10. XFL Goes Out Of Business, May 10th 2001
The XFL was the american football league which Vince McMahon launched off the back of the WWF's booming popularity in the year 2001. It was a bold mixture of real sport with some elements of showbiz mixed in. That was what Vince and his partners at NBC thought would make the sport a success, but ultimately it killed the brand, people just didn't know how to take the Football hybrid. By the end of the first 2001 it was clear the writing was on the wall. The reality hit home when NBC pulled their side of the backing for the project, admitting it was a serious failure. Vince in contrast was a bit more stubborn, he believed he could continue to a second season with UPN. That soon hit the brakes when UPN said they would do the deal but only if Smackdown was cut from a two hour show to 90 minutes. That was unacceptable to the WWE and on May 10th they announced the death of the XFL. The May demise of the league was a costly one: it cost the WWF $35 million and coincided with the downturn of wrestling popularity. Coincidence? Probably, although there's no doubt the loss hurt Vince and WWF's image.