WWE Raw: Why No Company Will Ever Match the Program's Success

Twenty-five years ago, if someone had told me that when the dust settled that Vince McMahon would be holding all the cards when it came to the business of professional wrestling, I probably would have laughed in their face.

Honestly, when I watched the WWF, I saw a circus and soap opera that was trending, in my opinion, on the insane. They were larger-than-life cartoon characters who were all gimmick and blatantly odd.

That wasn't the arm-bars and leg-drops I had grown up on.

But in 2012, McMahon and his cast of characters are laughing on the whole damn business. And with the 1,000th episode of Raw taking place tonight, it looks like nothing will slow him down.

Well, maybe Vince himself will slow things down, but no one company could, can or will slow this machine they call the WWE. They're too big, too bold and too daring to look at another wrestling promotion in the face and dare them to try to beat them at their own game.

That game includes entertainment, marketing, promotion and, of course, the wrestlers. It is a brand that can stand up to any other business in America and the world and offer its best shot or take a punch in the face and still stand tall.

When the NWA reigned king and had territories, they beat the WWF with a champion who toured and defended a title. Vince got around that by regionalizing the brand and then making it a tool to be used nationally and globally. Hulk Hogan became a symbol of the business—not the other way around.

The same tactic is used today with John Cena, CM Punk, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and others. They are a product of the machine, and they in turn make the WWE millions.

It is the same thing as in corporate America, where the product sells the business. Maybe that is why it works so well, because the WWE is a business first and sports entertainment or wrestling company second. Those key components were the downfall of not only the NWA, but Verne Gagne and the AWA as well.

In addition to that, ROH and TNA put together a fine product, but look at the whole picture. There is no way these two "sister" operations can compete with the global giant.

Not even close.

When McMahon bought WCW, the thought was monopolization would be good for the business, but it has taken its bumps and bruises along the way.

At times, the product is watered down. Vince must reinvent the wheel from time to time and dig into the treasure chest to find gimmicks that work. But in the end, his product survives and then grows stronger.

So tonight, when we are watching the antics of the 1,000th episode of Raw, we are reminded that this company, this business is as strong as it has ever been. No one company in the business will unseat the WWE. It just can't happen.

And in the grand scheme of things, do we really want it to happen? Would wrestling be better if McMahon is not atop the perch?

Something tells me things would be pretty dull if that were to ever happen.