10 Times WWE Bounced Back From Adversity
By hook or by crook, Vince McMahon's company has overcome some major hurdles over the decades.
The wrestling business is an industry that’s so often been shrouded in controversy and shocking real-life moments – especially for Vince McMahon and WWE.
Since taking over his father's company in 1984 at 37 years of age, Vinny Mac has gone on to make it the greatest wrestling organisation in the world, to the point where he bought out any genuine competition and has been operating as a virtual monopoly for the past 18 years.
Along the way, however, Vince and WWE have ran up against some major roadblocks in a whole variety of different ways. At times, this adversity has been in the form of utter tragedy.
Somehow, WWE always manages to bounce back from whatever brick walls it comes up against.
To his credit, that's part of the make-up of McMahon - he's a stubborn old bastard who refuses to stay down - and it's that determination and cut-throat personality that's propelled VKM and WWE to where they are today.
Here, we’re showcasing ten of the most shocking things WWE and Vince McMahon have had to overcome during its last 35 years as the de facto industry leader.
10. The Tom Cole Allegations
One of the early shocks of the ‘90s for the then-World Wrestling Federation came back in 1992 when ring attendant Tom Cole made allegations of sexual misconduct.
Cole’s allegations were directed at ring announcer Mel Phillips, agent Pat Patterson, and wrestler-turned-producer Terry Garvin. Those allegations saw Cole claim that Phillips had a fetish for his feet, that Patterson had grabbed his ass, and that Garvin had sexually harassed him.
After these allegations surfaced, Titan Sports and Tom Cole agreed on an out of court settlement – despite Vince McMahon initially claiming that he and his company were being targeted for daring to make the progressive move of employing gay people.
With the media having picked up on this story, the company would fire Phillips, while Patterson and Garvin resigned from their positions. Of course, Pat Patterson would eventually return to the company and once again become a pivotal part of McMahon’s inner circle.