10 Times Vince McMahon Had Nothing To Do With WWE's Massive Success

8. The Rise Of The Workhorse

Vince GULP
WWE

WWE marketed the WrestleMania 34 clash between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura as The Dream Match. With an expectation of a sublime in-ring product set, WWE simply formalised the sentiment as an attraction. The company that refuses to this day to refer to itself as wrestling used the promise of pure wrestling to seduce a core audience dismayed at the prospect of Roman Reigns' latest headlining match.

Much of that sentiment was generated by Bret 'Hitman' Hart.

Had Vince McMahon's original post-Hulkamania vision(s) materialised, WWE may well have resumed its stigma as the cartoon league. When Hulk Hogan failed to replace Hulk Hogan, Vince settled on Diet Hulk Hogan: Lex Luger. He didn't take. Vince attempted to anoint Diesel as the next face of his empire. He was even less popular, becoming, objectively, the worst-drawing WWF Champion ever. Bret Hart was the man Vince invariably turned to when fan relations inevitably plummeted. His mechanical excellence and gripping storytelling ability was immense. Hart was the transitional champion who ushered in the transition from the big man to the good hand, retaining the WWF's core audience in the process.

Given that the primary demographic of WWE fans (age 50+) are those who grew up on Hart, to which content is "super-served" to ensure maximum profitability, Vince has made millions from a philosophy he adopted out of reluctance.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!