WWE is one of the biggest sports entertainment in the world today. The company was started back in 1952 by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt, back then known as Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC). CWC officially opened on January 8, 1953.
Starting in the New York northeastern area, CWC ran wrestling matches for local fans. The shows became more popular, and the company grew bigger. In the growth process, the company started changing names from CWC to World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1963.
In 1979, the company shortened the name to World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
From WWF to WWE
Vince McMahon bought the wrestling company through Titan Sports, Inc. in 1982. He took wrestling shows beyond local areas to the whole country. In 1985, Vince McMahon launched wrestling’s biggest yearly event, WrestleMania.
In 1989, McMahon is remembered to have said that wrestling matches do actually have planned winners, which helped the wrestling company pay fewer taxes as a “sports entertainment” company.
In 2002, the company experienced a major change when the World Wide Fund for Nature won a legal fight over the WWF initials. The wildlife group had used WWF initials since 1961, two years before the wrestling company started using it. This forced the wrestling company to change its name to what is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
WWE Now
Today, WWE matches now reach more than one billion homes worldwide in 30 languages. The matches mix real athletic moves with planned storylines. While the winners are decided beforehand the moves are dangerous and can hurt wrestlers if not done correctly. So, just like the old days, do not try the moves at home.
Raw and SmackDown
The sports entertainment company runs two wrestling shows, that is, Raw and SmackDown, plus NXT which is a training brand based in Orlando, Florida. It holds about 320 live events yearly, including at least 12 pay-per-view events, with WrestleMania being their biggest show.
WWE sports entertainment cuts across nearly the whole world with offices in Stamford, Connecticut (which is their headquarters), New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, and Munich. In September 2023, WWE joined forces with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) under a new company called TKO Group Holdings, though both still run separately.
2024 and Beyond
In 2024, WWE held its first big event in France called Backlash France, which was the first-ever pay-per-view event in the country. They have also started WWE ID, which is a new program for developing independent wrestlers.
WWE landed a big deal with Netflix where they’ll move one of their shows, Raw, making it available to a larger audience worldwide. This shows how the company is finding new ways to reach their fans. Fans as well can watch WWEs entire video collection through the WWE Network streaming service that was launched in 2014, at any time they want.
