10 Lessons You Can Learn From Vince McMahon To Become A Billionaire

9. Moreso Than Controversy, Racial, Cultural And Social Stereotypes Create Cash

WWE's fanbase includes intellectuals like Grantland.com sports columnist Bill Simmons to a plethora of well-respected athletes, a fourth-generation of both blue and white-collar middle class men in my family, millions of children and hundreds of millions more. Whereas most traditional media-driven entities will consciously attempt to section off broadcasting and focus more heavily on particular demographics, World Wrestling Entertainment instead uses the unique concept of aiming for the lowest common denominator viewer and buyer in us all. Yes, in simple terms that means racial, cultural and social stereotypes are at play early and often, and when best portrayed in storylines, oftentimes lead to periods of great wealth for WWE. For five decades, WWE's midcard has been filled with shucking and jiving African-Americans, humble Latinos, red-necked Southern hillibillies, hard-headed Samoans, Northern European hooligans who love to brawl, and all manner of Middle Easterners who practice jihad-style religious zealotry. On the top of the card, aggressive and muscled Caucasian Americans who embody uniquely Americanized versions of success story tropes of hard work or rugged entrepreneurship and don't back down from struggle win championship after championship. Occasional deviations (like, The Rock) from this standard occur, but for the most part, WWE's history features the kind of stereotyping that the highbrow can begrudgingly accept, the average person can locate themselves within, and children can aspire to become. It's an odd formula for sure, but one that has proven successful.

Contributor
Contributor

Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.