10 Secrets To Vince McMahon's Success

5. Ted Turner

Vince McMahon WWE Champion
WWE Network

Vince McMahon first reacted to Ted Turner's arrival into his arena with the defensive lashing out of a child.

The infamous, reviled 'Billionaire Ted' skits of 1996 were damning stuff. The intention was to position the WWF as state-of-the-art; in reality, McMahon's failures manifested onscreen as pitiful desperation. McMahon, apoplectic, also wrote to Ted and dressed him down for allowing blading on WCW television in 1996. He wrote that this "encouraged practice of self mutilation is disgusting, violent, [and] potentially infectious."

McMahon didn't just have balls the size of grapefruits: he had a brass neck. One year removed from this petty business, he exposed himself as a hypocrite by lifting the blade ban (or turning a winked eye to it). Two years removed, and the WWF was awash with bloodshed. The lack of claret in WCW compelled him to fill in the blanks.

This was symptomatic of what Turner's two-year period of dominance did; Turner and Eric Bischoff awakened the bloodthirsty beast from his creative slumber, and moved him to translate the confidence generated by his offscreen court room success into his company's second boom period.

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!