The FIRST TIME Wrestlers Had Their Million Dollar Idea
What triggered the life-changing moment for some of the biggest names in WWE and AEW history?
Works of genuine genius within pro wrestling often go criminally uncredited.
In recent years, WWE and AEW have paid tribute to people that have passed away who never appeared on screen, but were huge difference-makers for the products. Crew members, camera operators; the unsung heroes that are integral to the presentation but never cut a promo or take a bump. Massive wrestling companies with massive offices full of massive teams are destined to have folk that go without the kudos they deserve. Such was the case for Jenni Sloan. She's a Real Estate agent in Florida now, but in 1996, some WCW officials turned to her for a logo with about an hour's notice, and she created the iconic insignia. Ignoring a complete lack of financial recompense, she went almost three decades without being mentioned as the woman behind the New World Order branding, but thanks to "Beyond Nitro" author Guy Evans, she was unearthed and at long last celebrated for a truly amazing contribution to the wrestling business.
To call the nWo logo a "million dollar idea" would understate it, and that's just taking t-shirt sales into account. Sloan's one of far too many in this boat - forgotten or never-even-mentioned folk who are crucial to the success of a particular act. Sometimes though, the wrestlers themselves hit upon that magic formula, or that one moment of inspiration that - cliche incoming - actually changes everything.
7. Roman Reigns Throws The One Up
Becoming increasingly aware of how to shift units of merch as well as tickets as WWE gradually moved out of the pandemic and back towards normality, Roman Reigns was around a year into his renewed dominance of WWE when he first pointed his index finger to the sky to illustrate exactly where he sat in the pecking order.
It was during the August 27th 2021 edition of SmackDown that 'The Tribal Chief' had Paul Heyman emcee an acknowledgment ceremony following his SummerSlam victory over John Cena, unafraid as he allegedly was by the returning Brock Lesnar and imminent television "threat" Finn Bálor. With 'The Champ' despatched, out came Roman and The Usos in celebratory mood, with new shirts and a new permanent catchphrase - "We The Ones".
The insignia included the point, and so too did the in-ring celebration. 'The Head Of The Table' had landed on another missing piece of the megastar act puzzle - the hand gesture. Throwing ones to the skies quickly gave audiences their own way in to what was rapidly becoming the most credible act in the company. It also made use of the times - though The Bloodline were unapologetically heelish, and would only grow in dominance at the expense of other babyfaces, live crowds increasingly didn't care too much about the dynamics. Reigns was the biggest star the company had by miles at this point; the one guy crowds just wanted to be in the presence of regardless of who he was feuding with.
The inclusion of Sami Zayn in the group in 2022 elevated the stable to the next level, and in line with Cody Rhodes' return to WWE and Vince McMahon resigning in disgrace, the group were at last true big bads. But throwing up the Ones was established by then, giving the group the perfect pose for when they were inevitably reborn as babyfaces in the end.