Every year, Forbes Magazine releases a ranking of the richest people in the world. It's a list of billionaires that come from all walks of life. This year, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made the list with a reported net worth of $1.2 billion. If you visit Forbes.com and find #1372 on the list it's Vince McMahon along with a bunch of other really rich people. It's a big deal because McMahon hasn't been on the list before and was described as a "newcomer" on an article on the Forbes website. It's weird that a 69-year-old could be called a "newcomer" considering his position in WWE for over 30 years, but in the billionaires club that's what he was. You might recall that there have been various points in Vince's life where he could be considered a billionaire. When the Attitude Era was at its peak in 1999-2001 he was likely close to billionaire status. He took a major hit in 2001 when the XFL cost the company about $200 million in losses, but they were so big at the time that it's not like it hurt that much. The WrestleMania 23 feud between Vince McMahon and Donald Trump was billed a "Battle of the Billionaires." Trump has been a billionaire for decades (listed at $3.9 billion net worth in 2014) while McMahon probably wasn't at that level at that point. He likely was close, though, so that's why they did it that way. Obviously it worked since it was a very successful PPV for WWE. How did WWE make the right moves to get Vince to billionaire status? A cozy TV deal that is going to go up once its renewed, partnerships with major advertisers, the Mattel toy deal, the launch of WWE Network and an increase in TV rights outside of America as well. Those are just some of the reasons WWE is growing as a company. It should be noted too that the PG branding has likely helped big time. When they had TV14 shows, they had to settle for poor sponsors like Castrol GTX. Now they have bigger sponsors like Subway that likely wouldn't want any part of WWE programming if they weren't TVPG. Remember that CM Punk promo in Las Vegas where Punk said that Vince was a millionaire that should be a billionaire? If he tries to say something again, he'll have to alter his words a bit. Wrestling fans like to complain about every little thing they see on their favorite show. If you're Vince McMahon, though, all you have to do is look at the numbers and you'll know you're definitely doing something right.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
