MC:
I didn’t know you followed wrestling.
Welcome to the geek-board!
Vince isn’t doing the numbers he did during the “Attitude Era.”
He rode high on the simplistic “Hulkamania paradigm” from about 1984-91.
(WM III at the Silverdome set an indoor attendance record that still stands.)
Things began to progressively stale after that.
Shortly after that time, Vince saw what Todd Gordon & Paul Heyman were successfully doing with ECW.
The old man was smart enough to realize that times (& his fans) were changing and wanted to take the Fed in a similar direction, but had to postpone those plans due to the sex scandals & Zahorian steroid trial.
Basically, he didn’t want his company to assume a hardcore, raunchy image with all the heat it had on it at the time.
Once the dust settled, Vince ushered out the clowns & plumbers, and modified what was left of his new roster - bringing in the swearing, lingerie matches, and in-ring beer drinking & middle fingers.
Ratings, popularity, and revenue went through the roof – higher than they’d been with even Hogan!
Business was good...
Then on one warm July night in 2007, an Edmonton transplant living in Georgia murdered his wife & kid before hanging himself from a lat pulldown in his home gym.
Vince took a major beating from the media once again, and almost immediately abandoned the “Attitude” and implemented a strict drug Wellness Policy, drastically toning down everything including his ratings.
While WWE is still a money-making machine, it’s not doing the numbers it did 5 years ago.
Unless Vince’s ego and drive have diminished with age, I suspect he will want one last mega-run before handing over the business to Stephanie.
But to do that, he’ll have to revert back to the last formula that brought him to that dance.
