It may seem like a controversial statement, but WWE fans should thank Vince McMahon for fighting off World Championship Wrestling. In addition, perhaps those same fans should thank WCW for really giving McMahon and the then-WWF a real fight - it may be difficult for younger fans to fathom, but there was a time (late-1996-1997) where it wasn't outlandish to imagine WWE could go out of business, all thanks to how much of the market WCW were dominating in North America. WCW forced WWE to evolve their product, and helped McMahon tap into the most creative and fruitful period of his career, the 'Attitude Era'. On the flipside, what if WCW had managed to sustain some momentum, maybe for just another year or so? Had Vince not come up with the aforementioned 'Attitude Era', it's feasible that WCW would have rolled right over the top of his company, and put WWE out to pasture. How long would WCW have lasted after that is anyone's guess, but the fact is that the promotion weren't exactly the most astute. It's likely our friends down in Atlanta would have run into trouble somewhere down the road, and who knows what the future would have held for pro wrestling then? In short, by fending off WCW and cementing his place as the king of the wrestling world, Vince McMahon may just have preserved the grandiose nature of his vision, and helped usher in all those countless moments of entertainment we've had since. Is it ridiculous to say that McMahon saved wrestling as we know it today by beating WCW?
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
