JBL believes Vince McMahon’s territory-era mindset prevented WWE from presenting incoming WCW wrestlers as equals. Speaking on Something to Wrestle, JBL used Sting as the clearest example of McMahon’s approach.
JBL said even a competitive Sting match against The Undertaker could have suggested that WCW’s leading stars belonged on WWE’s level. He believes McMahon remained influenced by the territorial competition he experienced during the 1980s.
He’s not going to put over anybody from a different territory.
JBL considered WWE’s failure to capitalize on Sting a box-office mistake, but he understood why McMahon resisted preserving an identity created by another promotion.
Sting presented an additional problem because WWE could not easily change his name or character without removing the qualities that made him valuable. The subject was recently revisited when The Undertaker discussed why his long-discussed match with Sting never happened.
JBL believes WWE’s current leadership operates differently because Triple H and other executives did not experience the territorial battles that shaped McMahon’s thinking.
I don’t know what you can make him into.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Something to Wrestle, with a h/t to 411Mania for the transcription.
