10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: Dino Bravo
8. Vince McMahon's Secret Fear?
It's no secret that Vince McMahon embarked on a ruthless crusade to expand his WWF horizons in the mid-80s. One of McMahon's prime targets was Canada, and he knew he'd have to get Dino Bravo on side to make it happen. So, Vince offered Dino big money (more on that in the next entry) and a match with Hulk Hogan.
That didn't end up happening.
Some talking heads speculated on the doc that Vince was secretly afraid fans would side with Dino over Hulk; that seems fanciful, especially given Hogan's immense star power in the 80s. It's not impossible though, and it is true that Bravo outshone everyone who worked in the Quebec area for years. He was the guy in that territory.
If McMahon did have any suspicions that people might cheer Dino over Hulk, he kept that private. Instead of booking the match in Canada, the WWF limited the showdown to non-televised live events in the United States during Dino's early years with the promotion.