Vince McMahon’s “retirement” is still one of the most talked about headlines in wrestling. But one subject that needs to be addressed is the misconceptions around his legacy to the world of pro wrestling, and the truths about them.
Vincent K. McMahon is with no doubt the most successful promoter in wrestling history, and no one will probably match him regarding success. However, his legacy in pro wrestling is much different than you think…
Did Vince McMahon make Pro Wrestling global?
This is one of the achievements many people try to give to Vince McMahon, despite the fact it’s not true at all. To begin, Vince McMahon did not make pro wrestling gobal. He made WWE global, which is very different.
Countries like England, Australia, Mexico, Canada and Japan have a rich history in pro wrestling prior to Vince McMahon purchasing the WWF from this father. Clamming Vince McMahon made pro wrestling is straight up wrong and ignores the history of countries with rich pro wrestling history.
What Vince McMahon did was make his own promotion global, and that is remarkable. But he did also do it by destroying other competitors and creating an unhealthy monopoly on the industry. Unfortunately, this created negative repercussions that we see in the industry to this day.
Did Vince McMahon make Pro Wrestling national?
This is yet again another exaggeration regarding Vince McMahon’s legacy. Pro wrestling was already a national product way before Vince McMahon took over WWE. Pro wrestling was one of the first programs on TV screens due to being a cheap program with great viewership numbers.
Gorgeous George was already a national star way before Vince McMahon even thought about entering the wrestling business. The legacy of Gorgeous George was so big he was influential to icons like Muhammed Ali for example.
So again, Vince McMahon didn’t take pro wrestling national. Pro wrestling was already national before Vince, and that is important to clarify. Vince actually made his promotion go national by invading other territories and taking promotions out of business.
Did Vince McMahon make Pro Wrestling more popular?
There are two ways to see this point. He didn’t actually make pro wrestling more popular, but you could argue he did make pro wrestling less popular. What Vince McMahon actually did was make WWE more popular at the expense of others.
Wrestling is less popular than ever in the U.S. and one of the main culprits of this is Vince McMahon’s monopoly over the industry. WWE and Vince McMahon destroying any possible competitor, as well as owning most of pro wrestling history and libraries in the US had a negative effect. Over time, people began to be less interested in the sport.
If we go by ratings, WWE’s ratings are on a constant decline year-over-year. So, the notion of WWE and Vince McMahon making pro wrestling more popular is not true.
Did Vince McMahon take Pro Wrestling out of Bingo Halls?
This is yet another misconception created, due to WWE owning most of pro wrestling’s history in the U.S. and rewriting it. Wrestling in the U.S. and around the world has sold out massive arenas and stadiums time and time again, before and after Vince McMahon. Jim Crockett Promotions, JCP, sold out many arenas and stadiums back in their golden period before things turned for the worst.
WWE rewriting history to make them look good and bringing others down has created an alternative reality on the minds of many that actually didn’t happen. The legacy of JCP, WCCW, WCW, NWA and others should not be forgotten…
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