10 Secrets To Vince McMahon's Success

1. Genuine Genius

Vince McMahon WWE Champion
WWE.com

Vince McMahon's historical genius is self-evident: bluntly, he did not come to oversee an empire, no matter how well-placed he was to build it, without possessing genuine brilliance.

As a storyline performer, McMahon was arguably wrestling's best ever - a hammy, hilarious, hysterical entertainment machine with a killer grasp of the catharsis at wrestling's core. As a promotor, McMahon was inarguably wrestling's greatest ever; even if he sometimes stumbled a*se-backwards into revelations - like the Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak - he held the nous to kick into a higher gear.

He sees things we'll never see; the ridiculous potential within Braun Strowman; the star power in Batista, who most pegged as a generic hoss; the subversive possibilities lurking within the anachronistic Kurt Angle persona, circa 1999...

His enduring genius still exists, despite the self-indulgence granted through the comfort of absolute market dominance. Sami Zayn, by his own account, thought he should act the tough guy following his recent heel turn. McMahon disagreed; "big smile out there," he instructed, per Zayn's appearance on the E&C Pod of Awesomeness. It worked: this new Zayn is brilliantly obnoxious.

McMahon is a wrestling genius; he's just been allowed to rest on his laurels for far too long.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!