Biggest mistake: Overestimating the WWE Network To call Vince McMahon out of touch at this point would be as redundant as proclaiming that the earth is round. He has demonstrated a complete disconnect with the modern pro wrestling fan, and has no idea what fans think is funny (seriously, having Seth Rollins say suffering succotash in a promo with Reigns? Really?) But the epitome of this disconnect would have to be his lack of understanding of how the Internet works, and how the WWE Network was doomed to fail. The idea behind the WWE Network was to allow fans to have access to WWE programming, Pay-Per-Views, and specials. While some programs on the Network have been well-received, such as NXT Evolution and Stone Colds podcast interviewing Vince himself, the fact is Vince made several critical mistakes when putting together the network. For starters, there is little unique content, with only such shows as Legends House and Vintage Collection. While its true that the Network will often have special interviews or one-time events, these alone arent good enough to convince people to sign up for the Network. Secondly, from the Superstars point of view, allowing viewers to watch any Pay-Per-View they want for $9.99 means that the wrestlers themselves would lose out on bonuses from PPV matches. WWE went through enough budget cuts in 2014 as it is, but can the wrestlers really afford to lose more income, even when their expenses remain the same or might even be rising? Finally, Vince doesnt seem to realize that the Internet allows for people to pirate WWE PPVs and in some cases post them on video-sharing sites like YouTube for free, thereby limiting the purpose of the Network. While it might make sense for some thrifty fans to subscribe to the Network, as $9.99 a month is cheaper than paying ~$40 for an individual PPV, one must never underestimate the human desire to get something for free. As a result of Vinces lack of foresight, coupled with his own ego and recent surge in indecisiveness, initial Network numbers were far below his initial claim of 1 million subscribers. As a result, Vince McMahon lost $340 million in a single day, and in June, it was reported that he had lost $842 million since WrestleMania. Therefore, while many of the people on this list made bad creative decisions, Vinces overall bad creative AND business decisions destroyed a significant amount of his own personal wealth, and greatly harmed his companys image as well as his own.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
