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"McNeill Factor"
Newsletter Headline: "To Be Loved"
Originally published: March 29, 2008
From Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter #1020

Say what you will about Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment; in the course of one weekend, they have managed to change how aspiring wrestlers look at the end of their careers.

In the olden days, you know, a generation ago, the goal of everyone connected with professional wrestling was the stay in the business for as long as possible. Assuming you somehow managed to survive into your mid 40's, you'd stretch out your career to the bitter end, wrestling long after wrestling fans and your own body had concluded that it was time to hang up the boots. Maybe you'd get work for one of the various offices, like Fred Blassie did for the WWF. Or you could become a manager, like Paul Jones did in Jim Crockett Promotions. You found a hway to hang on past your shelf and do whatever you could, because once it was over, it was over.

Then, everyone started looking for fame beyond professional wrestling. In 1998, former WWF wrestler and announcer Jesse "The Body" Ventura shocked political observers when he was elected governor of the state of Minnesota. The governor even managed to parly his governorship into a big money guest starring role at SummerSlam in 1999.

Then came the movies. In the late-1990s, it didn't look like pro wrestling would mix with the big screen. Vince McMahon put the kibosh on a plan for Steve Austin to appear in the sequel to "Universal Soldier." The part went to WCW wrestler Bill Goldberg. Austin was reportedly furious with McMahon for this movie, leading to months of tension between the front office and the man who was then WWF's top draw.

And then there was Rocky. Whether he was Dwayne Johnson, Rocky Maivia, or The Great One, The Rock had an undeniable charisma that translated to Hollywood. After a few guest television appearances, The Rock played the villainous "Scorpion King" in the 2001 film "The Mummy Returns." The Rock was chosen to star in a spinoff movie about the Scorpion King and went on to become a full-time actor. Depending on who you ask, The Rock can now command $20-25 million per film without having to endure the grueling travel schedule and bumps that WWE wrestlers go through. In addition, The Rock actually has a Screen Actors Guild card, which entitles him to SAG's first-class health insurance and pension plan.

In order to stay in the game, World Wrestling Entertainment created WWE Films. While the company plans to make money off the movies it creates, part of the appeal of WWE Films was the incentive it provides to the wrestlers. Wrestlers like Kane and Steve Austin can carry their own motion pictures, just like real movie stars. For their part, WWE could profit off the talent of its wrestlers, while paying the sports entertainers in question less than a studio would give them for headlining an action flick. It is a win-win scenario. But it hasn’t stopped WWE superstars from being jealous of the money and mainstream recognition garnered by the former People’s Champ.

That was the dream. Then the dream changed again. It changed when the McMahons revived the WWE Hall of Fame four years ago. The Hall of Fame was a tip of the hat to the wrestlers who had made the McMahon family money and a nice addition to WrestleMania weekend. WrestleMania XX weekend in New York saw the induction of Jesse Ventura. The next year, Hulk Hogan was inducted into the Hall of Fame and most of the Hogan footage was broadcast on national cable television. No matter who you were, you had to be jealous of the ovation Hogan received in Los Angeles when he came out to accept his WWE Hall of Fame plaque.

Going into last weekend, many fans were surprised that Vince McMahon would allow the near deification of Flair, a wrestler who who best known for his work outside World Wrestling Entertainment. But it makes sense if you've followed McMahon for the past 25 years. McMahon's original plan for Hulk Hogan in the early-1990s was to slowly wind down Hogan's career and turn the Hulk into the "Babe Ruth" of wrestling. Hogan would wrestle infrequently, be recognized as a big star from a previous era, and be a sort of goodwill ambassador for WWE with the mainstream public. Hogan didn't like that plan. The big guy thought he had a few more years as a headliner left in him. As it turns out, Hogan was right. The Hulkster reinvented himself and spent six more years atop the ladder in World Championship Wrestling.

McMahon's next attempt at creating a "Hall of Fame" type character was Randy Savage. Savage worked as the main color commentator for WWF Monday Night Raw and occasionally showed up in the ring to help put over the late Yokozuna as WWF Heavyweight Champion. As it turned out, Savage didn't like being shoved into semi-retirement any more than Hulk did and jumped to WCW in late 1994 to work with his former rival.

As it turned out, Flair was...

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