Vince McMahon Sr.’s Biggest Regret

It is well known that the current state of WWE is based on a son not honoring his dying father’s last wish.

Vince McMahon Sr. and Vince McMahon Jr. had different visions of what WWE would be. While his father wanted the company to remain a Northeast territory with New York City being its home base, Vince Jr. sought out a national company with an established global presence. Of course, his son made his dream a reality, something that must have his dad turning over in his grave.

If only Vinnie Mac didn’t have sole ownership of WWE…

What would the state of professional wrestling be if Vince Jr. had to answer to people from the very beginning? After all, when he comes under pressure from outside parties, McMahon usually acquiesces. When an ill-timed Muhammad Hassan angle happened right after the London bombings, the TV network UPN got the character kicked off TV. When Linda McMahon decided to get involved in politics, Vince decided to tone down the content in an effort to soften his wife’s image, one of the many factors that led to the PG Era. Most recently, Snickers forced WWE to remove Fabulous Moolah’s name from the WrestleMania women’s battle royal after viral backlash.

If Vince Jr. was restricted from the beginning, how different would the landscape be?

Well, if someone forced him to follow his father’s business plan, there would be no need to raid the territories for talent. Naturally, there are territories that were still going to age out, but others would have been able to thrive longer. If McMahon didn’t take Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Bobby Heenan and “Mean” Gene Okerlund, the AWA most certainly would have stayed in business. Same can be said for Jim Crockett Promotions if they didn’t lose Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine and Ricky Steamboat.

With an even playing field, there could have been major bidding wars throughout the country. Imagine wrestling magazine covers with Jerry “The King” Lawler on them, asking “Does The King Go North or South?” Looking down the line, would Jerry Jarrett start TNA and rejuvenate the Tennessee territory? Does ECW thrive without the pressure of WWE and WCW scooping up their stars?

Think about the global impact: New Japan would have thrived with imports like Stan Hansen, Chris Benoit and a homegrown roster that would’ve carried them for decades. Without WWE going international, the U.K. wrestling scene would have remained a vibrant territory. How different would WWE look in the 1990s if Stampede Wrestling hadn’t folded and the Hart family was still in Canada?

The reality of the situation is that despite criticism regarding creative decisions, misused talent and gluttony of content, Vince Jr. is at the peak of his power. With these billion-dollar TV deals, increasing foreign alliances and soaring stock, his father’s regional promotion has exploded into a global multimedia juggernaut the likes of which have never been seen before in the history of the industry.

We’ll never know if Vince Sr. would be proud of his son’s achievement or ashamed.