How WWF Got So Big

By the end of the decade, Vincent James McMahon’s son had been an employee of the rechristened WWF for several years. The young visionary was a key part in the ratings increase the federation had been enjoying. Vince Jr had eyes on a much bigger prize. McMahon the younger bought the Cape Cod Coliseum in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts in 1979, continuing to use the venue for hockey games and rock concerts. Vince Jr noticed the appeal of rock and devised an idea for the future of wrestling.

Due to his ailing health, McMahon Sr decided to sell his company to his ambitious son. A simple inheritance deal was out of the question as Senior didn’t own the company outright. His son had to purchase shares in the company from other associates, Gorilla Monsoon and Arnold Skaaland, before finally fully owning WWF in 1982.

Now at the helm, Vincent Kennedy McMahon sought to move the federation in a new direction. No longer satisfied with dominance in the Northeast, McMahon capitalised on the instability of other territories and purchased time slots on various cable providers across the US. Boasting the glitz and glamour of his New York federation, McMahon tempted audiences away from their local promotions. This went against the agreement of the territories, and soon Vince would take it a step further.

Talking in a 1991 interview with Sports Illustrated, McMahon acknowledges, ‘had my father known what I was going to do, he would never have sold his stock to me.’ McMahon saw other regional territories as ‘fiefdoms’ with ‘little lords’ agreeing with other little lords. He stated he had no allegiance to them, and so the agreement to not raid other talent was off.

McMahon began taking top talent from around the country to advance his newly-purchased territory’s position. Vince had eyes for AWA’s Hulk Hogan who, after appearing in Rocky III, had cultivated a mainstream appeal. The WWF had found their new poster boy.