As an interesting historical note, Stu Hart brokered a deal in the late 70s to put the NWA junior heavyweight championship on Dynamite Kid, but Nelson Royal refused to drop the belt to him. Dynamite made a huge impact pretty much everywhere he went, so you have to wonder how things might have developed if he had gone around the country as a touring champion.
In what universe are spectacular acrobats in colorful costumes "normal?"
Anyway, lighter wrestlers have had plenty of success in America in the past. Argentina Rocca was the one who brought New York back from the dead as a wrestling town. Verne Gagne's first major push was as NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion. Danny Hodge was already mentioned. If I were to identify a single cause for their decline in the US, I would point to the spread of steroids and the rise of Superstar Billy Graham in particular. The impact of his size and physique combined with the gift of gab can hardly be overstated.
When Hulk Hogan died, it made the front page of the New York Times. When Gorgeous George died, it received so little attention that people were able to successfully impersonate him for years afterward. There's no comparison.
A man with a complicated legacy to say the least, but still the biggest star on a global basis the industry has ever seen. The idea that pro wrestling was a tiny thing happening in bars before he and Vince took it mainstream is obviously a crock, but his drawing power at his peak really was unfathomable. I'd wager his name is still the one that would come up the most often if you asked the average American to name a pro wrestler.
The amount of unforced PR errors this company has committed in recent months is rather jarring. What else can be said about Vince, he was much better at reading the room. Maybe Wall Street was right that a dumb rassler wouldn't be up to the task of running a major corporation.
It should be noted that Smackdown the week before last did a shockingly low rating despite featuring Cena and Cody and having no NBA playoff competition. Raw is also doing disappointing numbers on Netflix. The big shows are still doing monster business, which is interesting because ratings have historically been a lagging indicator of popularity. Still, there are signs that WWE is starting to cool off somewhat. If nothing else, Vince's insistence on never turning Cena heel has been thoroughly vindicated.
The video isn't showing up for me, but I'm sure we all know what you're referring to. Still the greatest match of all time in my book. You know something is an absolute banger when you can just say the date it took place and people will know what you're talking about.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/28/wwe-vince-mcmahon-laurinaitis-sex-trafficking.html
And Laurinaitis has flipped back on Vince. Truly no honor among thieves.