“Vince Loved…”: Former Tag Team Champion Details Vince McMahon’s Criteria to Become the Top Guy in the WWE

Vince McMahon has been at the helm of WWE for decades. His long stay at the top oversaw the rise of many stars in the business. Over the course of years, fans have seen wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, and John Cena as the top faces of the company.

These performers carried the weight of the promotion for a very long time. But what do they all have in common? A big bodybuilding frame is the correct answer. And a former WWE tag team champion has recently opened up on the fact that McMahon preferred the big muscular frame guys as the future of his promotion.

Bubba Ray Dudley, who was a part of WWE for a long time, recently had an interaction with Chris Van Vliet. He discussed a host of topics and among them was his former boss’s affinity for larger-than-life characters.

Former tag team champion speaks on Vince McMahon’s criteria

Dudley said, “If it was WWE/WWF yes, Vince loved his bodybuilders. But when you look at the business as a whole, not everyone needed to be jacked, and tan and smooth, and pretty. You know you need your rough around the edges guys”.

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Who better to tell about McMahon’s liking than a former employee of his? The one-half of ‘The Dudley Boys’ was spot on in his assessment of the variety on offer in the business as a whole.

The WWE also saw a shift in its narrative in the 90s. Tireless workers such as Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart and Shawn Michaels came to the forefront.

A wave of smaller, much more athletic performers

Although not boasting of the typical big frame, Bret Hart and Michaels were among the very best to ever appear in the squared circle. The arrival of talents such as Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio further proved that you don’t need to be big to succeed in wrestling. All these mentioned guys reached the top echelons of the WWE. But they had to struggle that much more to reach there. 

The current day and age appear to be doing the most amount of justice with the talents. Whereas the size of a performer is still important, it is their ability to go in the ring and connect with the audience that is the most important facet. Sure, the top guy in the WWE is currently a big guy like Roman Reigns.

But the years of trying to shovel him down the throats of the masses did not work. What worked was a tweak to his on-screen persona, that did all the magic.

The days of Vince McMahon’s love for the perfect physique as the top guy in the WWE are well known but things have slightly changed. Success comes to those who are a full package nowadays and not those who only boast of a massive frame.

Is Bubba Ray Dudley right about Vince McMahon’s preference? Let us know in the comments.

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