The Evolution of the WWE

In what will be remembered as either a return to glory or the possible end to wrestling, WWE Monday Night Raw witnessed an angle involving WWE CEO Vince McMahon committing apparent suicide when his limo was engulfed in flames while inside. McMahon for the last few weeks has been severely depressed after losing the ECW Heavyweight Championship to Bobby Lashley. While some fans did actually witness McMahon leaving in another vehicle, it is unclear what this will inevitably lead to. What is known is that the WWE has garnered much attention, both positive and negative, over this recent event.

Throughout his tenure as owner of the WWE, McMahon has always found away to put out a good and entertaining product. One thing that McMahon has always done is gamble on a new and innovative idea even when those close to him thought it was ridiculous to try it. The biggest gamble that he ever made was the very first WrestleMania. That event put wrestling back on the map, and launched the entertainment era in the industry. With the company booming in the mid to late 1980s, the promotion was able to launch more pay-per-views as well as target the younger generation of fans with babyface hero Hulk Hogan leading the way.

However, fans grew tired of the good vs bad storylines in the early 1990s, especially involving Hulk Hogan because more often than not, he was victorious in his matches. Also, McMahon was under heavy fire with the steroid scandal in the 1990s that nearly crippled the promotion. One such idea that he tried around this time was to launch the World Bodybuilding Federation(WBF) in 1992. When the steroid scandal hit the news, that ended the company's chances of cross-promoting it with wrestling.