George "The Animal" Steele on success in the wrestling business

I found this very interesting. It's an excerpt from his book. He tells a great story of working with Randy Savage in it but at the end he made a pretty awesome observation that I think should be shared:

The wrestling business is constructed on total subjectivity. How tough a person happens to be, or how legitimate his wrestling skills are, often have absolutely nothing to do with his or her success. Sure, certain physical characteristics help. While Hulk Hogan took complete advantage of his looks and charisma, Sid Vicious did not. But the bottom line is that success is not up to the individual wrestler.

It was the McMahons who determined success or failure. First, it was Mr. McMahon; now it is Vince McMahon. This not unique to the WWWF, the WWF, or the WWE. It is just how the business works.There is no other business that I know of in which success has more to do with what I call "office politics." The office decides, based on different factors, who will get the push and who will not. So what are those factors? Unfortunately, they are pretty much like a cell phone plan -- family and friends.[

If you're the boss, your position is there for eternity. Marry the boss' daughter and your position will solidify. Be the boss' kid and your job security is ironclad. Be the boss' buddy and you will find steady work. That is the way it works in a lot of businesses. Just ask the Fords, the Vanderbilts, or the Kennedys.

I found it pretty interesting because a lot of people on the IWC like to try to troll people using the "he was a big draw" argument but that's based on storylines and who the guy works with. Only certain guys get those looks due to the above reasons.