The 1980s were a pivotal time for wrestling in general, but especially WWE. Wrestling as we know it today is a direct result of the cultural shift that took place in the 80s. For better or worse, the WWE changed the entire model and landscape of pro wrestling, transforming it into an entertainment juggernaut.
With Vince McMahon firmly at the helm, the WWE charged head-first into a brave new world, taking several risks in the process. While some of these risks paid off like gangbusters, others, not so much. For someone like Vince McMahon though, taking risks is all part of growing a business, so it was no deterrent for him taking more risks in the following years.
10 Backfired - WrestleMania 4 Tournament
Fiscally, WrestleMania 4 was a major success for WWE. It was the first of back-to-back WrestleMania's held at Trump Plaza, and fan interest in the product was at an all-time high. It was from an artistic standpoint that this show was a risk that didn't pay off. For the first time and only time as a result, a tournament would be held to crown a new WWE Champion, following the controversy that stemmed from Hogan/Andre 2.
The rapidly ascending Randy Savage, would win the tournament, but the show itself left a lot to be desired. As aforementioned, the WWE has never attempted this concept since, likely due to the underwhelming quality of this one.
9 Paid Off - Saturday Night's Main Event
Imagine telling someone that you are going to preempt one of the most popular late-night television shows in American history, in favor of a pro wrestling special on NBC. Then imagine that the show will do insanely high numbers, despite the inevitable backlash. Well, that is exactly what happened with Saturday Night's Main Event.
The WWE had established a good relationship with Dick Ebersol from NBC, and they reached a deal to hold a special primetime show on the network on Saturday night. The rest as they say is history, and SNME went on to become one of WWE's great success stories.
8 Backfired - Slap Heard Round The World
The WWE had much less secure parameters so to speak, during the 80s, and as a result one of the most embarrassing and rather controversial events in company history took place. John Stossel, was a reporter for 20/20, and was known for running expose pieces on the show. For whatever reason, he and his crew were allowed access to the backstage area before a live WWE show, and he clearly had an agenda in mind.
This is something that the company would never dream of doing today, unless it was under their own production. John would bite off more than he could chew when he confronted "Dr. D" David Schultz, earning two stiff open hand slaps as a result. This was not a good look for WWE, and would drive Schultz out of the business, entirely.
7 Paid Off - Rock & Wrestling/Celebrity Crossover
On certain occasions, the WWE has been brilliantly calculating in capitalizing on certain trends of the time. When MTV was in its heyday, the WWE saw an opportunity to merge what was already a largely shared audience with the network. Pop Star, Cyndi Lauper was managed by and married to a wrestling fan, who had hoped to get involved with the business.
After WWE personality, Lou Albano appeared in Lauper's music video, she returned the favor by getting involved in the WWE. Cyndi and also Mr. T's involvement with the company would draw millions of eyes to the product, further solidifying its presence in pop culture.
6 Backfired - A Multi-Venue WrestleMania 2
Following the massive success of the inaugural WrestleMania, the WWE would become considerably more ambitious for the sequel. In an unprecedented move, it was announced that WrestleMania 2 would emanate from three different locations, that being Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. However, when the show began, it quickly became apparent why this was a mistake.
For starters, when a match wasn't taking place in the other two cities, fans would have to watch them on relatively small screens by today's standards, causing a lot of unrest, and wavering interest. Also, the Mr. T and Roddy Piper Boxing Match was considered one of the most disappointing in WrestleMania history, considering all the hype it received. WrestleMania 2 is largely considered a miss, due to WWE arguably overextending its reach. Fortunately, they absolutely nailed it the following year at WrestleMania 3.
5 Paid Off- WrestleMania 1
It's been well documented that the WWE and Vince McMahon essentially put all their eggs in one basket with the inaugural WrestleMania. Though the narrative that had WrestleMania been a bust, that Vince and company would have gone bankrupt is a bit hyperbolic, they did have a great deal riding on the success of the event.
It was certainly a risk, as no promoter or company had ever attempted anything as grandiloquent as the first WrestleMania. Not only did it succeed, but this marked the beginning of a new era for the entire industry. It was the turning point in the evolution of pro wrestling.
4 Backfired - TBS Timeslot
In what is now referred to as "Black Saturday," a truly surreal moment, at least for the time, occurred on July 14, 1984. Fans of Southern based promotion, Georgia Championship Wrestling, tuned in to watch the regularly scheduled programming, only to find the WWF's Vince McMahon welcoming them to an entirely different show than they had known.
The backlash was instant, with floods of calls coming in, protesting the change. It was all a part of McMahon's plan for national expansion, but he certainly faced a major hiccup on that fateful summer day. However, Vince would inevitably get the last word, when it was all said and done.
3 Paid Off - National Expansion
Some said it couldn't be done, but most simply felt that it shouldn't be done. When Vince McMahon made his intentions to expand the WWF nationally known, he became one of the most despised yet feared figures the business had ever known. Up to this point in the 80s, wrestling had always been a territory system.
Vince felt that that concept was limiting though, and that a nationally based company could be far more profitable. It was a risk that paid off, and now the days and memories of what wrestling was before going national are little more than an archaic memory.
2 Backfired - No Holds Barred
It was WWE's first foray into cinema, and it was rather obvious upon the finished product. In 1989, WWE would produce and release the feature length film, No Holds Barred, starring its centerpiece star, Hulk Hogan, and Todd Lister. The company played it somewhat safe from a storyline standpoint, and kept the film within its own domain of pro wrestling.
The problem was that Hogan wasn't really ready to carry his own movie as a leading man, and the script had several cringe-worthy moments. The film barely broke even at the box office, not garnering anything in the way of a profit or even a decent review.
1 Paid Off - Going Public As Sports Entertainment
Perhaps not enough credence is given to the enormity of what transpired in 1989. Of all the other entries on this list, none of them changed the business quite as drastically as when the WWE, basically told us all that Santa Claus isn't real. In order to avoid exorbitant taxes by athletic commissions, Vince McMahon publicly decreed that wrestling was indeed not a legitimate sport, but a pre-determined exhibition.
Thus the term sports-entertainment would enter the collective lexicon, altering the perception of wrestling forever. This event in 1989 is perhaps the most definitive of them all.