10 False Wrestling Facts You Probably Believe

10. WWE Made Wrestling Big Time

There's an image of the wider pro wrestling world, pre-1985, propagated by WWE's very specific language of smoky bingo halls, unremarkable wrasslers and low attendances. This all changed when Based God Vince McMahon created the glamour and prestige of WrestleMania, welcoming the nuclear family to his more palatable - and plain better! - sports entertainment reboot and its newfangled approach of telling stories and making movies.

The WWF did not make professional wrestling bigger; it made itself bigger at the expense of the professional wrestling industry.

The glitzy presentation, the MTV connection and the star power of Hulk Hogan did allow the WWF to cross over, but wrestling wasn't some grim niche concern. All live gate data pre-1985 confirms that the WWF's expansion shrank the industry.

In Texas alone, WCCW at its early '80s peak was a massive deal, drawing stadium and rammed Sportatorium crowds populated by screaming teenage girls in thrall to the street cool Von Erichs. When Hogan's run ended, so very nearly did professional wrestling in the U.S.

Vince McMahon didn't make lowly pro wrestling "big time"; he simply towered above that which he had reduced to rubble.