10 Times Vince McMahon Sold His Soul

8. Boywatch

Vince McMahon Stacy Keibler
WWE.com

Shawn Michaels wrestled for less than forty minutes when he went coast to coast in 1995 to book his WWE Title shot at WrestleMania XI, but Vince McMahon knew he could spin the story of the 'Heartbreak Kid' winning from the #1 spot in a way that would quickly force fans to forget - particularly if he saddled his next great hope with Baywatch star and globally renowned pin-up Pamela Anderson.

Always in awe of Hollywood sheen, McMahon booked his entire Rumble around 'Pammy' as much as the title shot itself. Ads for the show featured her at home fending off messages from the bulk of the roster, and a famous opening vignette from the show saw her arrive with sh*tty stick in hand to push back the advances of Mabel, Doink et al.

Bizarrely charismatic in the face of heel 'HBK's obnoxiousness, Anderson radiated a certain charm regardless of her blatant disinterest in getting involved.

It was more crudely on show a few months later as her passing interest in the grand WWE f*ckabout she'd agreed to gradually waned, but for one night at least Shawn Michaels became a bigger star by virtue of his placement alongside another one.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett