Top 5 WWE shows that changed the landscape of the company

WWE has been around for more than half a century, and since the inception of the then WWWF, Vince McMahon Sr. and Vince McMahon Jr. have transformed the way promoters function in the business. With Vince McMahon Sr. sharing the revenues with the wrestlers and Vince McMahon Jr. overhauling the territorial system, and deciding that WWF could do better by going national rather than functioning within the contours of the New York New Jersey area, the father son duo have changed the landscape of professional wrestling industry. Under Vince McMahon Jr.s regime, the WWF became the single most powerful entity in the world, and he has done a lot since then to keep the company in that position.Needless to say, Vince McMahon Jr. and the WWF have come a long way since the early part of 1980s, when Vince McMahon Sr. sold his stocks to his son. A lot has changed since then, as all the other companies which once rivaled the WWF have folded. New companies emerged, threatening Vince McMahon Jr.s organization. While every other promoter failed to evolve with time, Vince McMahon Jr., like the true pioneer he is, has managed to change himself accordingly. He targeted new sectors, made new connections and formed new networks. He changed the way professional wrestling is perceived, and has been the most successful promoter in the business.Through these times, WWE wasnt free of controversies, neither was it ever under any real threat to go out of business. With Vince McMahon laying a solid groundwork to keep his company afloat, no matter what the problem was, the now WWE has always withstood the test of time. He couldnt have done it without putting on some of the most talked about shows in professional wrestling, either in a good way or a bad way.In this article, wetake a look at 5 WWE shows that made an impact, either positively or negatively and changed the landscape of the WWE.

#5 Survivor Series 1997

The eleventh edition of Survivor Series rolled out of Montreal, Canada in 1997, and was headlined by Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels for the then WWF championship. This was also Bret Harts last match in the WWF going into the PPV, as he had already signed a contract with WWFs competitor and the leading wrestling organization in the world at that time, WCW. Even before the PPV started, there were a lot of rumors making rounds, and tension was brewing in the locker room. Very few couldve imagined when the show began that it would go down as the most infamous PPV in wrestling history, and had changed the course of the company forever.

During the main event, Vince McMahon ordered the referee, Earl Hebner to ring the bell and end the match while Bret was in the Sharpshooter submission hold, thus screwing Bret Hart out of the match. This night also shattered the long protected kayfabe in the business, and Bret was unceremoniously kicked out of the WWF in his home country. This incident became infamous as the Montreal Screwjob, and the likes of Shawn, Vince, Triple H and Earl Hebner were all in on it. Not only did it put a black mark on the careers of all of those involved, but it led to something else that was to change the wrestling business forever.

That night also saw the birth of the evil boss, Vince McMahon. With Vince telling Jim Ross that Bret screwed Bret, the world witnessed the rise of the most powerful authoritative figure in the industry. This led to the birth of the Bionic Redneck Steve Austin, who then had the greatest feud in wrestling history with his evil boss. And the rest as they say is history.