10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1991

7. It's Not Just AEW...

Sherri doing a choke
WWE

Recently, WWE announced the Bash In Berlin Premium Live Event, which is set to emanate from the Mercedez-Benz arena on Saturday, August 31, 2024.

Now, WWE has frequently promoted PLEs in international markets under Triple H and Nick Khan, and have a strong base of fans in Germany - but it would be naive to state that the timing of the show didn't have a tiny bit to do with the fact that German fans now have less incentive to travel to England to watch a major event promoted by a US company that does not tour Europe frequently.

Certainly, while low on the list of reasons to book it, the existence of All In 2 - and WWE's desire to undermine it somewhat - was in the "Pros" column.

WWE was doing this sort of thing decades before All Elite Wrestling existed. They were doing it long before 1991 - Survivor Series only ever existed as a means of throttling Jim Crockett Promotions as a viable concern on pay-per-view - but in 1991, Vince McMahon booked a stadium show out of pure spite.

Because the promoter of the St. Louis Arena had allowed WCW to run shows in the building, an aghast Vince McMahon decided to book Busch Stadium in retaliation. Knowing that the attendance would dwarf the crowd WCW would pull to the arena, he - and this was a ballsy move mere months after 'Mania VII was downsized - also knew that the arena promoter would see the WWF as the only viable wrestling racket in subsequent years.

It's this sort of cynical yet astute thinking with which Vince got to where he was.

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!