May 2012

There is no doubt the WWE panders to a younger demographic. I respect the hell out of John Cena, but he’s the biggest star in the business, not only because of his tireless work ethic and positive attitude, but because WWE can market him as a safe option for kids. There’s certainly nothing at all wrong with that, as they did the very same thing with Hulk Hogan in the 80’s, becoming a global juggernaut in the process. It was during Hogan’s run that merchandising became a focal point for Vince McMahon & Co., and untold millions were made off an assortment of ‘kid friendly’ items. Everything from action figures to sleeping bags, lunch boxes to yes, ice cream bars, were marketed specifically to kids, and we ate it up, doing whatever we could to get that Ultimate Warrior satin jacket or Randy Savage stuffed ‘wrestling buddy’. I know I did an awful lot of yard mowing and cleaning up of my room to save the money needed to purchase those old LJN action figures.