How do you think Tony is offering all of these massive contracts? Vince could've done the same thing if he wanted, but it's financially stupid to do it. You saw him give certain wrestlers new contracts when AEW debuted, and then released them shortly after.
Cornette and others on staff around then have said the WWF nearly going out of business like people on the outside think for whatever reason is false.
They were leaner years and Vince offered never guaranteed money like WCW but they weren't in danger of going way. Similar time frame Vince gave Bret the largest contract in wrestling history, decided he didn't want Bret at that price and told him to go back to WCW and play them against WWF again. Point is nobody actually knows WWF's financials, only thing we have to go on are stories about copy paper in the office while Vince flew in expensive jets and spent hundreds on haircuts. But it's documented he's told wrestlers to use us to get more money from them, you are right with that.
But Vince was looking out more for his own business model than strategically plotting against WCW imo. For the same reason he didn't buy Flair, NWO etc when he bought WCW. They would've been making more than Rock & Austin and he would've lost control of the salary scale so he let Turner pay them out
Now, you're talking about somebody that doesn't have much concept of money because he's spent someone else's his whole life. Otherwise the thing would've been shut down by now, businesses don't go 5 years without profit unless you have more money than sense. Can't really checkmate him that way.
