10 MORE Huge "What If" Scenarios In WWE History
3. What If Vince McMahon Jr. Kept His Promise?
Prior to Vince McMahon Sr.'s passing in 1984, America's top wrestling territories had a longstanding agreement that no promotion would ever encroach on another's turf, ensuring individual territory's long-term viability and preventing a monopoly from breaking out.
Vince Jr. reportedly promised his father he'd never break the agreement after taking control of his company in 1982, but wasn't true to his word. His ambitions were gargantuan. He not only wanted WWE to transcend regional status, but to build an all-encompassing entertainment empire, and this started by aggressively driving the competition out of business.
This is such a vast subject that it's hard to tell how wrestling's future could've panned out had Vince curbed his grand ideas. Somebody else would've likely taken their promotion national later down the line, which would've surely triggered McMahon into following suit, though the balance of power may have shifted. Perhaps WCW's rise under Ted Turner would've sent McMahon spiralling into oblivion, much like the WWE's vast expansion did to Jim Crockett Promotions in the mid-'80s, forcing their sale to the broadcasting mogul in the first place.
Territorial wrestling would've gone the way of the dinosaurs regardless: it's just a question of who'd have been the last man standing.