an opera-style singer who opened the event.

As for the McMahon family, Long confirmed that Shane McMahon was present, along with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who was accompanied by his and Stephanie’s daughters. “[Hunter] brought them up and had them sing happy birthday to him,” Long said. However, when asked about Stephanie McMahon, Long gave a clear response: “No, Stephanie was not there.”

The guest list was stacked with notable names. Long recalled seeing Jerry Lawler, Sgt. Slaughter, The Godfather, The Undertaker, Bruce Prichard, Booker T, R-Truth, Sheamus, and Drew McIntyre among those in attendance.

The gathering marked one of the first major appearances for McMahon since stepping down from his role as TKO Executive Chairman in January 2024. He resigned following a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, who accused him of misconduct including sex trafficking and abuse. McMahon has denied the allegations.