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

4. Himself

Stone Cold Steve Austin Vince McMahon
WWE

Vince McMahon did not see himself as a heel in the aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob.

This, despite hounding out a veritable WWF institution in deeply unpleasant circumstances when Bret Hart was at the height of his powers as a character and a pro wrestler. Vince scripted and orated the infamous "Bret screwed Bret" speech not to telegraph a heel turn but to absolve himself of any wrongdoing in the matter. It was an unsuccessful gambit; fans hated McMahon, taking the side of their guy. Since Vince refused to see Bret as their guy, this was hardly surprising. Vince McMahon didn't see the heel in Vince McMahon, even though Vince McMahon had performed as a heel to raves in Memphis four years earlier: another Vince did.

Vince Russo urged Vince to tap into the real-life sentiment and turn the red mist green. After some persuasion, he finally did, becoming arguably the best heel in the entire history of the business. The Mr. McMahon character was a sensation - an impossibly arrogant and domineering figure oozing the sort of corporate insincerity that made Steve Austin's humiliations of him so wonderfully cathartic.

McMahon turned himself up to 11, essentially, transmogrifying himself into pure ham and delivering some of the most indelible memories of the Attitude Era.

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!