5 Unpopular decisions Vince McMahon took that helped WWE
Vince McMahon has made several unpopular decisions over his four-decade-long tenure as the owner of WWE. Whether you agree or disagree, WWE has become more profitable than ever, and it never would have happened under Vince McMahon Sr.
While several unpopular decisions have led to negative consequences, there were some that ended up helping WWE in the long run. Here are some of those decisions:
#5. Defying Vince McMahon Sr.'s suggestion
Vince McMahon may have made WWE a global brand before the 21st century, but the groundwork was laid by his father Vince McMahon Sr. It's well known that McMahon Sr. never wanted to compete with other promotions.
His reign was during the territorial days and had he known that his son would create a monopoly in the wrestling business for years, the chances of him handing over the company would have been slim.
Regardless of what your opinion is of how Vince McMahon has handled things, wrestling would never have enjoyed mainstream success without him. One big change Vince McMahon made was the introduction of entrance music for wrestlers.
It's hard to imagine pro wrestling without entrance music, especially since several iconic moments are associated with it. Jim Johnston, the man behind several iconic WWE theme songs, told Chris Van Vliet in an interview that Vince McMahon made an unpopular decision in the eyes of his father - introducing entrance music for wrestlers:
"Matter of fact, one of my favorite stories was Vince’s father, when Vince bought the company from his dad and he wanted to put music in and his father told him, ‘If you put music to this program, you will completely kill this business.’ So, big miss by dad right there," said Johnston.
This turned out to be one of the best decisions that Vince McMahon could have made, as it helped give several superstars a larger-than-life feeling. If you think about the biggest stars over the years such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, and more, their theme songs helped establish their persona and presence.