By @Phranchize19
Vince McMahon is a genius mostly (Editor's Note: He really isn't). He’s made some brilliant moves and some not so brilliant (Editor's Note: mostly not so brilliant). I’m gonna talk about 10 of the worst booking decisions he’s made. Mind you, this isn’t a complete list or the worst decisions, just 10 of the worst to me.
*Hulk Hogan Defeats Yokozuna For The WWF Title (Wrestlemania 9)
-McMahon loved Hogan. That was his guy, for a good reason though, as Hogan helped him become the success he is today. That love has caused for questionable decisions and this was one of them. Yokozuna was riding a wave of momentum, as was Bret Hart. Bret and Yokozuna had a fair main event but then after winning the title, Yokozuna’s manager Mr Fuji challenged Hogan to wrestle Yokozuna for the belt. No one ever does this so it was strange to begin with. No one had defeated Yokozuna up to that point and Hogan defeats him for the belt he just won in less than 30 seconds. That devalued the push both Bret and Yokozuna got as well as devalued the belt.
*Hulk Hogan Regains WWF Title From The Undertaker One Week After Losing
-Undertaker was something different. He was refreshing. He held an undefeated streak and it led him to the title. Hogan’s popularity was clearly on the decline but McMahon didn’t care. The problem wasn’t so much Hogan winning the title back it was winning the title as quickly as he did. That devalued the belt and cut The Undertaker short to where he almost didn’t recover.
*Ted DiBiase Never Becoming WWF Champion
-Ted DiBiase is one of the best wrestlers ever as well as a top 10 heel. The decision for him to never be WWF champion baffles me. The strange part is he was actually booked to win the WWE title during the tournament at Wrestlemania 4 before it changed.
*The End Of Summer of Punk
-The entire summer of Punk was NOT a waste. Some of the most interesting storylines came from this storyline. However there are 3 things that were strange here. First, CM Punk wins the title at Summerslam but loses to Del Rio shortly after. Normally this is just to get the the briefcase cashed in but Del Rio cashes in and feuds with Cena. Next, Punk not only loses the belt, he then feuds with Kevin Nash. Kevin Nash. Lastly, when the match with Nash falls through, he goes on and feuds with Triple H and LOSES. Enough said.
*The Wrestlemania 2000 Main Event
-With Stone Cold Steve Austin out, McMahon had to call an audible for the main event. His two hottest guys at the time was The Rock and Triple H. Naturally, they should’ve headlined but McMahon decided to add Big Show and originally Chris Jericho but they gave his spot to Mick Foley. Not only was it a Fatal 4 Way but a McMahon was in every corner. The match was overbooked before it even began. The action in the wrong was overshadowed by the McMahon family drama. The main event should’ve been the main event we got at Backlash 2000.
*Undertaker’s Booking From 1992-1996
-After Undertaker lost his undefeated streak and the WWE title to Hulk Hogan, he foundered in a big way. Taker would squash Jake Roberts but then feud with the likes of Giant Gonzalez. After a decent feud with Yokozuna, he then had an uninspiring feud with the Million Dollar Team. After this, Taker would FINALLY get a feud that would probably have been considered the best feud of 1996 with Mankind. Had it not been for Mankind, Undertaker wouldn’t have probably become the legend that he is or at least found the right lane.
*Storyline Treatment Of Jim Ross
-Personally I felt the way Vince handled Jim Ross wasn’t right. Jim Ross would constantly get embarrassed from being beat up by the likes of Austin, Eric Bischoff, Triple H among others to being fired on TV or be embarrassed in general by guys like CM Punk. Jim Ross and Undertaker may be the most liked and respected individuals in the wrestling industry and I felt Vince treated JR unfairly. His booking as an on air personality was never right.
*Legion of Doom Booking
-The Road Warriors are considered by many to be the greatest tag team ever (personally I feel Hardyz and Dudleyz have surpassed them but that’s another story). LOD won the tag titles in WWE but their reigns were rather unforgettable. While I agree that those guys were supposed to put over teams at that stage in their careers (New Age Outlaws), they didn't book them as too much of a threat at any point. Road Warriors dominated every tag division they set foot in but their WWE runs were largely pedestrian at best.
*The "Divas" Division
-We are seeing women’s wrestling at its apex. But once upon a time, women were seen as eye candy and that’s all. The Attitude Era would be a prime example where Sable was the face of the division without being a competent wrestler. From there, it got better during 2002-2008. Once Trish, Lita, and others retired, Vince tried to give us Kelly Kelly as the face of the division, which was all bad. Thankfully, Vince saw the light (Editor's Note: Triple H handles most of that) and we have a great era now.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin Heel Turn At Wrestlemania 17
This may have been the worst booking decision (Editor's Note: It actually was a good decision in the end). Austin’s career never recovered after this heel turn (Editor's Note: Actually, it got an added dimension thanks to the heel turn, it's the injuries and booking that messed him up) which turned him from bad ass to a McMahon disciple. Austin becoming friends with his biggest rival was already bad enough but playing guitar and buttering up McMahon made it absolutely horrendous to watch (Editor's Note: All of this was entertaining TV and helped Austin out of a box). By the time Austin turned face again, the damage was already done (Editor's Note: Austin and WHAT? were immensely popular after the heel turn so I'm not sure what Phranchize means here).
Whether or not you agree with Phranchize on these or not, these all make for a compelling discussion on the logic of WWE booking and the ramifications of it. Let us know your thoughts on this list.
-Phranchize
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