8 Times WWE Thought They'd Be Invaded FOR REAL
1. The Countless Promoters Vince McMahon Angered In The '80s
Vince McMahon is forever willing to do whatever it takes to make himself and his business ventures successful.
Case in point, how ruthless and underhand McMahon was in his mission to turn the World Wrestling Federation from a regional promotion, to a national promotion, to an international promotion, to an all-out monopoly.
With plentiful cash and promises, Vince meticulously picked off the biggest stars of the day when he went about pushing WWF to unseen levels of visibility and success in the '80s.
Ignoring the tried and tested traditions of the business, McMahon asked promoters to join him or be bought out by him - otherwise he'd just sign their major names.
This aggressive, somewhat immoral approach won McMahon no friends, but that wasn't a concern of Vince. It did, though, mean that a slew of promoters from across the US absolutely hated Vince McMahon's guts.
Verne Gagne and his AWA was one promotion hit particularly hard, with McMahon luring the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Jesse Ventura, Ken Patera, Rick Rude and Curt Hennig to New York.
Elsewhere, Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling lost heavy hitters like Jake Roberts, Junkyard Dog, Jim Duggan, Ted DiBiase and King Kong Bundy, and the NWA had to deal with the departures of Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Bob Orton Jr. and Greg Valentine.
It's insane to see how much talent McMahon hoovered up back then, and there must've been many times where Vince feared an invasion from a pissed off promoter - with plentiful rumours of Verne Gagne threatening just such an attack.