Vince McMahon Used Michael Jordan to Counter WCW’s Meteoric Rise

Vince McMahon deserves tremendous applause for making WWE the most monumental three words in pro-wrestling entertaining. A child gets familiarized with WWE even before learning what wrestling is. It’s magnificent how McMahon’s empire has put a lot of effort into staying at the top for so many years, adapting to various techniques to overcome challenges.

Speaking of challenges, it was not a very smooth era for WWE in the 90s. Not one, but two names were constantly heard in the street talks on wrestling, and they were WCW and ECW. Well, the major rival that put a lot of pressure on the World Wrestling Federation was media mogul Ted Turner’s brainchild, WCW.

In order to compete, McMahon had to burn the midnight oil and gear up the promotions, until he bought WCW in 2001. However, here’s a throwback to when the NBA legend Michael Jordan helped WWE in 1995.

WWF magazine from 1995 features Michael Jordan and Lex Luger on the cover

The first half of the 1990s saw Michael Jordan rising to new levels as a global brand. The 6-time NBA champion is still, for all the reasons, at the top of the game’s history. However, Jordan first retired in 1993, as he felt like he lost the desire to play basketball. But in March 1995, Air Jordan landed back at his home, The Chicago Bulls.

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Shortly after his comeback, WWF did a cover with MJ for the magazine. Recently, the particular cover in which Jordan stands beside former WWE superstar Lex Luger popped up on Twitter. Also, the cover said, “Talk about a dream team, Lex and Air Jordan join forces for a worthy cause.”

Nevertheless, this was a tough time for WWE as their ratings were very low, and WCW was standing on its own. Clearly, McMahon would have even brought Jordan for a match, as it would have benefited them tremendously. Further, the Monday Night Wars that spanned from 1995 to 2001, was the most heated head-to-head competition between the two sports entertainment promotions.

Moreover, Lex Luger was considered one of the biggest names in pro wrestling in the 90s. Although many predicted that he would be the next Hulk Hogan, Luger did not last that long in the ring. One of his notable success stories involves his tag title championship alongside ‘The Hitman’ Bret Hart. Ironically, after this cover shoot, in 1995, Luger left WWE for WCW.

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But WWE ultimately had the last laugh. After Vince McMahon nailed the coffin of WCW by buying them in March 2001, WWE arose as a superpower that can not be beaten. Still, even with a growing competition against AEW, WWE is the billion-dollar giant to never be messed up with.