How WWE Changed The Way You Watch Media

CHAPTER 1: WWF & NWA: CCTV or PPV?

Now, while Vince McMahon and WWF were raking in huge money in the PPV game, Jim Crockett Promotions had been successfully taking over the home video market.

Starrcade 1986, which had pulled respectable numbers in the CCTV market as it is, became the best selling VHS of all time. But Crockett wanted a slice of the PPV pie. A pie that he actually put in the oven in the first place.

And so Starrcade 1987 was announced to be available on nationwide PPV – to the ire of Vince McMahon who felt that he should have a monopoly over the PPV model having hosted Manias 1-3 through it. 

So Vince did what Vince does, he tried to shut down the competition.

WWF announced a brand new PPV that would compete directly with Starrcade on PPV: Survivor Series, a show that saw all of the WWF’s biggest names in massive multi-man elimination matches – including a monster main event of Team Hogan vs. Team Andre.

Crockett, being a reasonable promoter, simply moved his show to earlier in the afternoon. Great news for wrestling fans, eh?

They can now watch two shows! Also great for the networks promoting both shows as they can now sell a package deal for a whole day of wrestling fun. Everyone’s a winner.

But not for Vince. If everyone is a winner, then he’s not the only winner. So he gave the networks an ultimatum: if you broadcast Starrcade, you won’t just lose WrestleMania IV. You’ll lose all upcoming WrestleManias.

All but three of the cable companies folded. And can you blame them? WrestleMania was a proven money maker, while Starrcade was an unknown. It was a risk from WWF, but it paid off.

Starrcade was dropped from 70% of the nation’s schedule, replaced by the shiny new Survivor Series.

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