How Vince McMahon Destroyed Typecasting In WWE

by Michael Hamflett
Becky Lynch
WWE

Becky Lynch and Bayley are two of the most naturally likeable performers to ever come through the WWE system. One's a heel and one's completely hidden. Lio Rush is about to become a babyface sensation on Raw but was being pre-banned from the company locker room for idiotic remarks at the recently-fired Emma's expense. Kevin Owens is neither good guy or bad guy, just a really bloody stupid guy. Shane McMahon - the owner that sent him packing to Raw - was almost arrogant in dismissing him, but will be a babyface because of the literal baby's face his father still sees when he stares proudly upon his progeny.

"I Love You, Man" was a film entirely dependant on the unparalleled loveliness of Paul Rudd. The p*ss funny comedy required him to find a Best Man having only ever enjoyed the company of female friends. He is impossibly wonderful in the role because it's the person he plays best, and hopefully the one he is in real life too. And that's the point of performance art - we'll never know for sure if he's as nice as he seems, but we'll continue investing in him as long as we perceive it to be true.

Vince McMahon isn't the desperate promoter he was in the mid-1990s, nor the architect of the anti-heroes he styled himself as during the Attitude Era. But it's hard to view him as anything other than a stubborn old b*stard in his ageing years instead of the wisened genius of Sports Entertainment. If he hadn't f*cked with the very concept of typecasting so much, we might yet be able to view perception as different from reality.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett