In the vast portfolio of Vince McMahon’s business ventures, the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) stands as a monument to hubris. Launched in 1990 and dissolved unceremoniously in 1992, the WBF was an attempt to apply the “sports entertainment” model to the stoic, subjective world of competitive bodybuilding. It was a direct challenge to the Ben and Joe Weider monopoly, the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB), which controlled the industry’s most prestigious title, Mr. Olympia. The saga of the WBF is more than just a failed sports league. It is a story of corporate warfare, a relentless marketing campaign for a supplement line called ICOPRO, and a catastrophic collision with the federal government’s crackdown on anabolic steroids. Ultimately, the WBF serves as a case study in

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