10 Times WWE Got Its Ass Kicked

8. The Collapse Of The WBF

Sting Undertaker Higher Power
WWE.com

Many fans are well aware of the collapse of the XFL, both back in 2001 and more recently the declaration of bankruptcy put forward by the relaunched football league only a matters of weeks ago, but some may have zero idea that the WBF once existed.

Not content with having toppled the wrestling business and amassed the biggest sports entertainment organisation on the planet, 1990 saw Vince McMahon cast his eyes on dominating another industry: professional bodybuilding. And so, the World Bodybuilding Federation was created.

Wanting to start a brand to rival the International Federation of BodyBuilding, Vince officially launched the WBF in January 1991. With the promise of glitzy PPV events and major prize money on offer, the WBF proved to be a flop from the get-go - largely because bodybuilding enthusiasts weren't fond of the pro wrestling sheen McMahon brought to the sport, while wrestling fans had minimal interest in bodybuilding.

Of course, Vince eventually hung his hat on Lex Luger as a way to appeal to both bodybuilding and wrestling audiences. Whether Lex would've proved to be the saviour of the WBF, that's highly debatable. Unfortunately for McMahon, Luger would be involved in a motorcycle accident that put him on the shelf. And by the time Lex was ready for action, McMahon had already had to axe the WBF due to appalling PPV buyrates.

For the then-World Wrestling Federation, WWF programming was utilised to hype up Vinny Mac's jacked-up new venture - and the financial fallout of the WBF's failings would likewise be felt by McMahon's wrestling promotion.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.