If not Vince McMahon, then who?

[Limity (BLM)]

Through all the documentaries and books I've read about pro wrestling, Vince McMahon seems to have been the single person who wanted to change pro wrestling.

Everyone else seemed content with the various territories, but then along comes Vince, who wants buck the system, who snubs the old territory-based system, and begins to gobble it all up.

So my question is: if Vince McMahon had simply decided to run the WWWF, and leave it at that, would someone else have come along and tried to take over the world?

I don't know, because it seems like everyone was just so content with the status quo. Not just the old time promoters, but their sons as well, didn't want to shake anything up. Only Vince seemed to want to.

[Deleted]

It's hard to tell.

I mean, we never know, somebody else might've saw the same thing that McMahon did. But, I do think that the popularity of the business wouldn't be anywhere near as big as it is today.

[acressl]

I can't imagine. Many different people's visions could of shaped the face of the whole thing but Vince was the superior businessman. He forced them all out.

[bitteroldman]

I think Fritz Von Erich might have been able to do it. He had some top flight talent (Freebirds, Gino Hernandez, Brody among others) to play heels to his sons at one time or another, innovative ideas (entrance music for his top talents and video segments that were very similar to what passes as "sports entertainment") to go along with the in-ring action and good camera work and production values. He did have national aspirations (he made several swings through Chicago in support of his syndicated tv show and made several international tours). The problem was he caught some bad breaks with the untimely deaths of Hernandez, Brody and several of his sons.

Verne Gagne had the opportunity and blew it, he had Hulk Hogan and wouldn't put the strap on him and had a national time slot on ESPN that he did nothing with.

[JMA]

If someone else DID come along it would've been much later. Maybe like ten through fifteen years after Vince gained control. I don't think they would've succeeded, in any case.

[destrucity]

Crockett

[JMA]

destrucity said:

Crockett

Maybe, but I don't think he would've succeeded. Vince knew how to present wrestling to all the masses, not just the ones in a certain territory.

[Joekishi]

Crockett bought all the little territories before Vince did.

I still think Vince did the right thing.