10 Times WWE Narrowly Avoided Disaster

9. Prison Inmate Saves Vince McMahon From Prison

Nailz WWE
WWE

Due process is of huge importance.

Everybody has the right to a free trial.

And, while the complexities of the legal system are all too frequently exploited, the process is as arduous and as painstaking as it is because it losing one's freedom should only be taken away if they are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This is why the judge didn't take one look at The Warlord and boot Vince McMahon into a cell then and there.

Indicted on charges of distributing anabolic steroids to his wrestlers, McMahon was in deep sh*t in '94. The Warlord and others admitted under oath that they enhanced their bodies artificially, where Rick Rude expressed his belief that Vince, without an explicit instruction, asked him to do so in a coded way.

What would have happened?

Bruce Prichard has disputed the widely believed Jerry Jarrett succession plan, which all but confirms the veracity of it. Vince wouldn't have stayed in the clink for long, and Jarrett was a diamond-sharp wrestling mind, but the carny sharks may well have chewed each to death in a mad bid for power.

Mercifully for the WWF, witness Nailz buggered it up for the prosecution by admitting he "hated" McMahon, torpedoing his credibility and that of the case.

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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!