10 Wrestling Bookers Who Damaged Their Own Promotions

The epitome of hit and miss, Vince McMahon has scaled the highest highs professional wrestling has ever offered. Unfortunately, he's also stumbled into the lowest lows there is on the creative side of life.

Upon taking over the WWF, McMahon put his plan to go national and then international at the expense of the territory system in motion. With the likes of Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage and Andre the Giant front and centre, 'The Genetic Jackhammer' fast became professional wrestling's Julius Caesar.

By 1993, much of The Cartoon Era's air was out of the balloon. With many of the key stars gone, and with little to no competition, McMahon and co. got way too set in their ways. The result was an increasingly juvenile product chock full of infantile gimmicks.

Worse still were the angles, many of which made little to no sense and were cornier than a cob. From '93 to '96, fans were tormented with the likes of Diesel in a Christmas jumper (truly the beginning of the end for him as the promotion's premier star), Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid misbehaving with diapers, The Undertaker being Captain America and Bret Hart being stuck in a crossface chickenwing for an aeon.

Beyond some remarkable wrestling from Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Owen Hart, the product was at best tedious and at worst unwatchable.

For Vince McMahon, seeing Hulk Hogan regain relevance as a cool heel in WCW was the kick up the backside he needed. WWF quickly moved into edgier, grittier territory in late '96. By '98, they were back on winning form popularity-wise with a hip, unpredictable product.