Vince McMahon built WWE into the biggest wrestling company on the planet, but that doesn’t mean he could just walk back into the business and do it all over again from scratch. The wrestling landscape is completely different now, and one longtime industry observer believes even Vince would get crushed trying to launch a brand-new promotion against WWE and AEW.
The topic came up during Wrestling Observer Radio while Garrett Gonzales and Dave Meltzer were discussing Scott Coker’s plans to launch a new MMA promotion. The conversation quickly turned to how brutal it is for any startup to compete when the established companies already control most of the recognizable talent, major television platforms and infrastructure. Meltzer compared Coker’s situation to the idea wrestling fans have floated for years — Vince simply starting another company and going head-to-head with WWE and AEW.
“In a sense, what Scott is doing with Peter Levin is exactly what people who didn’t get it would tell me that Vince should do. You know what I mean? It’s like Vince should go against these guys, right? You know, Vince should start his own company.”
The problem, according to Meltzer, is that there simply isn’t a giant pool of top-level talent sitting around waiting to be signed. WWE and AEW already have most of the wrestlers a new company would want locked into contracts. That’s where Meltzer got especially harsh about how Vince would actually fare if he tried it today.
“And the whole thing is, is like all the good talent is under contract to WWE and AEW for years and years and years and years and years, right? He has no TV.”
“It’s like you want to start against these two monster companies. It’s like you’re gonna — you’re gonna get, you know, like, you’re gonna see how not good Vince is if he has to start at 81 years old against these guys.”
The discussion later circled back to Coker and whether his experience as a promoter would be enough to make a new MMA company work. Meltzer acknowledged that experience matters, but said timing and access to talent matter just as much. That brought Vince back into the conversation, and Meltzer didn’t soften the point.
“Vince McMahon knows the wrestling business better than almost anyone. And if he came into the wrestling space right now and tried to start a company, he would, he would fail miserably.”
Meltzer’s argument wasn’t that Vince suddenly forgot how wrestling works. His point was that the business Vince dominated decades ago no longer exists in the same form. WWE and AEW already have the rosters, television exposure, corporate backing and production machines that would make life miserable for any startup. He used the same logic when talking about Coker, saying a new MMA company would need to somehow find a major breakout star outside the UFC system.
“And, and, you know, and so, so what does it say about Scott? I don’t know. I mean, maybe he’s got a rabbit out of his hat, but I don’t, I don’t, you know, I mean, he’s going to need a Ronda Rousey, but can you get like a Ronda Rousey? Can you find a Ronda Rousey now, unless they’re in UFC?”
Vince conquered wrestling once, but trying to do it again in 2026 would be a completely different fight. WWE is already the machine he built, AEW is firmly established, and the best talent isn’t sitting around waiting for a phone call. Starting over now wouldn’t be about rewriting history — it would mean trying to beat two loaded companies with one hand tied behind your back.
Do you think Vince Mc Mahon could still build a successful wrestling company from scratch today? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
