'''World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.''' ('''WWE''') is a publicly-traded company dealing with [[professional wrestling ]] entertainment. It also had failed venues in football (the [[XFL]]) and body building (the World Bodybuilding Federation). WWE puts on live and telecast wrestling shows, produces [[video games]] and licenses various products. The company was previously known was the WWF (World Wrestling Federation), and before 1979 the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), before changing its name in 2002. It is the largest entertainment wrestling organization in the world. Although WWE professes to conduct a sports competition, its events are scripted performances.
WWE events are scripted performances with predetermined winners/losers (though unexpected events, sometimes tragic, have taken place during events; notably the death of [[Owen Hart]] after a mechanical failure caused him to fall into the ring with no protection). As such, it prefers to use the term "sports entertainment" to distinguish itself from actual wrestling events. [[Vince McMahon]] is the majority owner and Chairman of the company and his wife [[Linda McMahon]] held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Together with their children, Executive Vice President of Global Media [[Shane McMahon]] and Senior Vice President of Creative Writing [[Stephanie McMahonLevesque]], the McMahons hold approximately 70% of WWE's economic interest and 96% of all voting power in the company.
The company's main headquarters is located at 1241 East Main Street in Stamford, [[Connecticut]]. There are also international offices in [[Los Angeles]], [[New York City]], [[London]], and [[Toronto]].
Some promotional names that The WWE maintains for its television showsthree promotional brands:
*''[[WWE Raw|RAW]]''
*''[[WWE SmackDown!|SmackDown!]]''
*''[[WWE NXT|NXT]]''
*''[[WWE 205 Live|205 Live]]'' (WWE Network)
WWE's revenue in fiscal 2006 (from May 2005 to April 2006) was approximately $400 million (US), with a net profit of approximately $47 million. As of August 2006, the company's market capitalization is over $1 billion (US). Its stock is traded on the NYSE.<ref>http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/wwe.html WWE</ref>
==History==
The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was born in 1963 when Vincent J. McMahon, the principal owner of [[National Wrestling Alliance]]-affiliated Northeastern [[Northeast]]ern promotion Capitol Wrestling, split off his company from the larger NWA, an umbrella organization of "mom and pop" wrestling territories with each promotion staying in its own territory. The company rejoined the NWA as a member in 1971 and was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. Under Vince McMahon, Vincent J. McMahon's son, the WWF broke from the NWA again in 1983 and would start to go national in the 1980s, breaking the unwritten rule of not encroaching on the turf of other regional wrestling territories and angering many other NWA and non-NWA promoters in the process. As his revenue increased, he also started to sign the best known names from other promotions, including the [[American Wrestling Association]] (AWA) and the NWA's flagship promotion, [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] (JCP). He also began [[broadcast syndication|syndicating]] his programs ''WWF Championship Wrestling'' and ''WWF All-Star Wrestling'' outside of the WWF's Northeast home territory to TV stations across the United States, often buying out the airtime used by the wrestling shows of rival promotions to get access to the audiences who watched the other programs (as happened when he bought established NWA member Georgia Championship Wrestling and, in a move highly unpopular with that promotion's audience, took over the airtime of its TBS show ''World Championship Wrestling'' on July 14, 1984, a date long since referred to in wrestling history as Black Saturday<ref>[https://historyofwrestling.com/black-saturday/ Black Saturday] at History of Wrestling</ref>), or scheduling his shows on other stations in direct competition against his rivals' established wrestling shows to cut into their viewership.
The breakthrough signing that became the first nationally recognized superstar was former AWA wrestler [[Hulk Hogan]] who, due to his appearance in the movie ''Rocky III'', had a national recognition that few other wrestlers could manage. Other big named wrestlers were brought in including [[Andre the Giant]]. Superstardom hit paydirt with the production of the first nationwide Pay per view [[WrestleMania]] in 1985. Incorporating well known actors such as [[Mr. T]] into the production helped to turn the WWF and WrestleMania into a mainstream hit.
On February 24, 2014, WWE launched the WWE Network. The network contains the entire past pay-per-view events from the WWF/WWE, WCW, and ECW, as well as original programming and library programming from the Capitol/WWWF/WWF eras and acquired shows from JCP, the AWA, Canadian promotion Stampede Wrestling and other promotions whose program archives were acquired by WWE. It also features Over the Edge 1999, the event in which Owen Hart died from a botched accident, in its entirety, although the fifteen minutes in which paramedics got Hart out of the ring, and the backstage interview with Jeff Jarrett have been edited out. It also features events featuring Chris Benoit, although an advisory is shown prior.
On February 22, 2016, Shane McMahon made his first appearance on WWE programming since 2009. This was to set up a match between McMahon and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. Afterward, McMahon would return to Raw, co-running it with his sister, Stephanie McMahon. On May 25, 2016, it was announced that another Brand Extension would take place and ''SmackDown'' would start airing live on Tuesdays on the USA Network starting July 19, 2016. This has been referred to as the New Era. In the wake of the 2020 [[Coronavirus|COVID-19]] pandemic, WWE cancelled its live events, and had tapings of ''Raw, SmackDown'' and ''NXT'' moved to the WWE Performance Center. WrestleMania 36 was also moved there as well. It was taped, to be aired on the WWE Network over two days on April 4 and 5, 2020.
==Going Public==
In May 2002 the name of the company was changed from the WWF to WWE after it was ruled that the World Wildlife Fund owned the rights to the WWF label in the United Kingdom.<ref>http://contracts.corporate.findlaw.com/agreements/wwf/worldwildlife.1997.01.20.html</ref><ref>http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_05_06.jsp</ref>
Later in 2002, WWE acquired the assets of the defunct American Wrestling Association (specifically, its trademarks and video library) from AWA founder Verne Gagne. Another smaller defunct wrestling company, Extreme Championship Wrestling (which closed its doors in April 2001, notable for its "hardcore" wrestling style which involved frequent use of outside objects and its lack of any "rules"), had its assets, including its video library, purchased in the summer of 2003.
Initially, WWE had planned to branch WCW into its own entity. The original plan was for ''RAW'' to be the WCW show, while ''SmackDown'' would become the WWE show. However, on July 2, 2001, at a show in Tacoma, the last 20 minutes of ''RAW'' were given to WCW. A match between Booker T and Buff Bagwell for the WCW Championship was met with negative criticism from fans. Attendees at the arena began chanting "This Match Sucks!" and "Boring!" A week later, the Invasion storyline began when ECW was added. In April 2002, about a month before the name change, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, one on ''RAW'', the other on ''SmackDown!'' due to the overabundance of talent left over from the ''Invasion'' storyline (which involved talent from the absorbed ECW and WCW rosters interacting in WWF storylines). This is known as the WWE ''Brand Extension''. For the first few months of the Brand Extension, the WWE Undisputed Champion appear on both shows. After SummerSlam 2002, Brock Lesnar who had won the Championship from the Rock, signed with SmackDown. With that, the Undisputed WWE Championship once again became the WWE Championship. A week later, Eric Bischoff introduced the Big Gold Belt that once represented the WCW Championship (also called the World Championship), as the World Heavyweight Championship for the RAW brand, and awarded it to Triple H. Following the Brand Extension, a yearly ''Draft Lottery'' was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.
===Impact of COVID-19===
On March 13, 2020, WWE began taping shows at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL, beginning with SmackDown. Three days later, they announced WrestleMania 36 would take place at the Performance Center, being moved from it's original venue, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. Roman Reigns, one of the company's top stars, announced he would appear at the tapings, due to his comprised immune system in part to being a Leukemia patient. Reigns was scheduled to face Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, but was replaced with Braun Strowman, won the match. After WrestleMania 36, WWE was set to tape five weeks worth of programming, however when Florida Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] deemed WWE an essential business, the company decided to air live episodes of their programming instead. WWE, and more specifically Vince McMahon, came under much criticism for this decision. WWE's next pay-per-view, Money in the Bank, will take place at WWE Headquarters in Stamford, CT. Instead of being a traditional ladder match, the Money in the Bank ladder match will consist of the participants making their way up to the top of the building to a wrestling ring with ladders inside, and the Money in the Bank briefcase suspended above it. COVID-19 would also alter plans regarding WrestleMania. WrestleMania 37, originally scheduled to take place in Inglewood, CA, was rescheduled to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, the original site of WrestleMania 36. It did so over the span of two nights, April 11 and April 12, 2021. It was also the first event to feature a live audience in over a year. ==2024 Peacock Schedule==
==2020 Pay-Per-View/WWE Network Event Schedule==
* NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II
* Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT UK
* [[Royal Rumble]]
* NXT TakeOver: Portland* Super ShowDownVengeance Day* Elimination Chamber: Perth* NXT Stand & Deliver* [[WrestleMania]] 36XL* Backlash France* Bash In Berlin
* Money In The Bank
* [[SummerSlam]]
* NXT TakeOver: WarGames IV* [[Survivor Series|Survivor Series: WarGames]]
== Current championships and accomplishments ==
! Date Won
|-
| WWE World Heavyweight Championship
| Drew McIntyre
| April 57, 20202024
|-
| WWE Raw Women's World Championship| Becky LynchRhea Ripley| April 81, 20192023
|-
| WWE United States Intercontinental Championship| AndradeSami Zayn| December 26April 6, 20192024
|-
| WWE Raw Tag Team ChampionsChampionship| The Street ProfitsJudgment Day(Angelo Dawkins Finn Bálor and Montez FordDamian Priest)| March 2October 16, 20202023
|}
! Date Won
|-
| WWE Universal Championship| Braun StrowmanCody Rhodes| April 47, 20202024
|-
| WWE Intercontiental Universal Championship| Sami ZaynCody Rhodes| March 8April 7, 20202024
|-
| WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
| Bayley
| October 11April 7, 20192024|-| United States Championship| Logan Paul| November 4, 2023
|-
| WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
| John Morrison and The MizJudgment Day(Finn Bálor and Damian Priest)| February 27October 16, 20202023
|}
|-
| NXT Championship
| Adam ColeIlja Dragunov| June 1September 30, 20192023
|-
| NXT North American Championship| Keith LeeDominik Mysterio| January 22October 3, 20202023
|-
| NXT Women's Championship| Charlotte FlairTiffany Stratton| April 5May 28, 2020|-| NXT Curiserweight Championship| Jordan Devlin| January 25, 20202023
|-
| NXT Tag Team Championship
| The BroserWeights
(Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne)
| February 16, 2020
|}
====NXT UK====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Championship
! Current Champion
! Date won
|-
| WWE United Kingdom Championship
| Walter
| April 5, 2019
|-
| NXT United Kingdom Women's Championship
| Kay Lee Ray
| August 31, 2019
|-
| NXT United Kingdom Tag Team Championship
| Gallus
(Mark Coffey & and Wolfgang)| October 4, 2019|-|} ====Unbranded===={| class="wikitable"|-! Championship! Current Champion! Date Won|-| WWE Women's Tag Team Championship| Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross | April 4, 2020|-| WWE 24/7 Championship| Rob Gronkowski| April 5December 10, 20202022
|}
|-
| Royal Rumble (Men)
| Drew McIntyreCody Rhodes| January 2627, 20202024
|-
| Royal Rumble (Women)
| Charlotte FlairBayley| January 2627, 20202024
|-
| Money in the Bank (Men)
| Brock LesnarDamian Priest| May 19July 1, 20192023
|-
| Money in the Bank (Women)
| BayleyIyo Sky| May 19July 1, 20192023
|-
| King of the Ring
| Baron CorbinXavier Woods| September 16October 21, 20192021|-| Queen's Crown| Zelina Vega| October 21, 2021
|-
| Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
| Braun StrowmanBobby Lashley| April 7March 31, 20192023
|-
| WrestleMania Women's Battle RoyalDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (Men)| CarmellaThe Creed Brothers(Brutus Creed and Julius Creed)| April 7February 15, 20192022
|-
| Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic(Women)| Aleister Black Io Shirai and RicochetKay Lee Ray| March 13, 2019|-| Mae Young Classic| Toni Storm| October 28, 2018|-| Mixed Match Challenge| Fabulous Truth (R-Truth & Carmella)| December 1622, 20182022
|-
|}
===Defunct championships===
*'''World Heavyweight Championship''' (2002-2013) - Awarded to Triple H on the September 2, 2002 edition of ''Raw''. Unified with the WWE Championship on December 15, 2013.
*'''WWE Undisputed Championship''' (2001-2002) - Became the WWE Championship after Brock Lesnar signed with ''SmackDown'' on August 26, 2002.
*'''WWE Hardcore Championship''' (1998-2002) - Briefly renamed the WWE Texas Hardcore Championship in the Summer of 2002 when it was held by Bradshaw.
*'''WWE European Championship''' (1997-2002)
*'''WCW World Heavyweight Championship''' (2001) - Renamed the World Championship from November 19, 2001 to December 9, 2001.
*'''WCW World Tag Team Championship''' (2001)
*'''WWF Light Heavyweight Championship''' (1981-2001) Officially recognized by WWE from 1997-2001.
*'''Million Dollar Championship''' (1989-1992, 1995-1996, 2010)
*'''WWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship''' (1991)
*'''WWF Women's Tag Team Championship''' (1983-1989)
*'''WWF Canadian Championship''' (1985-1986)
*'''WWF International Heavyweight Championship''' (1959-1963, 1982-1985)
*'''WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship''' (1967-1985)
*'''WWF International Tag Team Championship''' (1969-1985)
*'''WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship''' (1978-1985; defended mainly in then-affiliated New Japan Pro Wrestling and became exclusive to New Japan after it split from the WWF in 1985, continuing until it was retired on December 31, 1989)
*'''WWF North American Heavyweight Championship''' (1979-1981)
*'''WWWF United States Championship''' (1970-1975)
*'''WWWF United States Tag Team Championship''' (1963-1967)
*'''ECW Championship''' (1994-2001, 2006-2010)
*'''WWE World Tag Team Championship''' (1971-2010) Unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship to create the WWE Unified Tag Team Championship
*'''ECW Television Championship''' (1992-2000)
*'''ECW Tag Team Championship''' (1992-2000)
*'''WWE Divas Championship ''' (2008-2016)
*'''FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship''' (2008-2012)
*'''FCW Florida Tag Team Championship''' (2008-2012)
*'''FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship''' (2008)
*'''FCW 15 Championship''' (2011-2012)
===Defunct accomplishments===
*'''Diva Search''' (2003-2007)
==References==
*[http://www.wwe.co.jp Official WWE Japanese Website]
[[Category:WrestlingProfessional wrestling promotions]]
[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:World Wrestling Entertainment]]