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Pro wrestling went from smoke-filled arenas of rednecks, carnies, fat bloated alcoholics doing 10 minute sleepers and rest holds and brawls to viable family entertainment under McMahon. By WrestleMania 1, it was unheard of and unfathomable to have Liberace and The Rockette's on a wrestling card, never mind the wrestlers becoming toys and action figures. By WM 14, wrestlers were appearing on the cover of TV Guide and showing up at awards shows and making tv appearances outside of the ring. It went from a strange past time entertainment for poor working class to something that was in demand and watched by children and families on Saturday mornings. This would have never happened under a board of squabbling N.W.A territory owners. Vince and them weren't on the same level. They would never have thought of something like WrestleMania 2 being simulcasted from three separate arenas. None of them were as forward thinking as him. They had no qualms about making it clear that they were not happy with a lot of what he was doing and made it clear they were either going to fuck with him the entire way like trying to get Sheik to break Hulk's leg or outright talking about rubbing the guy out like the mob. That's probably why he had no problem outright buying or just steamrolling over other territories with impunity. If it wasn't him, it was gonna be one of them, but they would have never done what he did and all who tried riding his coat tails with his formula failed. And he's still doing it. People made fun of him when he launched the Network and indeed it was shakey for a few years, and not only did it catch on, other corporations launched their own.
A good majority of people here wouldn't even be aware of wrestling without McMahon making the loud noise that he did to get eyeballs on his brand and product. Drive and ambition and forward thinking had a lot to do with it.
