WWE: 10 People Who Quietly Had A Huge Influence In Its Success

6. Dick Ebersol, NBC President

Dick Ebersol was the producer of Saturday Night Live when he first struck up a great friendship with WWF supremo Vince McMahon. Ebersol's interest in the WWF as pop culture was huge in making McMahon's circus a phenomenon in the 80's. It was Ebersol who suggested to Vince that they should work together on a combined project called "Saturday Night's Main Event" for NBC. It would end up being the big chance that the WWF needed to extend its brand. The exposure that Ebersol gave the WWF can be directly attributed into the growth seen for Wrestlemania and Hulkamania. The relationship of Ebersol and McMahon would continue to be a positive for the WWE through the coming decades. Ebersol became a true corporate power player, a New York heavyweight of power as he advanced in NBC. McMahon's close personal friend was hugely supportive of WWE television, and there is little doubt that Vince probably called on his hugely influential contact at multiple times. Ebersol's crowning moment of power came when he became President of NBC Sport in 1989. He now oversaw productions such as the Olympics, NFL and NBA. As NBC also owns the USA network, Vince had a high up contact to call upon when dealing with any issues. The power that Dick Ebersol wielded in the world of television was undoubtedly a big influence in helping his friend Vince McMahon make a success of the WWE ... Ebersol's and McMahon's partnership on the XFL however left a lot to be desired.