In honor of Mr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon reaching an incredible milestone of 70, I would like to analyze the things that made him great along with things that made you scratch your head. With all of his contributions good and bad, is Vince McMahon truly a "Genius"? I would like to dive into that.
Pros:
Visionary
Pioneer
Launched Wrestling into the Mainstream
Started WrestleMania
Created the PPV Concept
Globalized Wrestling
Defeated WCW and ECW
Showcased legends like Stone Cold, The Rock, Undertaker, HBK, etc
The Creation of The Undertaker Character
Access to the library of any and every territory
Cons:
Micromanager
Kevin Dunn
Complacent Booking after winning Monday Night War
Antiquated (Out of Touch) Ideals
Criticized for "poaching" talent from other territories
Vince McMahon has his pluses and his minuses. On one hand, he engineered a revolution in television and marketing for wrestling with the rise of WrestleMania, Rock & Wrestling and the birth of PPV. On the flip side, people like to discredit McMahon because he did not naturally cultivate the stars of that Era.
Hulk Hogan:
"Hulkamania" originated during Hogan's time in the AWA, so Vince cannot take full credit for that part. However, McMahon streamlined Hogan on a level that Verne Gagne would have never showcased him. Vince put Hogan on a national and global platform like never before. Hogan reached his greatest heights within Vince's vehicle of success (WWF).
"Macho Man" Randy Savage:
Like Hulkster, "Macho Man" was a product of another territory. Savage was a star in Memphis for a number of years. Vince saw enough value in Randy to bring him into his fold to expand his vision. Some may criticize Vince for it, but the move did miracles for Savage's career. Macho Man became a legend on Vince's stage and enjoyed a highly lucrative run.
Andre The Giant:
Andre The Giant was technically a star that was a holdover from Vince McMahon, Sr. However, Vince Jr can still take a share of the credit for Andre's drawing power and exposure going into the 80's.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper:
The Roddy Piper character was originally formed in the territories. That is where Piper first displayed his incredible skills on the mic. McMahon presented Piper with a larger stage to display how great of an entertainer that he was. I believe that "Piper's Pit" would have never worked in any other promotion but the WWF. Like the rest of his peers, Piper was a made man under Vince Jr's Administration. Along with Hogan and Andre, Piper was one of the stars of the "Rock & Wrestling" Cartoon.
I can name countless others, but these were some of the main stars that were front and center during Vince's revolution of the 80's. Vince McMahon's greatest quality at that time was his ability to strategically market his product and his stars in a larger than life fashion.
Although Vince inherited the business from his Father, he put his own creative twist on things and flipped the business around in a different direction.
Of course, we have to move into the 90's when WCW and ECW would make a rise as competition. At the helm of those promotions were Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman.
Eric Bischoff:
Bischoff gets plenty of credit for how he introduced the NWO and beat Vince McMahon for more than 80 consecutive weeks during the Monday Night Wars. He was also instrumental in introducing the Cruiserweight Division in WCW. On the other hand, Bischoff got most of that success on the backs of Vince's former stars who did not have much left in the tank. They worked for a while, but eventually their novelty started to wear off. He also kept a ceiling on the less established names, whether they were Cruiserweights or not.
Paul Heyman:
Before the Attitude Era was even thought of, Paul Heyman's ECW Brand was the red-headed stepchild that fought against both establishments of WWF and WCW. Heyman's hardcore brand of wrestling catered to a more mature, non-traditional audience who wanted to watch crazy, over the top entertainment.
Here are some of the people that Vince established into Main Event Stars after they spent years in the Mid card under WCW/ECW:
Steve Austin:
In WCW, Steve Austin was simply a very good hand in the ring on the Midcard level. Austin was a member of the Dangerous Alliance under Paul E. Dangerously at the time. He would also win the WCW TV Title, US Title and Tag Team Titles with Brian Pillman (Hollywood Blondes).
Eventually, Bischoff placed a glass ceiling on Austin's head and said that a guy with black trunks and black boots could not draw. The higher ups had no room for Steve Austin. When Austin was injured, Eric fired him over the phone as we all know by now. Austin goes to ECW to reunite with Paul Heyman.
For most of his time there, Steve cuts nothing but promos. The Stone Cold character was in its embryonic stage in ECW. Not too long from that, Stone Cold makes the jump to the WWF. First, he is given the outdated Ringmaster gimmick. Then, Vince gives him free reign to be himself. From that point, the rest of the Stone Cold Story was history. Bischoff foolishly threw Austin to the curb. Heyman planted the seed before Vince watered it for Steve Austin to grow into who he needed to be. Austin would become one of the greatest Icons that wrestling has ever seen.
Mick Foley:
Like Steve Austin, Mick Foley was an undercard guy that was underappreciated by Eric Bischoff and others at the top of the WCW Hierarchy. Eric let Mick go because he wanted to make room for Vince's nostalgia show (Hogan, Savage, etc). Foley continues his Cactus Jack run in ECW for a brief period of time before landing in Vince World (WWF) where he becomes Mankind. During his run with WWF/E, Foley would become a 3-time WWF Champion, Tag Champion along with being a Hardcore Champion. He was given a green light that was never presented before.
Chris Jericho:
Chris Jericho traveled around the world for years perfecting his craft before becoming a star in America. Chris was first discovered nationally by Paul Heyman in ECW. Jericho's matches with ECW and with Japan caught the attention of Eric Bischoff, as he swiped him away from Heyman. Chris was one of the figureheads of the Cruiserweight Division, as he was also able to show how entertaining he really was after turning heel. Jericho gained a grassroots following in the Cruiserweight world with his incredible matches with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, etc along with his promos such as the "1,004 Holds". He would then become TV Champion. However, Jericho would become another victim of the Eric Bischoff glass ceiling as he was never able to move any higher in WCW. Chris knew that he would find greener pastures with Vince McMahon and the WWF. After his contract with WCW expired, Jericho moved up north to Titan Towers where he became a bigger star.
These three men are some of the examples of Vince McMahon taking wrestlers that were undervalued and making them legends and bonafide Hall of Famers. Can you imagine Y2J wrestling guys like Goldberg and Sting, or Goldberg and Hogan for the Undisputed Title? He would get demolished. Vince saw enough in a guy like that to give him that window of opportunity.
Part of the Genius of Vince McMahon has been his ability to maximize what less established talent could do. He has also been a master of managing personalities and egos. Everyone knew that at the end of the day, Vince was the boss.
Vince would occasionally hang out with "The Boys", but they knew their place when it came to dealing with him. He would not let the wrestlers take advantage of him.
Meanwhile, a guy like Eric Bischoff let the Main Event Stars run over him. He wanted to be more like a friend than a Boss. More often than not, Hogan and Nash were his bosses.
As creative as Paul Heyman is, he was not the best when it came to business. Everyone knows the stories of Heyman's lies and his bad checks.
With all of his flaws, Vince McMahon is a Once In A Lifetime Personality and the wrestling world would not have gone as far as it did without him. Vince McMahon's imprint has been crucial to this thing we know as professional wrestling and sports entertainment.
He has left a lasting impression on me as a fan and as someone who likes to have a Vision. My life as a wrestling fan would not be the same if Vince McMahon never existed.
As much as people complain about the current product, fans would have to admit that if not for Vince McMahon we would not have shows like WrestleMania, Summerslam, etc to look forward to over the years.
Now, things will be in better hands with Triple H and Stephanie making their own significant mark. You can see it with the development of the NXT Talent rising. Vince is taking less and less of an onscreen role and all he has to do is sit back and be an advisor to them.
Mr. Vincent K. McMahon, this is for you. You are truly a Genius.
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