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Around four decades after Vince McMahon bought off WWE from his father, the company is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Vince McMahon went through a lot to elevate his company to new heights, giving the WWE Universe a never-ending string of memorable moments in the process.
Vince signed future megastars, had to fire many, bought off his competition, and made several life-altering decisions over the course of the past 40 years that brought him where he's at presently.
Today, Vince is assisted by a strong team of officials to handle the weekly WWE shows and PPVs, including his daughter Stephanie McMahon and her husband Triple H. The duo will take the helm from Vince somewhere down the line, and are striving to turn WWE into a major global brand.
In the following slideshow, we will take a look at the five smartest business decisions Vince McMahon ever took.
Also read: Big Cass reveals what Vince McMahon told him before WWE release
#5 Not accepting Eric Bischoff's challenge
At the peak of the Attitude Era, Eric Bischoff came out on an episode of Monday Nitro and laid down a challenge for WWE owner Vince McMahon. Bischoff called Vince out and challenged him to a match at the upcoming WCW PPV named Slamboree.
Bischoff went all the way with his plan and even got a dressing room ready for Vince if he decided to show up. Vince never did it though.
He allegedly stated that he had to attend a graduation. Imagine if Vince had decided to go along with it and appeared for a shoot fight at Slamboree!
It would have resulted in WCW getting major press, and higher ratings, as a result, no matter who would have 'won'. Vince made a sound decision at the time by not letting Bischoff get in his head.
#4 Battle of the Billionaires
Vince McMahon knows what makes the crowd go wild and what brings mainstream attention to his company. Back in 2007, Vince promoted WrestleMania 23, centered around one match: The Battle of the Billionaires.
Donald Trump's presence, Stone Cold Steve Austin's return as a special guest referee, and the huge stipulation attached to the bout between Umaga and Bobby Lashley, made sure that the PPV buys would be going through the roof.
WrestleMania 23 garnered tons of mainstream attention, perhaps the biggest after Mike Tyson's involvement in WrestleMania 14's main event. The event bagged 1.2 million PPV buys, a record that stood strong for the next 5 years, until The Rock and Cena broke it.
Also read: 5 Superstars who reminded fans of former wrestlers
#3 Hiring his competition
After WCW and ECW folded, Vince McMahon took in Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman, two legit geniuses who were Vince's competition back in the day. Bischoff became possibly the greatest heel authority figure in WWE after Vince McMahon.
Heyman saved SmackDown in 2002 with the help of "SmackDown Six" after the show was almost on the verge of getting canceled.
Years later, Vince has hired the two men as the Executive Directors of Raw and SmackDown Live, in a decision that has been hailed by many in the wrestling industry.
These two have sound wrestling minds which would only help improve the quality of WWE's weekly shows as we move ahead.
#2 Going PG
In July 2008, WWE announced that it was going PG. The weekly TV programming and monthly PPV events suffered a great deal from the decision.
Chair shots to the head were banned now, John Cena's finishing move F-U was now called the Attitude Adjustment, profanities were banned, and medial personnel would rush in immediately if a wrestler suffered a cut during a match.
The move led to a major rating decline, but the profits were up, as has been explained in detail here.
WWE's decision to go PG alienated a large chunk of longtime fans but brought in new viewers in kids who would buy WWE merchandise and attend weekly events with their parents.
Cena became the epitome of a good guy, turning into a role model for millions of kids across the world. Despite the poor ratings, the decision made WWE a huge amount of money in the long run.
Also read: 5 babyfaces who returned to WWE as heels
#1 Kicking off the Attitude Era
By the mid-90s, WCW had given a major overhaul to its weekly programming. The birth of the nWo kicked off a new era with clear-cut babyfaces and heels being replaced with anti-heroes like Hollywood Hogan and Sting. Vince McMahon decided to change with the times and delivered a promo, stating that a big change was coming to WWE TV.
This promo was followed by WWE targeting mature audiences and pushing realistic anti-hero characters like Stone Cold and D-Generation X. The move was one that possibly prevented Vince McMahon's WWE from going out of business. WWE slowly got its steam back and went on to defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars, buying it off in March 2001.
