10 WWE World Champions Who Didn’t Fit Vince McMahon’s Philosophy
That fascination with size has occasionally been flipped upside down...
Ask most non-wrestling fans to name just one WWF/WWE World Champion and there's a good chance that person will still answer with someone like Hulk Hogan or The Rock. Nowadays, John Cena may even come up in the conversation too. Bags of personality and the ability to hypnotise viewers verbally with promos isn't the only thing these men have in common; they also all had size when champion.
It's long been said that Vince McMahon, the single most important man in all of WWE, is obsessed by larger-than-life performers. In the mid-to-late 1980s, McMahon's WWF was built on musclebound beasts like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.
Along the way, those of smaller stature (crucially possessing superb gimmicks) like Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, and Edge have been able to break into the top line scene. In amongst those hulking monsters and magical promo men, what about those with a more plain appearance or character?
That's the focus here: those WWE World Champions who just didn't fit into Vince McMahon's philosophy of favouring size and cartoon-like appeal. These men, world class performers or not, must be considered surprise champions under Vince's watch...
10. Mankind
Capturing his first WWF Heavyweight Title on the January 4, 1999 edition of Raw Is War, Mankind is exactly the kind of character who brilliantly illustrates how Vince McMahon's mindset was shaped by the dawn of the Attitude Era. At the beginning of the decade, it's almost impossible to envision McMahon allowing someone like Mick Foley to hold his top prize.
An out-of-control, borderline psychotic heel when he joined the promotion in 1996, Mankind gently morphed into one of the most beloved babyfaces of his generation. His initial title victory was greeted with a sizeable roar, vindicating management's decision to put the belt on him.
Yet, there's a curious quality to the Mankind gimmick. Foley certainly wasn't a body guy, at times during his career he barely looked like he worked out at all. Instead, the man possessed quite fearsome natural chemistry and came across as a complete underdog.
Fans lapped this up, adoring Foley's portrayal of the unhinged masked man and cheering on his odd quirks. Who else could use a sock as part of his finishing move and go on to become World Champion?