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Submitted by Mr. Tito on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 12:03 AM EST
What if Vince McMahon Jr. NEVER existed?BRIEF HISTORY OF VINCE MCMAHON JR.: Just to illustrate who Vincent Kennedy McMahon (or Vince McMahon Jr.) is and how he affected the industry, let's discuss his history briefly. He was born in 1945, but his parents didn't stick together. Vince spent the majority of his childhood living with his mom and various stepfathers (even claiming abuse by one of the stepdads) until actually meeting his father, Vincent James McMahon (Vince Sr.) when Vince Jr. was 12 years old (maybe around 1957, 1958). Vince immediately became interested in his father's wrestling business, which was a company that would eventually become the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). It became very evident, quickly, that Vince Jr. wanted to one day take over the company. Vince graduated East Carolina University in 1968 with a business degree and eventually opted for a spot working for his dad in the WWWF. Throughout the 1970's, Vince played various roles when needed and became play-by-play announcer for the WWWF. He was initially famous for hosting interview segments, such as the interviews with Andre "the Giant", who was exploding on the scene during the 1970's. If you'll recall, Vince had Andre stand on a crate or something in order to make him look much taller than Vince for television purposes. This illustrated a sharp marketing eye of Vince Jr. and Vince was beginning to push the WWWF into new creative avenues. Vince did such things as removing a "W" from WWWF during March of 1979 to officially become the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), attempting to promote other sports, and beginning to look into television opportunities beyond territories. Vince thought beyond the box and he officially took over the WWF in 1982 when Vince and his Titans Sports corporation purchased the WWF from Vince Sr. who was ailing medically and died of cancer in 1984. As owner, Vince McMahon had no love for the oldschool territory system. He ceased relations with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and immediately began pushing WWF television through syndication and distribution of VHS video tapes. This ticked off many oldschool promoters who claimed that Vince Jr. was disrespecting the territory system. Many complaints were filed to Vince Sr. before he passed, but Vince Jr. kept pushing it. With advent of cable television, too, Vince had dreams of further expanding the WWF's footprint. With new marketing and television reforms in place, Vince needed a star to officially take the WWF over the top... Vince immediately opened the checkbook and began raiding NWA and AWA rosters when he could, along with other territory top stars. But there was one guy who put him over the top... Hulk Hogan. You see, Hulk Hogan was just coming off a wildly successful Rocky 3 film where he played "Thunderlips" that was in theaters in 1982. It was a movie which generated $125 million back then, which is huge business when you consider how low ticket prices were back then compared to now. Thus, Hogan was now a household name and American Wrestling Alliance enjoyed the fruits of the movie's success while having Hogan on the roster from 1981 to 1983. Hogan's film credit, along with his natural charisma, got over huge in the AWA through 1983 and fans wanted him to be World Champion. However, AWA's "good ol' boy network" did not, and he was repeatedly denied the title at major AWA events. Thus, when opportunity arrived, Hogan was lured away to Vince Jr.'s WWF in late 1983 and immediately pushed to the moon. The rest is history. Wrestlemania was created in 1985, WWF created a major cable and syndication television presence (and then Pay Per View), and with hoards of cash, the WWE competitively squeezed most promotions out of business. WWF enjoyed dominance through the mid-1990's until a steroid scandal almost had Vince McMahon indicted and World Championship Wrestling (WCW, branched off of the NWA) became competitive through adding Hulk Hogan to their roster, among other WWF stars they began to raid. The creation of WCW Nitro to challenge the WWF's Monday Night RAW television show changed the game forever. When the NWO came to town along with many other great innovations from Eric Bischoff (cruiserweight title, television production, etc.), the WWF was in trouble during mid 1996. But Vince, the competitive and innovative person that he is, completely revamped his wrestling show, his roster, and booking style to seriously challenge WCW by late 1997 and regained his #1 status in 1998. WCW imploded and Vince eventually bought them in 2001 to become completely dominant in the wrestling industry, where he remains today. Vince dominates the cable airwaves, his company is publicly traded, and has established a footprint in the industry so big that others cannot compete (again, TNA can say they try, but 1.0 ratings in prime time don't cut it). So as you can see, Vince McMahon was a tour de force in pro wrestling. He innovated, took advantage of new television technologies, and completely destroyed the competition. Thus, without him, the wrestling industry would be radically different. World without Vince Jr.MAJOR ASSUMPTION: A major assumption needs to be made about the life of Vince McMahon Sr. without his son being in his life. One has to assume that his day to day operations as wrestling promoter was not affected due to the absence of Vince Jr. The fact that Vince Sr. left his family and didn't become acquainted with his son until Vince Jr. was the age of 12 is a major contributor. Vince Sr., in my mind, would remain the top promoter in the Northeast and in New York with or without being a father. Nothing would change in the WWWF during the 1960's, in my mind, where Bruno Sammartino was the star and ditto for the 1970's, with a few added twists that were added through Vince Jr. In my opinion, the major difference would have been the production of TV shows and the pushing of Andre "the Giant" for the 1970's. Otherwise, business as usual with Bruno as the dominant guy because the booking by Vince Sr. seems to be aiming in that direction. I will also assume that Vince Sr. does pass away from cancer in 1984. One could argue that Vince Jr.'s presence could have kept him alive longer or shorter, but I'll just assume the same time period for Vince Sr.'s death. WITHOUT VINCE JR. In my mind, the WWWF would have remained a very conservative territorial promotion without the likes of Vince McMahon Jr. wanting change and changing the industry when the driver's wheel was handed over (or sold in 1982). My guess is that like the AWA being set in its ways and booking conservatively, the WWWF (which it would still be called) would keep Bruno Sammartino at the top and hope to keep his apprentice, Larry Zbyszko, would remain in the promotion. My guess is that based on Vince Sr.'s booking style and the enjoyed success of the Larry Z vs. Bruno feud that did happen, he'd be more apt to push those guys instead of Andre "the Giant". Granted, Andre was a major, major draw, but I think that Vince Jr.'s interviews and marketing of Andre made him more popular than ever and possibly more loyal to the WWWF. My guess is that Andre would have traveled more or would have potentially jumped to AWA or NWA in due time, especially since without Vince McMahon Jr., the perception that "big is better" wouldn't have been as strong in the WWWF as it did with Vince Jr. actually around. Thus, based on Vince Sr.'s prior booking style, Larry Zbyszko would become the dominant long-term champion like Bruno during the 1960's or 1970's, with Bruno's career being extended instead of actually retiring in the early 1980's when he saw the writing on the wall while Vince Jr. began to takeover and change everything. Bob Backlund would also be a key player and would have been a title contender. I'm unsure about Billy Graham, for he was an early prototype version of Hulk Hogan during the early 1980's. In 1984, Vince McMahon Sr. passed away. Without a son to pass the business onto, my guess is that Bruno Sammartino could have taken over or a potential other veteran from that time. My guess is that the promoter would have been old and unable to jump into the booming technology age of cable television, VHS, and Pay Per View of the 1980's. In my opinion, the WWWF would have diminished through the 1980's with an old brand of wrestling heading into a modern age. Thus, this promotion might not last through the 1990's without a new visionary, such as Vince Jr., to greatly modernize the industry and push wrestling hard into cable, VHS, and Pay Per View promotional avenues. Without the WWWF or WWF dominating in the 1980's, who takes the mantle? World Class Championship Wrestling? No... Von Erich family curse would unfortunately remain and they would have been bought by either AWA or NWA (my guess, NWA), or maybe work with the Memphis based USWA further than they did. Who knows, Kerry Von Erich might be still alive because in this timeline, there is no Vince Jr. style WWF for him to join in 1990. Not to even suggest that Vince Jr. caused any misery or drug problems for Kerry, but life might have taken carry on a different path. Kerry had a history of drug issues, as many suggest they date back to the motorcycle accident where he lost his foot in 1986. My thought process is to the extent of instead of jumping into the limelight from 1990-1992 in the WWF, he could have had therapy or rehabilitation for any problems he had. Then again, there's a reason the "Von Erich curse" exists because it was a wrestling family that never said "no" to all of the excesses the industry brought as long as the bottom line was met. AWA was doomed for failure, even without the Vince Jr. led WWF picking their talent off. The fact is that they had Hulk Hogan on a silver platter and they wouldn't allow him to be put over an old, aging Nick Bockwinkle. They had THE trendsetter on their roster and they would have blown it anyway. Now granted, their roster would still be top-to-bottom good, but my guess is that all of those talented wrestlers would eventually join another federation... They would follow Hogan, as they did when he bolted to the WWF in reality. My bet is that Verne Gagne's conservative booking would have finished the AWA in the long-run because he failed to do reinvent himself when challenged, so thus, why would he reinvent himself without Vince Jr. challenging him? This is where this whole "alternative timeline" gets tricky... In my mind, Hulk Hogan goes to the South and namely Jim Crockett's National Wrestling Alliance. Why? Hogan, in reality, is a Southern guy. He was born in Georgia and raised in Tampa, FL. To make my point, Hogan still loves the Florida area to this day. My guess is that Jim Crockett's NWA branch from North Carolina and Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) merge at some point in the 1980's (noting that GCW was actually bought up by Vince Jr. Now, many will argue that GCW's sale to Vince was what prompted Jim Crockett to take his brand of NWA national. I disagree... Based on the way Ted Turner enjoyed wrestling programming on TBS, I'm betting they go national anyway. SOMETHING in the South will be the first big splash on cable television while the rest of the wrestling nation will not. Again, Vince Jr. changed the game and the industry. But Ted Turner had a thirst for wrestling anyway and I believe he'd take up a stake. Based on the way he lushed over Hulk Hogan in 1994, I believe he'd lush over him in 1984 and beyond. Thus, I'm arguing that the NWA gets Hulk Hogan. In this new alternative timeline, the NWA now has Ric Flair having major feuds with Hulk Hogan and Dusty Rhodes. Now granted, there may be politics there, but the son of a plummer would have learned from AWA's mistakes, no doubt. Thus, without the WWF acting as tough competition, NWA, fueled by the best cable television contract on the market, becomes the #1 promotion in the nation. The NWA legacy would lived strong through the 1990's and in my mind, the wrestlers that World Class, Memphis, AWA, and even the WWWF would now be fair game to the loaded NWA. In fact, Andre "the Giant" would now be in play during the mid 1980's, although the McMahons were beyond loyal to Andre compared to other promoters as Andre's health declined. NWA being on TBS would have been the potential squasher anyway to the old territory system. You cannot beat cable money, especially in the 1980's because television enabled Vince Jr. to squash all competition. Thus, AWA wouldn't last... World Class wouldn't last... NWA dominates the South, but can they take the North? The New York/Philadelphia/Boston area has a loyal demand for professional wrestling, as seen by the WWWF's dominance there in the 1970's. Many hardcore fans of Vince Sr. might disagree, but the WWWF product was very oldschool and lacked flash. I know that Bruno Sammartino is hero worshipped, but he struggled to draw well when he ventured elsewhere. Yet, the WWWF product still sold up North. Vince McMahon Sr. still unfortunately passes away in 1984, so what happens to the North? Could AWA or maybe even Memphis could boldly venture into the Northeast because the NWA always had problems moving North, especially based on the way the WWWF was galvanized originally. Then again, Vince Sr. quietly held loyalties to the NWA, even remaining on Board of Directors even after the WWWF removed itself from the NWA! Thus, a potential buyout of the WWWF by NWA is quite possible, especially from the TBS money. The Northeast region is a very lucrative region... When weather gets colder, what else is there to do? Stay indoors and watch wrestling events. Thus, this is the main reason why the Northeast is so concentrated with sports franchises. Ditto for pro wrestling and Vince Sr. managed to dominate the area. When Vince Jr. took over, he merely exploited the geographical advantage and added elements like syndication, cable, and pay per view. Vince Sr. passing away in 1984 makes the WWWF picture so bleak, even though I highly assume that the booking remains conservative. My guess is that a new company arrives in the Northeast or someone brand new buys the WWWF and pushes them onto cable television. This is a crucial market for pro wrestling and the AWA/Memphis style of wrestling struggled to spread in the North due to probable fan loyalties. Then again, the 1980's no longer feature Vince Jr., whom the Northeast were loyal to out of respect to his dad and because Vince Jr. marketed an incredible product with Hulkamania capturing imaginations. Something has to take over in the Northeast... That is the biggest issue regarding this "alternative" timeline. Northeasterners are "set in their ways" and would probably exert loyalty to the WWWF for whatever form it would become. Maybe the NWA would dominate everywhere but the Northeast? That's a very plausible theory, but what's going to stop Hulkamania when it runs wild through NWA and on TBS? NWA could eventually buy the WWWF and maybe Vince Sr. turns to them, and not Vince Jr., for sale of his company in 1982 as he's beginning to pass from cancer. MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Vince McMahon Jr., in my mind, completely killed the NWA and it's association of having various territories tied together. Without Vince Jr., the NWA surges in the Southeast and spreads. I'm not convinced that World Class or AWA could remain in business, provided their booking and talent assessment practices. Each could eventually become an NWA affiliate, but if not, they could get bought off after talent flees to the NWA and their TBS contract. The Northeast is a very unknown quantity, though... Without Vince Jr. taking over in 1982, the WWWF would be left in complete limbo or would have remained stagnantly conservative on booking while the NWA runs wild on Hulkamania. With Vince Sr. ailing, the WWWF could have returned or have been sold to the NWA, provided Vince Sr.'s continued ties to the NWA board. Unless a new person enters the industry and maybe takes over the WWWF for the Northeast, my feeling is the NWA dominates the wrestling industry through the mid-1990's when the wrestling fad wears off. From there, it's fair game... With wild innovation on cable television, a new product could emerge... But in the 1990's, it won't be Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon (as Bischoff wouldn't have had a chance to "save" a failing WCW in the 1990's when the NWA still remains). Other Effects of a World without Vince Jr.- "Kayfabe" remains. Keep in mind that Vince Jr. elevated the questions about pro wrestling being "real" when he labeled his product as "sports entertainment" instead of an actual sport to avoid certain taxation. This heavily exposed the industry, in addition to the sometimes cartoonish brand he often pushed (which gave WrestleCrap.com all of its material!). For all we know, Vince might have actually saved the industry long-term by admitting that. Think about regulators having the ability to regulate pro wrestling if it's deemed a sport? Additionally, the thirst to purge the WWF cartoonish style developed by Vince led to the popularity of the ECW brand and then eventually to WWF "Attitude". The Attitude era often blurred the stuff kept quiet backstage with the fake "shoot" promos, etc. Without Vince, the wrestling industry would have kept a bit more quiet about its "secrets" until the internet boomed during the late 1990's. - Lack of BAD steroid/drug news. I am not saying that Vince Jr. is responsible for the elevation of drugs and steroids. If you look at other sporting leagues in the 1970's through 1990's, it was a trend hitting everywhere where athletic ability was required. The excess of the economic boom during the 1980's and beyond certainly elevated things and with the WWF making money "hand over fist", the reason for excess was certainly there. But, Vince Jr. did like big, muscular guys. Reading a lot of wrestling books and Dave Meltzer material, before Vince Jr. arrived, a big, naturally built guy was deemed tough. Think someone that looked like Trevor Murdoch was deemed tough back in the day, for he didn't have to have rippled muscles to be assessed as a "badass". Vince Jr. changed perceptions about what fans had about wrestlers... You had to be muscular and cut... If you didn't have 24 inch pythons, good luck making money in the WWF, let alone even getting sniffed at for a push. To have abnormal builds, you needed to take something... Thus, in terms of steroids and other performance enhancer drugs, an industry without Vince Jr. would have been different. - Weaker presence on TV/Pay Per View. Vince changed the game, folks... The uncertain Northeast has me uncertain, for it was a key driver with Vince Jr. at the wheel. The WWF was so successful that it took the place of Saturday Night Live on occasion and drew huge ratings with "Saturday Night's Main Event". And think about this... Without Vince McMahon Jr., there is NO Wrestlemania. That's right, no major blockbuster to draw incredible buyrates. Thus, the influence that wrestling had on PPV would have been diminished. NWA, in my mind, would have a monopoly on cable television through the 1990's on TBS while the others scramble to compete elsewhere. "Starrcade" could become huge, but based on Dusty Rhodes booking the thing, it would not be as huge or as mainstream as Wrestlemania. No Vince Jr., no Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, or Summerslam. - Hart Family. No other family was affected by Vince McMahon. While Dynamite Kid was absolutely nuts on his end, he probably would have roided up as much as he did to satisfy Vince's "size" demands, and ditto for Davey Boy who might be alive to this day. Owen Hart would still be alive and probably thriving. Bret Hart wouldn't have endured the Montreal Screwjob. In fact, the Harts and many others who bolted from Canadian Stampede might not have made the jump without Vince McMahon Jr. offering them a lucrative deal. That's huge, for being in their own country could have made a stronger brand while the rest of the United States decides who is #1 in the pack in a world without Vince Jr. Bret will probably become an even larger Canadian hero and Owen Hart will follow in his footsteps. - World Wildlife Fund shuts the hell up. Sorry, I had to say it... They cannot scream about how "different" the scratch WWF and usage of the internet is from the original intended deal. - Jobless Big Guys. Andre "the Giant" was huge in the 1970's, but he became legendary through Vince Jr.'s pushing and placing him as a headliner for Wrestlemania 3. Without Vince Jr. gushing over height, your Undertakers, Sids, Nash's, and other freaks with crazy height wouldn't be pushed to the moon as they were under Vince. Think about the Undertaker without Vince constantly keeping the big guy up top. The Undertaker owes his long term success to Vince and without him, he's probably not sustaining 18 years or so of dominance. Mark Calaway (Taker's real name) was probably talented to make it somewhere. Sorry Sid and Nash, you would not... And if Kevin Nash would argue this point, just ask him how his job in WCW was as Oz and Vinnie Vegas. Without getting pushed as Diesel, Nash suddenly loses his appeal as an "Outsider" that would later become the NWO. - Nothing from the 1990's or 2000's. If Vince wasn't competing in the Monday Night Wars, would we ever see the likes of the Rock or Steve Austin rising to the top? Without Vince, what would become of Triple H or now the guy playing that character? No Vince, no Stephanie. Eric Bischoff's ideas to the industry would have to be channeled under different circumstances, IF at all. Keep in mind that he was made boss out of desperation in 1993. Bischoff's ability to challenge the WWF during the mid-1990's challenged the WWF financially through early 1997 until Vince Jr. started hitting back. By 1998, Vince was back on top, pushing great new stars like the Rock or Steve Austin, and would go on to crush WCW like a bug while taking his company public! ------------------------ LAST WORD: I hope you've enjoyed this mere effort to play "Quantum Leap" and see what happens if Vincent Kennedy McMahon never existed. One has to understand how revolutionary, innovative, and competitive Vince Jr. was. No Vince, who knows, I may have never watched wrestling myself? Then again, it was the NWA on TBS that had me officially hooked. Sting vs. Ric Flair at Clash #1 got me hooked while I casually got caught up in the Hogan vs. Andre stuff. My uncle introduced me to NWA through Clash of the Champions #1 and that heavily influenced me to watch all things wrestling. Maybe I'd become a full fledged NWA fan as the NWA, in my opinion without Vince Jr., dominates the industry. Just chill, till the next episode... WrathofTito@yahoo.com.
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