“Notes to a Billionaire”

By- Andrew Khellah

Ignorance doesn't mean stupidity. Instead, ignorance means lack of knowledge. If you don't know fire burns and you put your finger into a flame, that's ignorance; if you know fire burns but you put your finger into the flame anyway, well, that's stupidity.

Vince K. McMahon, You wouldn’t be the billionaire giant you are today if you didn’t take chances and make bold decisions.

The conformity of ‘yes-men’ that poisons your inner circle is damaging to your company. If any one of the dozens of writers you have on staff had any backbone to challenge you in a positive approach and with a perspective that differs from yours, then maybe your company can repeat another wrestling boom period.

Under your supervision and final say, it worked very well with Vince Russo which led the ‘Attitude Era’ in 1997. Or did you forget, Vince?! You were in need for a new approach and a fresh product that can compete with rival World Championship Wrestling during the Monday Night Wars.

The characters dramatically changed as gone with the wind were the characters misses of yesterday—Duke “the Dumpster” Droese, Red Rooster, T.L. Hopper, Doink, Adam Bomb, Isaac Yankeem DDS, and Bastion Booger just to name a few. And no offense to the gentleman that played these characters because, to be fair, their characters really never had a chance to get over with fans.

So imagine if you did not paddle away from the cartoonish and stale characters that made people question whether you are a marketing genius, and turned yourself into a billionaire?! I’m not saying the adult themed characters along the way of Goldust, Sexual Chocolate, Meat w/ PMS, The Godfather, and Val Venis helped (although those characters were entertaining); however the Attitude Era did develop Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Kane and Mick Foley into main-event attractions who by the way deserve a lot of credit for helping you and your company overcome WCW during the Monday Night War.

You were forced to change your company using your creativity and wits to develop new stars and create a better product, as opposed to the deep pockets of Turner and his resources of cable television channels. There was more steak than sizzle on your show. You were desperate, Vince. And it paid off in the end. You said it yourself in March 2001 from Cleveland, Ohio the night WCW closed: “The only way to beat a billionaire… is to become one yourself!”

The problem was becoming a billionaire made you complacent. And I’m not questioning your work ethic Vince, because everyone knows how hard you work. You are truly dedicated and your diehards know that. Nevertheless, your drive and dedication to have your product fresh and to have the fans entertained is long gone.

Hollywood writers didn’t create Hulkamania or Stone Cold’s popularity. You did and the fans supported it and make them both legends. You deserve a ton of credit, especially with Steve Austin. The evil boss versus the rebel without a cause with Stone Cold made Steve one of the greatest superstars of all time.

Complacency didn’t kill the local territories in the ‘80s; your killer instinct did. It’s the lack of consistency and your complacency that’s hurting your product.

You’ve been and are continuing to lose fans and you know it. You admit it on national TV through your promos of free speech and the WWE Universe. And even some of the diehards who have been loyal through necrophilia, hot lesbian action, and Mae Young giving birth to a hand are losing interest.

And you know it too.