10 Most Shocking Vince McMahon Controversies

In the nineteen-eighties, The WWF was known for its larger than life characters, and was built on the backs of modern day superheroes like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior . However, it was an open secret at the time that steroid use was widespread among wrestlers, and perhaps even encouraged by Vince McMahon to ensure his wrestlers fit the certain image of what a “wrestler” is.

In 1993, this came to a head when McMahon was indicted in federal court for conspiring with convicted steroid distributor Dr. George Zahorian to distribute anabolic steroids among the locker room. The case went to trial in 1994 after Vince was forced to cede control of WWF to Linda amid the controversy and McMahon was rocked when Hulk Hogan was called to testify for the prosecution, but ultimately McMahon was acquitted of the charges.

While McMahon was found innocent, the case changed wrestling forever as Vince was forced to rely on smaller, more athletic stars in his main event like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, both of whom would revolutionise the business in their own way. 

The effects were felt further afield also, as when Hulk Hogan arrived in WCW, he was looking noticeably trimmer than he did during his WWE days and as wrestling barreled into the nineties it was clear that the days of the muscled-up big men were gone.