10 Uncredited Architects Behind WWE’s Gigantic Success
8. Dr. Tom Prichard
Dr. Tom Prichard had a major hand ushering in the Attitude Era.
The WWF decimated the territory system in the 1980s and made informal, tentative steps to replenish the talent pool towards the end of the millennium. The company partnered with a couple of rogue Memphis outliers and sent talent there for seasoning. Those who had to be trained from scratch were done so in a comically unsuitable converted studio warehouse by Prichard. WWE heralds Ohio Valley Wrestling (and rightfully so) for producing the talent that ushered in the Ruthless Aggression era; oddly, the same reverence is not bestowed upon Tom Prichard. Cynical spidey senses tingle when one considers he had a falling out with Triple H, precipitating his second departure from the company.
Nonetheless, Prichard trained The Rock and Kurt Angle from scratch in what is known as the Stamford Farm, and had a firm hand in the development of several Attitude Era midcard acts and future bonafide main event stars alike in Jeff Hardy and Edge.
The complexion of the industry would look very different, were it not for Prichard. The gap between his first departure and Triple H's eventual overhaul of developmental is marked by a comical highlight reel of disaster under John Laurinaitis' stewardship.