5 greatest WWE ideas that came from Vince McMahon
Whether you love or hate Vince McMahon, you must give him the proper respect and credit where it's due. The former CEO and Chairman of WWE single-handedly changed the landscape of professional wrestling (or “Sports Entertainment”) forever.
McMahon took a vision that began with his father, Vince McMahon Sr., and made WWE into this global multimedia juggernaut that we know and love today.
The 77-year-old has had his fair share of great ideas and not-so-good ideas over the years. Thankfully, the good ideas outweigh the bad.
As you can see in the list below, these are some of the greatest ideas that McMahon has ever created, ideas that put WWE ahead of the competition.
So, without any further ado, let’s look at five of the greatest WWE ideas that came from Vince McMahon.
#5. The Creation of the “Attitude Era”
A rare photograph of the old WWF ‘Golden Era’ Logo getting replaced with the WWF ‘Attitude Era’ Logo.
Which logo was better? https://t.co/wgL0b3lSDK
WWE was at war with WCW in mid-to-late 1990s. WCW had the upper hand over the Stamford-based company thanks in part to their storyline featuring the renegade group, the “New World Order” (n.W.o.) with former WWE megastars, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash (Diesel), and Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) who ran all wild over the promotion and WCW programming.
Check Out: Hilarious memes of Vince McMahon
WWE were struggling in the ratings and couldn’t compete with WCW at this level, not with their old-school formulas that featured cartoonish characters like “Doink the Clown” and “The Goon”, dated storylines, and taped programming that was constantly spoiled by Eric Bischoff Monday Nitro.
McMahon countered with the creation of The Attitude Era. Launching this campaign in late 1997 by pushing the bar with WWE television, heading into a “Jerry Springer” type atmosphere with adult-oriented storytelling, cursing, bra & panties matches, controversial angles, hardcore matches, and more.
The Austin-McMahon rivalry, D-Generation X, The Women’s/Divas Division were some of the core components that helped WWE defeat WCW in the ratings war.
#4. WWE Draft
Some things to expect and not to expect after the upcoming WWE draft:
-Expect TV-14 on RAW
-Don’t expect single branded PLE’s
-Expect 2 separate world titles
- Don’t expect too many aesthetic changes such as unique sets for all ppv’s https://t.co/E8vw8WDqGs
After the WCW buyout in 2001, WWE was left with a much larger roster. The idea was made to hold a special “Draft”, very similar to what you see in pro sports, where a General Manager would be named for the RAW and SmackDown brands respectively.
The roster would be split up between the two brands, as their respective GM would announce picks for their brand, followed up by a supplemental draft lottery on WWE.com.
This was an ingenious idea by McMahon that would help wrestlers get pushed, help create new main event stars for each brand that could otherwise be lost in the shuffle, and emulate the brand vs. brand warfare that we once saw between WWE and WCW beforehand.
#3. Vince McMahon’s ultimate creation: WrestleMania
Let’s be honest, if weren't for the creation of WrestleMania, chances are that WWE may not be in business today. The entire wrestling landscape would have been drastically different… or perhaps, non-existent.
WrestleMania was created by Vince McMahon to bring the world of professional wrestling together with celebrities from all walks of life. We had stars such as boxer Muhammad Ali, musician Cyndi Lauper, Liberace, The Rockettes, and Billy Martin as special guests for the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985.
Not to mention that Mr. T competed in the main event of WrestleMania alongside Hulk Hogan, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and Paul Orndorff.
WrestleMania is currently the biggest professional wrestling event and over the past few years, WWE is hosting two nights of Mania, generating more revenue ,and success from The Show of Shows.
#2. The “Mr. McMahon” Persona
Following the infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997 that saw Bret Hart’s controversial exit from WWE to WCW, no one was hated more in the world of pro wrestling than Vince McMahon.
With one simple phrase during an interview with Jim Ross, as McMahon blamed Hart for what happened at the 1997 Survivor Series by stating: “Bret screwed Bret”, the “Mr. McMahon” character was born.
In the months that followed, we saw Vince McMahon morph from a once beloved color commentator to the biggest villain in WWE history. The then Chairman would stop at nothing in making any superstar who crossed him a living hell.
The one star that McMahon hated more than anyone was none other than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Which leads us to…
#1. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon Rivalry
The idea of Vince McMahon having his own character go to war with the company’s biggest babyface was the one storyline that carried WWE across the finish line in the war with WCW.
During the late 90s every week on Monday Night RAW was must-see television, just to tune in and see what Austin had in store to make Mr. McMahon’s life a living hell, and vice versa.
From Stone Cold attacking The Corporation with a beer truck, beating up Mr. McMahon in a hospital, taking Vince hostage and forcing him to pee his pants on live television, and destroying McMahon’s prized Corvette with a cement truck. These were just some of the most memorable angles during the Austin-McMahon saga.
The rivalry between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon may go down as one of the greatest rivalries in WWE history, and it’s an angle that is likely to never be duplicated ever again.
What other great ideas did you like from the Vince McMahon era in Sports Entertainment? Sounds off in the comments section below!