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Vince McMahon, perhaps before many others, deserves his rightful position
right here as part of the UWOW Hall of Fame. It was Vince who had the determination
to go Global and bring upon the era of Hulkamania and thereby build some
of the era's greatest stars including fellow Hall of Famers Randy Savage,
Bret Hart and Steve Austin among countless others! He began his wrestling
career in 1976, working for his father Vince McMahon Sr as a play-by-play
announcer for television matches. He continued that role well into 1997.
It was Vince who pushed for the renaming of the WWWF, turning it into the
World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and was instrumental in signing
the Mohammid Ali versus Antonio Inoku match in 1976, the same year his
daughter Stephanie was born. In 1979, when the WWWF became the WWF, Vince
purchased the Cape Cod Coliseum and in 1980, he incorporated Titan Sports
and formally purchased the Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his Father
in 1982.
Against his father's wishes, Vince began a campaign of national expansion
that would fundamentally change the business. Having full control over
the business, he was able to do it his way and quickly bought out his father's
former partners Gorilla Monsoon and Toots Mondt, giving Monsoon lifetime
employment and granting his father's friends the Fabulous Moolah, Freddie
Blassie and others lifetime contracts, keeping them on the payroll as a
thank-you. Vince Sr passed away in 1984 and Vince McMahon pulled out of
the National Wrestling Alliance, which had a different vision for wrestling.
Seeing Hulk Hogan achieve national fame by virtue of his appearance in
Rocky III, McMahon targeted Hogan and was able to sign him in late 1983
and in January of 1984, Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik to become the WWF
Champion, leading the WWF into the mainstream and celebrity realm that
Vince had been seeking since buying the company. Vince expanded his vision
by bringing in Cindy Lauper, Mr. T, Liberace, Muhammid Ali and a host of
others to headline the first Wrestlemania under the Rock-n-Wrestling Connection
featured prominently on MTV. Against the odds, Wrestlemania was a success
and the rest is history. McMahon broke another barrier by admitting that
wrestling was not real, but rather predetermined. This infuriated old school
stars like the NWA Champion, at that time, Harley Race. Vince would go
on to make wrestling on pay-per-view the norm, promoting the Wrestling
Classic and annual Survivor Series, Summer Slam, Royal Rumble, King of
the Ring, and eventually pay per views once or twice per month.
Vince suffered his greatest trial in 1994 when he was indicted for steroid
distribution but, despite testimony from Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior and
Bruno Sammartino, McMahon was declared innocent and set free. Vince returned
his attention to his failing product and sought to revitalize it, but,
by that time Eric Bischoff was using the resources of Ted Turner to make
WCW a very powerful opponent. As the trial for Vince ended, Hulk Hogan
joined WCW and a new trial, of sorts, began. Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage,
Lex Luger, Madusa, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Bret Hart and others joined
WCW and threatened to erase the WWF from the industry but Vince turned
lemons into lemonade after he, himself, became hated after the Montreal
Screwjob of 1997.
Vince McMahon could no longer do commentary, as he was much disliked, and
he soon became a character in his own right, calling himself simply Mr.
McMahon. Vince teased becoming an active wrestler in 1993 during several
appearances in Jerry Lawler's USWA promotion as a heel promoter trying
to squash the small town promotion, but in 1998, Vince did what his father
forbade him to do: he became one of the boys by lacing up the boots to
face Stone Cold Steve Austin, his latest hit superstar. Vince developed
his gimmick, saying "You're Fired" in his grittiest voice, forming the
"Kiss My Ass Club" and developing the McMahon strut, borrowed from one
of Vince's childhood favourites Dr. Jerry Graham.
In 2001, Vince McMahon overcame WCW and purchased the company, only to
shut it down and harvest its video library for a series of DVD projects
and a 24/7 Wrestling channel. McMahon has wrestled in the ring against
some of the greatest stars of all time including the Rock, Hulk Hogan,
Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and Mick Foley and has overcome some of the
greatest business challenges, including taking the WWF national, defeating
WCW and overcoming his own steroid scandal that threatened to discredit
wrestling altogether. Vince McMahon is a visionary and a wrestling genius
who is more than deserving of his place here in the UWOW Hall of Fame!
Vince, you have achieved greatness and now stand as one of the great "Superstars"
of the ring.
|
Vince McMahon, perhaps before many others, deserves his rightful position
right here as part of the UWOW Hall of Fame. It was Vince who had the determination
to go Global and bring upon the era of Hulkamania and thereby build some
of the era's greatest stars including fellow Hall of Famers Randy Savage,
Bret Hart and Steve Austin among countless others! He began his wrestling
career in 1976, working for his father Vince McMahon Sr as a play-by-play
announcer for television matches. He continued that role well into 1997.
It was Vince who pushed for the renaming of the WWWF, turning it into the
World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and was instrumental in signing
the Mohammid Ali versus Antonio Inoku match in 1976, the same year his
daughter Stephanie was born. In 1979, when the WWWF became the WWF, Vince
purchased the Cape Cod Coliseum and in 1980, he incorporated Titan Sports
and formally purchased the Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his Father
in 1982.
Against his father's wishes, Vince began a campaign of national expansion
that would fundamentally change the business. Having full control over
the business, he was able to do it his way and quickly bought out his father's
former partners Gorilla Monsoon and Toots Mondt, giving Monsoon lifetime
employment and granting his father's friends the Fabulous Moolah, Freddie
Blassie and others lifetime contracts, keeping them on the payroll as a
thank-you. Vince Sr passed away in 1984 and Vince McMahon pulled out of
the National Wrestling Alliance, which had a different vision for wrestling.
Seeing Hulk Hogan achieve national fame by virtue of his appearance in
Rocky III, McMahon targeted Hogan and was able to sign him in late 1983
and in January of 1984, Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik to become the WWF
Champion, leading the WWF into the mainstream and celebrity realm that
Vince had been seeking since buying the company. Vince expanded his vision
by bringing in Cindy Lauper, Mr. T, Liberace, Muhammid Ali and a host of
others to headline the first Wrestlemania under the Rock-n-Wrestling Connection
featured prominently on MTV. Against the odds, Wrestlemania was a success
and the rest is history. McMahon broke another barrier by admitting that
wrestling was not real, but rather predetermined. This infuriated old school
stars like the NWA Champion, at that time, Harley Race. Vince would go
on to make wrestling on pay-per-view the norm, promoting the Wrestling
Classic and annual Survivor Series, Summer Slam, Royal Rumble, King of
the Ring, and eventually pay per views once or twice per month.
Vince suffered his greatest trial in 1994 when he was indicted for steroid
distribution but, despite testimony from Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior and
Bruno Sammartino, McMahon was declared innocent and set free. Vince returned
his attention to his failing product and sought to revitalize it, but,
by that time Eric Bischoff was using the resources of Ted Turner to make
WCW a very powerful opponent. As the trial for Vince ended, Hulk Hogan
joined WCW and a new trial, of sorts, began. Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage,
Lex Luger, Madusa, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Bret Hart and others joined
WCW and threatened to erase the WWF from the industry but Vince turned
lemons into lemonade after he, himself, became hated after the Montreal
Screwjob of 1997.
Vince McMahon could no longer do commentary, as he was much disliked, and
he soon became a character in his own right, calling himself simply Mr.
McMahon. Vince teased becoming an active wrestler in 1993 during several
appearances in Jerry Lawler's USWA promotion as a heel promoter trying
to squash the small town promotion, but in 1998, Vince did what his father
forbade him to do: he became one of the boys by lacing up the boots to
face Stone Cold Steve Austin, his latest hit superstar. Vince developed
his gimmick, saying "You're Fired" in his grittiest voice, forming the
"Kiss My Ass Club" and developing the McMahon strut, borrowed from one
of Vince's childhood favourites Dr. Jerry Graham.
In 2001, Vince McMahon overcame WCW and purchased the company, only to
shut it down and harvest its video library for a series of DVD projects
and a 24/7 Wrestling channel. McMahon has wrestled in the ring against
some of the greatest stars of all time including the Rock, Hulk Hogan,
Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and Mick Foley and has overcome some of the
greatest business challenges, including taking the WWF national, defeating
WCW and overcoming his own steroid scandal that threatened to discredit
wrestling altogether. Vince McMahon is a visionary and a wrestling genius
who is more than deserving of his place here in the UWOW Hall of Fame!
Vince, you have achieved greatness and now stand as one of the great "Superstars"
of the ring.