It is traditionally assumed that Vince McMahon and you, the internet wrestling fan, can never ever see eye to eye. This is because Vince McMahon, in his head, has a set image of a top superstar that fits a certain mold. Only with these traits can someone ascend the ranks and become the top babyface of the company.
Ever since Vince McMahon Jr. took over the company from his father, he has fostered a brand that is built around a popular babyface (as opposed to say the NWA, which was built around top heel Ric Flair, and WCW circa 96, which was created around the nWo). This began with Hulk Hogan, and has continued with The Ultimate Warrior, Lex Luger, The Rock, John Cena, Randy Orton and finally Roman Reigns.
While the internet wrestling ‘smark’ may have gotten behind Randy Savage during Hulkamania, Bret Hart during the Lex Express, and C.M Punk/ A.J. Styles of right now, there’s more than enough evidence to prove that Vince McMahon agrees with Big Daddy Cool Kevin Nash’s assessment of them as ‘Vanilla Midgets’ and believes that they won’t draw a dime. But enough about the boss. Let’s find out what characteristics make him pick the face that runs the place.
#5 An impressive ‘big’ physique
As a bodybuilder himself (who’s in phenomenal shape at the age of 71), Vince McMahon is attracted to superstars with a robust, imposing physique. Be it Lex Luger or Roman Reigns, the physically formidable stars have constantly received pushes ahead of smaller crowd favourites (Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan respectively), and these two men have ruled the roost in the company, 20 years apart.In fact, it is speculated that if not for the steroids scandal that rocked the wrestling world in 1991, smaller superstars like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels would never have become main event players at all. Vince adopts the traditional viewpoint that smaller superstars don’t draw money at all, and invests money in building stars who have a certain look. This is said to primarily be to connect with a mainstream audience. A non-fan audience that, with little regard for the actual spectacle of wrestling, is drawn towards it only due to the formidable and awe-inspiring on-screen presence of the wrestlers themselves. One can only guess how accurate this assessment is, but for what it is worth, WWE is called ‘Land of the Giants’ for a reason and the fact has certainly has been apparent in their programming for a long time.
#4 Mainstream ‘crossover’ appeal
There’s a very famous story that's told in the wrestling world. When Ted Turner took over WCW, he called up Vince McMahon and told him- ‘Guess what Vince? I’m in the wrestling business’. Vince McMahon famously retorted with- ‘Guess what Ted! I’m in the entertainment business’. WWE has constantly had their top stars make appearances on talk shows, TV shows and even films, to extend its’ reach and thereby garner an audience that tunes in to wrestling as a consequence.Every top WWE superstar, be it John Cena or The Rock, is a good looking, charismatic and marketable individual chosen for their abilities to connect with the mainstream audience through all possible avenues.
#3 Merchandising potential
The WWE store and global merchandise sales are a major source of revenue for the company. Be it in terms of t-shirts, action figures or title belts; WWE makes a lot of money through merchandising. As a consequence, it invests a lot of money to make its top stars into marketable brands that wrestling fans could buy into.The Rock is one of the greatest merch sellers of all time, as is Hulk Hogan both in his original red/yellow avatar as well as in black, as a member of the nWo. John Cena of course, has probably sold more merchandise in his tenure as the ‘top guy’ than anyone else in the company. If you bring Vince ample currency, your career is set as a top WWE superstar.
#2 Charity appearances
There has been a lot of negative press associated with professional wrestling, be it in terms of steroids, heart attacks or the Chris Benoit tragedy. To rectify the wrongs it is associated with, WWE believes in doing good for the benefit of the community.Over the years, the company has associated itself with a number of worthy causes and top stars are expected to participate in WWE’s charitable endeavors, to help make a difference. A top babyface is often chosen for his/her connection with the fans, and ‘Make a Wish’ appearances are expected from you, the higher up the hierarchy, you are!
#1 Microphone skills
A top babyface is not just a professional wrestler, but an all round entertainer. Be it Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior or (especially) The Rock, they’re all right at home on the microphone. Not only does the top babyface have to connect with the audience, but also has to sell tickets with promo skills. Sure, Lex Luger and Roman Reigns were not seasoned in this department, but that could be the reason that (unlike their contemporaries) their runs at the top were cut short. Imagine if your favourite babyface had no microphone skills at all. We’ll leave you with that thought. If you smell what The Rock is cooking!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
