Where WWE Raw 1,000 Ranks Among Vince McMahon's Greatest Achievements

Perhaps no individual has had a greater impact on the wrestling business than WWE CEO Vince McMahon.

When he bought the company from his father in 1982, Vince was not nearly as well-known as he is today. Monday's 1,000th episode of Raw shows how far he and the organization have come, however. 

Raw has been a staple on television and in the wrestling business for nearly 20 years, so it was only appropriate that the 1,000th episode felt extremely special.

There were tons of returns and big angles, and it reminded fans what McMahon and the WWE are capable of when they put everything they have into an event.

While there is no doubt that Raw is one of McMahon's greatest achievements, it is worth considering exactly where it ranks when you take everything else he has done into account.

Running a flagship show for 1,000 episodes is nothing to sneeze at, but is it Vince's best brainchild? Keep reading to find out.

Breaking Down of Territories

When McMahon took over the WWE, his main goal was to essentially undo decades of history in order to become a global phenomenon.

Professional wrestling had always been broken down into territories across the country with each individual promoter respecting the others.

McMahon's father was an old-school wrestling guy, so he never had any intention of changing that. Vincent K. McMahon is ambitious and a trail blazer in every sense, though, so it should come as no surprise that he challenged the wrestling norms.

While promoters across the country refused to step on each other's toes, McMahon was out to make his vision a reality and wasn't worried about who he steamrolled in the process.

The main way in which McMahon ran his competition ragged was by signing their stars. McMahon acquired Hulk Hogan from the AWA in 1984 and that was the true start of what eventually led to WWE becoming the most powerful wrestling company in the world.

Raw's 1,000th episode was a huge deal since it has helped keep the WWE relevant for two decades, but if not for Vince's complete deviation from the way business used to be conducted in the WWE, Raw never would have been created in the first place.

WrestleMania

McMahon's innovation didn't stop at running the competition out of business, as he needed something huge in order to take the next step.

By the mid-1980s, the WWE had become the top wrestling promotion in the United States, but the staying power was uncertain.

That prompted Vince to create the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection, which involved the WWE utilizing the biggest rock stars of the time, such as Cyndi Lauper, and forging a relationship with MTV.

This ultimately developed into Vince's greatest idea to date: WrestleMania.

Aside from the Super Bowl, there may be no bigger annual sporting event in the country than WrestleMania.

The NWA had Starrcade, which was a big deal at the time, but Vince wanted something that transcended the world of wrestling, and there is no question that he got that when he created WrestleMania.

The first WrestleMania was an unquestioned success as it aired on closed-circuit television. It has been a success every year since, while becoming a pay-per-view staple.

What Raw has become certainly shouldn't be shortchanged, but if WrestleMania had failed, WWE would have as well. That didn't happen and now WWE is an international power.

Purchase of WCW

Throughout 1997 and 1998, the WWE was in dire straits as WCW was winning the ratings war thanks to the red-hot nWo angle.

For quite some time it appeared as though WCW was the dominant company and WWE was in danger of going out of business at some point.

The WWE was eventually able to right the ship, however, thanks to the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock and a host of others dominating the Attitude Era.

Also, WCW's poor business decisions eventually caught up with it and sent it into a black hole of sorts.

By 2000, WCW had become a shell of its former self and the WWE had clearly gained the upper hand in the Monday Night Wars.

WCW had deteriorated so much, in fact, that it was on its last legs in 2001. That gave McMahon a golden opportunity to put his competition out of its misery, and he did as he shockingly purchased WCW.

Raw itself had a lot to do with WWE beating WCW, and although Vince buying WCW was more symbolic than anything, it has to be right near the top of the list when it comes to his career accomplishments.

There have been a lot of incredible moments in the history of Raw, but Shane McMahon announcing that he had bought WCW (from a storyline perspective) may very well be the greatest.

Make no mistake that the 1,000th episode of Raw had to be a proud moment for McMahon, but he has accomplished so much that it only ranks third or fourth in terms of the many innovations that he has made.

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