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WWE was founded in 1952 by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt. McMahon and Mondt created the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd.
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Vince McMahon Sr. and the early days of WWE
WWE was founded by Jess McMahon and Vince McMahon Sr. in 1952 as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). The company was first based in Washington, D.C., but later moved to New York City. McMahon Sr. passed away in 1984, and his son Vince McMahon took over the company.
The expansion of WWE under Vince McMahon Jr.
In 1963, the world of professional wrestling was changed forever when Vince McMahon Sr. took over the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). Under McMahon’s leadership, the promotion expanded rapidly, becoming one of the most popular sports entertainment companies in the world.
In 1982, Vince McMahon Jr. took over the company from his father and renamed it World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Under McMahon Jr.’s leadership, WWE has become the largest wrestling promotion in the world, airing its flagship show Monday Night Raw on USA Network.
The Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars
In the 1990s, professional wrestling was divided between two main promotions: the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). This rivalry, known as the Monday Night Wars, began in 1995 and lasted for over five years. During this time, each company sought to outdo the other in terms of ratings, storylines, and overall entertainment value.
The Attitude Era is often considered to be the peak of professional wrestling’s popularity. This period began in 1997 and ended in 2002. It was marked by edgier storylines and more extreme matches. Many of WWE’s most popular wrestlers, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H, gained prominence during this era.
WWE was officially founded in 1952 by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt. However, it was not until the 1980s that WWE began to gain mainstream popularity. The company has undergone several name changes over the years, from World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
The Ruthless Aggression Era
The Ruthless Aggression Era was a period in WWE’s history that began on February 18, 2002, after Mr. McMahon left WWE television screens following the conclusion of the Invasion storyline. The era ended on June 3, 2005, following WWE’s purchase of WCW.
The PG Era
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company that deals primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. WWE also refers to the professional wrestling promotion itself, founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1952 as Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd.
The company’s headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut, with offices in major cities across the world. As in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE shows are not legitimate contests, but purely entertainment-based performance theater, featuring storyline-driven, scripted, and partly improvised moments that culminate in scripted finishes. This was first publicly acknowledged by WWE’s owner Vince McMahon in 1989 to avoid taxes from athletic commissions. Since the 1980s, WWE publicly has branded their product as sports entertainment rather than pure wrestling.
The concept of a stabilized bedrock of established stars dates back to the original ECW promotion; however WWEFeature articles on wrestlers who have recently retired or quit WWE often include a section listing “notable moments” from their time with the company.
The WWE Network and the New Era
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Network is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by WWE. It was first made available to the public on February 24, 2014, and features live and recorded in-ring shows, documentaries, and classic footage from WWE’s extensive library.
The network was first hinted at in September 2011 when WWE filed for trademarks related to “WWE Network”, “WWE Classic”, “WWE Series”, and “WWE Replay” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The following February, WWE announced that it would be launching the network by April 1 of that year. However, due to technical difficulties, the network did not launch until February 24, 2014.
As of June 30, 2019, the WWE Network had 1.62 million subscribers
WWE today: global expansion and brand recognition
WWE today is a publicly traded (NYSE: WWE) global entertainment company that produces and distributes television programming, live events, digital content and merchandise. The brand recognition and global reach of WWE today is staggering, with a massive social media following and fans in nearly every country around the world.
But it wasn’t always this way. Vince McMahon Sr. founded WWE (then WWWF) in 1952, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that the company began to expand its reach outside of the northeastern United States. The success of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and other Superstars in the 1980s brought McMahon Sr.’s vision of sports entertainment to a mainstream audience and laid the foundation for WWE’s global expansion in the 1990s and 2000s.
The future of WWE
The future of WWE is looking bright. The company has a strong foundation, a passionate fan base, and a proven ability to adapt to the changing landscape of the entertainment industry. WWE has survived and thrived for nearly two decades, and there is no reason to believe that it won’t continue to do so for many years to come.
