10 Reasons Why Vince McMahon Will NEVER Shake Off The WWE ‘Stigma’

6. The Pro Wrestling Paradox

Trish Stratus Vince McMahon
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McMahon may desperately crave mainstream acceptance, but it will always be a sticking point that the one thing he managed to over-perform in was pro wrestling.

It's the industry that fed his fortune, his ego and his belief that he could do so much more outside of it, but the unfair aspersions cast upon it by the mainstream entertainment industry at large will permanently restrict his expectations.

To refer back to his most powerful friend, there are few arenas Donald Trump has not wealthily pushed his way into based on arguable success elsewhere. He's successful slapped the 'Trump' branding on all sorts en route to the White House in a way McMahon still hasn't done with his various food, music, film and book divisions over the course of the last two decades.

Splitting off from WWE entirely, McMahon's 'Alpha Entertainment' offshoot is perhaps as much to combat the huckster stereotype as it is re-position himself as more than just 'the wrestling guy'. History suggests a combination of his own sports entertainment bluster and a jagged relationship with the media won't allow for the clean break he needs.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett