10 Secrets Behind WWE's Stunning Current Success
3. Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon did not invent women's wrestling despite what she might have you believe, nor would that be something to shout about at the moment considering the state of the division outside of a select few top stars.
What she did do, however, was completely transform the internal machinations of the company at a time when it desperately needed to happen.
The actions of Chris Benoit over the weekend of June 24th 2007 shook the industry to its very core and drastically shook up how WWE looked at their operations going forward. The Wellness Policy instituted in 2006 was exposed as fatally flawed, particularly when scores of wrestlers fell afoul of tighter restrictions throughout the remainder of the year.
Internally and externally, things needed to change, and McMahon taking a bigger role behind the scenes aided a monied Mattel deal that forced the company to go PG and in turn forced a philosophical shift that had transformative ramifications. Turning good public relations into monster profits, the reimagined WWE became attractive to all advertisers, and all within a few short years from a tragedy that would have resulted in other empires crumbling.