#101: A Superstar is a Superstar, Even if Someone Else Made Them That Way

When Ken Shamrock made his WWE debut on February 24, 1997, he was already a household name. Up to that point he had competed in Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling and the UFC.  He was billed as “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” because of his career in Mixed Martial Arts and he became a household name in professional wrestling as a result. Shamrock was one of the few superstars that Vince didn’t actually help create, but instead just help build on.

Shamrock’s success and Vince’s strategy in acquiring a popular MMA star (he also tried his hands at Dan Severn at the time as well) is very similar to recent moves by Dana, who acquired former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. Brock debuted in WWE in 2002 and went on to be one of the biggest names in the entire professional wrestling world before he quit at Wrestlemania 20 in 2004.  Dana White recently announced the signing of the former WWE heavyweight champion to the UFC because of his accomplished amateur wrestling background. I’m sure his fame from professional wrestling didn’t hurt either. As with the case of Ken Shamrock for Vince, a superstar is a superstar, you just have to recognize it and take advantage of it.

Maybe Dana White didn’t need Vince’s playbook and came up with his own strategy to become number one in his market. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it’s striking similar to his only pay-per view competitor. Maybe they’ve never even met before, much less crossed paths at SPIKE TV.  But what if they did?  Not a bad blueprint to follow.