By the time 1990 had rolled around, Vince McMahon and the WWF were doing fantastic business. Hulkamania was running wild, but people like The Ultimate Warrior, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, "Ravishing" Rick Rude and others were all contributing to make the WWF product a lot of fun to watch. When you're making money hand over fist, what's the first thing that is on your mind? How to make even more money, of course. That's when Vince decided to start the World Bodybuilding Federation, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was his very own bodybuilding promotion, with events aiming to crown the next big thing in that particular sport. Vince would vow to keep the bodybuilding and pro wrestling worlds separate, although he would fail miserably with that, as his bodybuilders would have over-the-top personalities, and would all but cut promos on each other during shows. After one show in 1991, and another in 1992, both with terrible reviews and buyrates (the 1992 event saw a total of 3,000 pay-per-view buys), Vince decided to pull the plug on the promotion. In the 18 months that the WBF was around, a total of $15 million was lost, through the company itself, the ICOPRO bodybuilding supplement line, the Bodybuilding Lifestyles magazine and the WBF BodyStars television show. Vince definitely overestimated the public's desire to watch men flex and pose in tiny underwear, but the fact that he wasn't directly competing with a worldwide entity is what saves this from being ranked higher. Had it worked, Vince would easily have been the King of two different sports.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.