If you think Vince never considered publicly putting someone out, but privately maintaining contact...effectively sending out double agents to scout his competition, you're incredibly naive.
Even moreso when you consider who he has been petty with, and who he has shuffled back into the deck after a company collapsed.
Its interesting you say that. I remember years ago an English wrestler called Doug Williams was in TNA and just when he really started to pop he went on some indie promotion in the UK and read at a statement (that many at the time said was a work but he denied it was) talking about how some big international group of men had approached him about helping them with a plan of theirs. They had recognised pro wrestling and its potential to be used as a tool to push certain propaganda to the masses. The whole crowd thought it was a work though so the promoter of the promotion did a youtube video where he read the statement and again said this wasnt a storyline or a wrestling gimmick but a statement doug williams asked him to put out there.
He said this group with ties to the 'banking industry' had decided to work with the 'leading company in the pro wrestling market' now for this purpose and as a result they would be eventually taking over said company.
He said in the mean time however that company was to go about destroying and tearing about all competition to its position as the dominant force. We would see this 'leading company in the wrestling business' raid talents from rival promotions all over the world but especially the emerging market in the UK. He then said they would also use tactics like
position agents within rival promotions, these people will arrive under the guise of trying to help but really they were there to stifle the progress of the company. He mentioned TNA by name when he said this and said TNA was a victim of this very thing and they were agents in and coming to TNA to destroy it but acting as if they are there to help further the company.
Eventually the owner of that 'leading company in pro wrestling' will sell his company to these interests.
I wasn't sure it was a work at the time because the promoter said in the video, this isn't a storyline or a wrestling angle, if it did turn out to be a work then he was totally shytting on kayfabe but i watched wrestling ever since with that in mind and its incredible how everything he said over these years has come true.
It started with Hulk Hogan then arriving in TNA, with great creative control, Eric Bischoff in tow and the promise of helping them compete. First thing they did was get rid of the 6 sided ring and then go head to head with RAW on Mondays and soon impact became the Hogan show. Ric flair also arrived in TNA soon after despite supposedly retiring in WWE. TNA was on the brink of seriously competing with WWE, TNA had a better product, a must watch knockout division long before the WWE women's revolution and half the stars killing it in WWE now. Look at impact now. The likes of Hogan, Flair, Jeff Hardy, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean waltman came in and then left as the ship sank and are all back with WWE
WWE has been poaching the top stars from the competition all over the world, particularly destroying the UK indie scene just as Doug Williams said they would. Signing stars and now making them sign exclusive contracts, and the birth of NXT UK. These things have meant death for the UK indie scene which was starting to blow up, Channel 4 in the UK had actually signed on to AIR a British wrestling show, WWEs moves killed those plans.
And the owner of said 'leading company in pro wrestling' well every year since without fail Vince and other top WWE executives have been selling stocks and shares in the company. Vince acts like he doesn't care about the product atm. He is also attempting to bring back the XFL