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Today, Vincent Kennedy McMahon turns 74.
It's hard to imagine where pro-wrestling would be today if it hadn't been for Vince McMahon. Soon after buying off WWE from his father, McMahon made it a point to turn the company into the biggest wrestling corporation in the world. Around 4 decades later, it's safe to say that he has been successful in achieving his intended goal.
The journey towards turning WWE into a global phenomenon certainly wasn't an easy one for McMahon. On his way to pro-wrestling greatness, Vince made several friends, as well as foes. Nevertheless, he came unscathed out of every challenge that was laid out in front of him, most notably The Monday Night Wars. Buying off WCW and ECW in 2001 was possibly the biggest victory of Vince McMahon's professional career, and he never looked back. Let's celebrate Vince McMahon's birthday by looking into 5 big changes that he made to Pro Wrestling.
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#5 Created legendary storylines that are still mimicked to this day
Under Vince McMahon's vision, WWE delighted its fans with a string of iconic and memorable angles that fans still talk about today, and some of which are mimicked to this day. Possibly the greatest pro-wrestling rivalry of all time, Vince McMahon vs Stone Cold Steve Austin was simple, yet incredibly effective in its delivery.
The struggle of an everyday worker against his corrupt, power-hungry boss was something everyone could relate to. It turned Vince into one of the biggest heels of all time, and Austin into an anti-hero everyone loved to cheer for. This storyline has been imitated several times since then, notably with John Cena and Eric Bischoff, but nothing ever came close to it. Same can be said about the brother vs brother rivalry between The Undertaker and Kane, and the unmatched tension between The Rock and Steve Austin.
#4 Turned mid-carders into megastars who enjoy major fan followings today
Vince McMahon sensed the possibilities he had with Hulk Hogan as WWE's top face, and ran with the opportunity at his hand. The Result? Hogan is regarded today as possibly the most recognizable pro-wrestler of all time. Vince took 'The Ringmaster' and turned him into Stone Cold Steve Austin, who essentially saved him from going bankrupt and being defeated by WCW in the Monday Night Wars.
The Rock, a cringy babyface once, is now a major Hollywood star, and John Cena seems to be going the same way, now that he has bagged a role in Fast & Furious 9.
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#3 Created Wrestling's own annual festival
People from various countries gather once a year to enjoy festivals pertaining to a variety of genres. Tomorrowland, an electronic dance music festival, is one such example. Vince McMahon put all of his eggs in the same basket back in 1985 and created WrestleMania. The event was a huge hit, and has now become an annual pro-wrestling festival, lasting a whole week.
Fans from more than 60 countries visit WrestleMania every year, plus several indie promotions make it a point to host shows on 'Mania weekend. Add to it the Hall of Fame ceremony, WWE Axxess, and the Raw after WrestleMania, and it becomes a festival a fan must visit at least once in their life.
#2 Made it easier to watch pro-wrestling
Vince McMahon has acquired a gigantic collection of pro-wrestling tapes, over the past few decades. After teasing it for a while, WWE finally launched the WWE Network, a monthly service that allows a fan to watch unlimited content for a very small fee that they need to pay every month.
Fans can now watch the latest live PPVs, weekly shows, original reality shows, and a vast collection of classic wrestling PPVs that include WCW and ECW footage. There are thousands upon thousands of hours of classic videos that one can enjoy at any given time at the comfort of their home. WWE has essentially created a Netflix for pro-wrestling fans.
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#1 Turned WWE into a global phenomenon
Over the course of the past several years, Vince McMahon took a series of decisions that have led to WWE turning into a global phenomenon. He brought in the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mike Tyson to garner mainstream attention, and allowed Donald Trump to shave him bald, resulting in WrestleMania 23 bagging record buys. He embraced PG to bring in families, kids, and tons of cash along with them, leading to John Cena becoming a Superhero figure for children all across the world.
WWE currently boasts over 1 billion followers on social media, and Triple H is planning to expand NXT to various nations. Stephanie McMahon has a vision of seeing WWE become as big as Disney. With the collective minds of Vince, Triple H, and Stephanie, and the progress they have made over the years, this goal suddenly seems achievable a few decades down the line.
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