A Timeline of When WWE Started

A Timeline of When WWE Started

The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales.

WWE’s Early Days

WWE has been around for a long time, but it hasn’t always been the global phenomenon that it is today. Let’s take a look at WWE’s early days and see how it all started.

The 1950s

WWE’s history can be traced back to the 1950s. That’s when a man named Roderick McMahon started promoting boxing and professional wrestling matches in Washington, D.C. His son, Vince McMahon, Sr., would eventually take over the business in the 1960s.

Vince McMahon, Sr. oversaw WWE’s growth throughout the ’60s and ’70s. He expanded the company by buying regional wrestling promotions like the Boston-based Cape Cod Coliseum and Georgia Championship Wrestling. These acquisitions allowed WWE to become a national promotion, with a presence on both coasts of the United States.

Throughout the 1980s, WWE (then known as WWF) would go on to purchase more regional promotions like Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Championship Wrestling. The company would also create its own cable TV show, “WWF Superstars of Wrestling,” which helped introduce WWE’s characters and storylines to a wider audience

The 1960s

In the 1960s, WWE was founded by Vince McMahon Sr. as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. (CWC), as a regional professional wrestling promotion based in Washington, D.C. and New York state. Under the CWC banner, WWE ran live events throughout the Northeast United States, as well as running a professional wrestling television program, Showdown, which aired in syndication throughout the United States.

In 1963, theCWClost its national TV exposure when its programming was removed from New York City’s WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV) during a station management change. This would be the first of many regions in which WWE would lose out on potential TV market share over the next several decades.

The 1970s

WWE has been around for over 50 years, and it all started back in the 1970s.

It all started in 1972, when WWE was founded by Vince McMahon Sr. The first ever WWE event took place in Madison Square Garden, and it featured Bruno Sammartino defeating “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.

In 1979, MSNBC broadcasts the first-ever live WrestleMania event. The event featured such superstars as André the Giant, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, and of course, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

The 1980s
In the 1980s, WrestleMania became a household name. The second WrestleMania event featured Mr. T teaming up with Hulk Hogan to take on Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. This was also the first WrestleMania to be held outside of New York City, as it took place in Los Angeles.

WrestleMania III is considered one of the most iconic WWE events of all time. It featured Hulk Hogan bodyslamming André the Giant in front of 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome. This event is also notable for being the first WrestleMania to feature celebs like Alice Cooper and Cyndi Lauper.

By the end of the 1980s, WWE had become a global phenomenon. In 1988, WWE debuted its first ever UK Pay-Per-View event, called Livewire. The following year, WWE launched its first ever Japanese Pay-Per-View event, called Wrestling Summit.

The Rise of WWE

WWE has been around for a long time and has gone through many changes. Let’s take a look at a timeline of when WWE started and how it has become the company it is today.

The 1980s

In the 1980s, WWE rose to prominence as one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world. This was largely due to the success of its flagship show, WWE Raw, which began airing in 1993. Raw quickly became a ratings success, and WWE soon began expanding its reach by launching other successful shows such as SmackDown and NXT. By the end of the decade, WWE had become a global phenomenon, with its wrestlers becoming some of the most popular sports entertainment personalities in the world.

The 1990s

The 1990s was a key decade in the rise of WWE. After Vince McMahon Sr. passed away in 1984, his son Vince McMahon Jr. took over the company. Under Vince Jr.’s leadership, WWE(then known as WWF) expanded into new territories and grew its roster of talent. The company also began to produce its own pay-per-view events, which helped it to become one of the most successful wrestling promotions in the world.

In 1993, WWE launched its own cable network, which featured original programming and reruns of old matches. The network, now known as USA Network, helped WWE to reach a wider audience and made it one of the most watched cable networks in the United States.

In the late 1990s, WWE began to experience increased competition from rival wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). While this led to some tough times for WWE, it also resulted in some of the most iconic moments and matches in professional wrestling history.

The 2000s

The first ten years of the new millennium were a roller coaster ride for WWE. The company lost its place as the top wrestling promotion in the world to rival company WCW in 2001. WWE regained the top spot in 2003 and has held it ever since. The early 2000s were full of ups and downs for WWE, but the company ended the decade on a high note.

-In 2000, WWE launched its own cable network, which would later become known as WrestleMania X-Seven, the highest-rated wrestling event in cable television history.

-The following year, Vince McMahon bought out his main competition, WCW, and absorb its assets, making WWE once again the only major wrestling promotion in North America.

-2003 marked the return of Hulk Hogan to WWE after a 14-year absence. His return was short-lived, however, as Hogan left WWE again less than a year later.

-In 2005, WWE launched its successful reality television show, Tough Enough, which featured contestants competing for a chance to win a one-year contract with WWE.

-In 2006, Edge won the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22. This match would later become one of WrestleMania’s most popular matches.

-In 2007, Bobby Lashley became the first black man to hold WWE’s world heavyweight championship when he won the title from Batista at WrestleMania 23. Lashley held the title for 210 days before losing it back to Batista at SummerSlam.

WWE Today

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a WWE, is an American integrated media and entertainment company that is primarily known for professional wrestling. WWE has also branched out into other fields, including movies, real estate, and various other business ventures. The company’s Chairman & CEO is Vince McMahon, and its President is Stephanie McMahon.

The 2010s

In the 2010s, WWE introduced new elements such as power struggles between Authority figures, the rise of The Wyatt Family, and the Shield. long-term rivalries began to develop, with Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority becoming the most iconic. AJ Styles made his debut in 2016 and quickly became a fan favorite. In 2018, WWE introduced the Women’s Tag Team Championship as well as the wildcard rule.

The 2020s

In January 2020, WWE announced that SmackDown would move from FOX to NBCUniversal’s cable channel USA Network, effective October 2019. The following month, Super ShowDown was held in Saudi Arabia. On the March 3 episode of Raw, Brock Lesnar attacked Drew McIntyre after McIntyre won the 2020 Royal Rumble, thereby challenging him for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.