The Consummate Businessman

I completed my MBA while working full time so the name of the game was just get it done...just get that 25 page paper done, just get that business plan and oral presentation done, just get that final exam done, and at long last this past December I was done. I don't know how much of what I was taught I really learned, but one nugget I did ingest and will never forget is that a good businessman recognizes opportunity in the face of adversity and then strikes while the iron is hot.

When you hear the name Vince McManon, you likely think leader of a group of steroid-infused, costume-wearing, funny nickname-owning men and women who deliver flying elbow drops on each other, all the while knowing who and how the victor will triumph. All of us can recall the famous faces of the 80's and 90's when wrestling was at its peak...The Undertaker, Bret "The Hitman" Heart, Rowdy Rowdy Piper, Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Million Dollar Man, Lex Luger, Andre the Giant, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, The Ultimate Warrior...the list goes on and on and on. We remember their finishing moves, their outfits, their famous matches. The man behind all of that is just as well known, though perhaps not as recognized as he should be for his business acumen.

Vince McMahon is a business man, and a good one at that. When he's not crafting intricate story lines, he's finding ways to further grow his company. He did it again last night as his traveling circus of wrestlers were kicked to the curb by Denver's Pepsi Center in favor of the Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals despite the fact that they booked the building last year. He started his marketing bonanza by showcasing a live Raw is War event in where else, but The Staples Center in LA. The night featured McMahon punching out Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke as Jack Nicholson and David Stern sat ringside. The festive night ended with a tag team, battle royal between the Lakers and Nuggets...I don't think I need to tell you who won.

Like it or not, Vince McMahon is a marketing genius. Living by the mantra "no press is bad press," he does what every great professional should do in trouble times...brainstorm ways to prosper.

World Wrestling Entertainment will return to the Mile High City on August 7...there's no telling what Mr. McMahon will have up his wrestling singlet then!

Photos from last night's event...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/wwe.vs.nuggets/content.1.html