although i am far from being pro gotti, john sr. cannot take all the blame. gotti was able after castellanos murder to surround himself with loyalists for the most part. most if not all the capos fell in line out of fear or with the expectation of making more money. these same loyal capos were the ones who propped up john gotti jr and peter gotti after johns imprisonment. possible that many capos after 1992 were not kicking up proper to junior or had any respect for him at all, but many did and i am sure there is still a pro gotti group inside gambinos to this day. not necessarily pro junior but to the mystique or allure of john gotti. peter gotti on the other hand turned into the definition of lightning rod/front boss for gambinos from 1999-2002. by all accounts peter did become official boss but for what a year on the streets. spent the last 19 years of his life in jail. which served those with a brain in family very well as they slowly gained power in family.

i think we can lump gotti in with the likes of amuso/casso and vic orena as far as succesful bosses from late 80's to early 90's. he was not by any metric a succesful boss.