10 Most Divisive Figures In Wrestling History
3. Vince McMahon
Prosecution:
Body fascist. Dictator. A man utterly at odds with the wants of his fanbase, and a man increasingly isolated in his tower. He seems to troll that fanbase out of both spite and pure ignorance, destroying almost everything fans hold dear - a sense of meritocracy, suspension of disbelief, authenticity, engrossing and logical storylines worth investing in, wrestlers we actually like - because ultimately, he can. So often, watching WWE is akin to arguing with an inanimate object in how futile it is. McMahon will always revert to type. Foreign wrestlers are almost invariably scary, but be a star. The hypocrisy is also maddening. McMahon is also a shady business figure, to be kind.
Defence:
We keep coming back because McMahon remains a master promotor. We laughed at the Great Balls Of Fire PPV name in unison...only to watch it in our droves because, just as Jinder Mahal reached his nadir, McMahon went and greenlit an all-tweener affair between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe - essentially a fantasy booking scenario made real. As terrible as WWE often is, McMahon has never lost the ability to make us forget it in an instant.
Author Verdict:
Much as I enjoy Braun Strowman, a Vince McMahon fetish writ large and proof that his Midas touch has not yet escaped him, it's painfully obvious that the man is out of touch. Then again: how awesome was that Kevin Owens beatdown angle on this week's SmackDown? The man is so divisive that it's impossible to truly make my mind up. I prefer to remain agnostic in the face of the man who once claimed he was more powerful than God.