12 Wrestling Stars Who Profited From Controversy

1. Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon's behind-the-scenes contractual disputes with Bret Hart led to the WWE Champion leaving the company amidst chaos - in short, McMahon went back on his word, changed the finish of a match without Hart's knowledge, and left him stripped of the title and humiliated on television. As Hart was one of the most respected veterans in WWE history and as both he and McMahon made no secrets about what led to the incident in subsequent interviews, McMahon became hated by fans. Rather than disappear from television to try and take the emphasis off of himself, McMahon made a decision that changed the fortunes of WWE forever - he embraced the venom fans spat at him and became an on-air character, taking aim at top babyface "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin looked poised to capture the WWE Championship soon, and Vince publicly stated that Austin as champ would be "a P.R. nightmare." Needless to say, Austin took umbrage to the comments, and soon, a full-scale feud developed between the boss and his most popular employee. Austin won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XIV, and a few weeks later, an Austin-McMahon match on Raw (which was interrupted by Dude Love) propelled the show to its first ratings victory over Monday Nitro in two years. The feud continued, and WWE became even more popular - by October of 1998, Nitro had scored its final victory over Raw. While it is possible that McMahon and Austin could have manufactured a feud without the Montreal Screwjob involved, or that Austin alone was hot enough to lead WWE to victory over WCW, real-life events (and the subsequent reaction to them) help the company deliver a knockout blow to the competition. McMahon used controversy to become the most hated heel in WWE history, and the promotion soon became a billion-dollar enterprise.