The history of WWE dates back to the early 1950s when it was founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1952 as Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC). It underwent numerous name changes throughout the years, from World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and currently to simply WWE in 2011.

WWE is the largest professional wrestling company in the world. It has promoted some of the most successful wrestlers and storylines, and featured some of the most iconic and significant matches and moments in the history of the sport. WWE currently airs several high-profile programs such as Raw and SmackDown in more than 150 countries, hosts 12 pay-per-view events a year including WrestleMania, and holds approximately 320 live events a year throughout the world. In 2014, WWE launched the first ever 24/7 streaming network which will eventually showcase the entire WWE Library. [1]

Contents

World Wide Wrestling Federation

1963-1979

In April 25 that year, Rogers was awarded the new WWWF World Championship, supposedly winning an apocryphal tournament in Rio de Janeiro. He lost the championship to Bruno Sammartino a month later on May 17, 1963, after suffering a heart attack shortly before the match. To accommodate Rogers’ condition, the match was booked to last under a minute. [ citation needed ]

Sammartino would retain the title for seven years, eight months and one day, making his the longest continuous world championship reign in men’s wrestling history. Although Sammartino was the face of the company, wrestlers such as Superstar Billy Graham and Bob Backlund were also hugely popular. [ citation needed ] The WWWF gained notoriety in the 1970s by holding their biggest shows at Shea Stadium or Madison Square Garden and doing strong business across the entire Northeast megalopolis. They leveraged former, but still popular, wrestlers such as Captain Lou Albano, Ernie Roth and «Classy» Freddie Blassie to act as managers for Sammartino’s heel opponents. At this time, only babyface wrestlers were allowed to have long championship reigns, such as Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund, who all retained for more than one year each. The heel champions, such as Ivan Koloff and Stan Stasiak were used to transition the championship from one wrestler to another, they generally kept the title for no more a single month-long program before dropping it to the next babyface. Graham was the only heel character to keep his championship for longer than one month, as the company felt it needed time to build Backlund up as championship material. [3]

The WWWF was relatively conservative for territories of its day; running its major arenas monthly rather than weekly or bi-weekly. [ citation needed ] Programs generally involved a babyface champion facing a heel challenger for one to three meetings in each programmed town; for longer programs the heel would often win the first match in a non-decisive manner such as a count-out or via blood loss, and the champion would then retain in a brawling-type blow-off match such as a steel cage match or Texas Death Match. [4] Unlike most territories, the main event would occur in the middle of the arena show cards, allowing the company to build upon the match’s finish in order to sell tickets to the next event; reliable, popular workers such as Chief Jay Strongbow would then wrestle at the end of the show to send the crowd home happy. [5] [6] The company also featured popular wrestlers based out of non-WWWF territories such as Dusty Rhodes and retained the services of (at the time) the most popular and highly paid wrestler in the world, André the Giant in between his territorial and international obligations.

Toots Mondt left the WWWF in the late sixties, and Vincent J. McMahon rejoined the organization in 1971. [ citation needed ] Later that year, The Mongols created controversy after they left the WWWF with the WWWF International Tag Team Championship. [ citation needed ] The championships would be considered inactive as a result until Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler won a tournament to claim the championships. They then defeated the Mongols in November 1971, voiding any claim the Mongols had to the titles. In March 1979, for marketing purposes, the World Wide Wrestling Federation was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). [ citation needed ]

1979-2002: World Wrestling Federation

1979-1982: The Beginning

In 1980, Vincent K. McMahon, the son of Vincent J. McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc. and applied for the initials WWF.

1982–1991: The Golden Age

In 1983, McMahon purchased Capitol Sports from his father and associates Gorilla Monsoon and Arnold Skaaland.

Seeking to make WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the world, he began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the industry. [7] In an interview with Sports Illustrated, McMahon noted:

Upon taking over the company, McMahon immediately worked to get WWF programming on syndicated television all across the United States. This angered other promoters and disrupted the well-established boundaries of the different wrestling promotions. In addition, the company used income generated by advertising, television deals, and tape sales to secure talent from rival promoters.

Capitol Sports already controlled most of the northeastern territory, but the younger McMahon wanted WWF to be a national wrestling promotion; something the NWA did not approve of. He shortly defected his promotion from the NWA, much like the American Wrestling Association, which controlled the U.S. Northern Midwest. To become a national promotion, WWF would have to become bigger than AWA or any NWA promotion.

McMahon’s vision for his promotion was starting to become possible when he signed AWA talent Hulk Hogan, who had achieved popularity outside of wrestling – notably for his appearance in Rocky III as Thunderlips,. [8] McMahon signed Rowdy Roddy Piper as Hogan’s rival, and shortly afterward signed Jesse «The Body» Ventura. Other wrestlers who were part of the roster included: André the Giant, Jimmy «Superfly» Snuka, The Magnificent Muraco, Junkyard Dog, «Mr. Wonderful» Paul Orndorff, Greg «The Hammer» Valentine, Ricky «The Dragon» Steamboat, Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik. In 1984, Hogan was pushed to main-event status. He defeated the WWF Champion, The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984 and thus evolved into one of the most recognizable and popular faces in sports-entertainment. [ citation needed ]

With reasonable revenue being made, McMahon was able to secure television deals, and WWF was being shown across the United States. [ citation needed ] McMahon also began selling videotapes of WWF events outside the Northeast through his Coliseum Video distribution company, again angering other promoters. [ citation needed ] The syndication of WWF programming forced promotions to come into direct competition with the WWF. [ citation needed ] The increased revenue allowed McMahon to sign more talent, such as «Macho Man» Randy Savage, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana, Jake «The Snake» Roberts, The Honky Tonk Man, the British Bulldogs and The Hart Foundation.

For McMahon to truly turn WWF into a national promotion, he needed to have WWF touring the United States. [ citation needed ] Such a venture was impossible with the revenue WWF currently had, and McMahon envisioned a way to obtain the necessary capital through a risky all-or-nothing gamble on a supercard concept called WrestleMania in 1985. WrestleMania would be a pay-per-view extravaganza, viewable on closed-circuit television and marketed as the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. WrestleMania was not the first supercard seen in professional wrestling, as the NWA had previously run Starrcade. However, McMahon’s vision was to make WWF and the industry itself mainstream, targeting more of the general television audience by exploiting the entertainment side of the industry. With the inaugural WrestleMania, WWF initiated a joint-promotional campaign with MTV, which featured a great deal of WWF coverage and programming, in what was termed the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection. The mainstream media attention brought on by celebrities including Muhammad Ali, Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper at the event helped propel WrestleMania to become a staple in popular culture, and the use of celebrities has been a staple of the company to the present day.

With the success of WrestleMania, other promotions which tried hard to keep the regional territory system alive started to merge under Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). [ citation needed ] Starrcade and The Great American Bash were the JCP versions of WrestleMania, but even when operating outside of its territory, JCP had trouble matching the success of WWF. [ citation needed ] After Ted Turner purchased majority of JCP’s assets, the promotion would become World Championship Wrestling (WCW), providing WWF with a competitor until 2001, when WCW and its trademarks were purchased by WWF. [ citation needed ] WrestleMania would become an annual pay-per-view phenomenon, being broadcast in nearly 150 countries and in almost 20 different languages. [ citation needed ]

Perhaps the peak of the 1980s ‘Wrestling Boom’ was WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome, [ citation needed ] which set an attendance record of 93,173. [9] McMahon used the success of WrestleMania to create more pay-per-views, and traditions such as SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble were created, the latter two both with its unique stipulation matches.

1992–1997: New Generation Era

With business down in 1992 because of bad press from the steroid scandal, Vince McMahon began pushing younger talent into the spotlight over the next several years. Bret «Hit Man» Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Lex Luger, Yokozuna, Owen Hart and others all became the stars of what the WWF branded as the «New Generation». [ citation needed ] Hart would defeat Ric Flair to capture his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship on October 12, 1992. Hulk Hogan would leave the company in the summer of 1993 and Hart would remain one of the most popular stars of this period until his departure in 1997. [ citation needed ]

Also during this era, beginning in January 1993, WWF created their prime time cable TV program WWF Monday Night Raw on the USA Network. [ citation needed ]

Meanwhile, competition between the major wrestling companies increased. In 1994, WCW signed Hulk Hogan and other former WWF stars, and in 1995 launched WCW Monday Nitro on TNT, to go head to head with WWF’s Raw, starting the Monday Night Wars. [ citation needed ] In mid-1996, the introduction of the New World Order (nWo), a stable led by former WWF wrestlers Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash, started a two years of ratings domination by Nitro. [ citation needed ] More talent left WWF to go to WCW, including Ted DiBiase, Curt Hennig, and former WWF Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze, while Bret Hart decided to stay with the WWF in spite of a lucrative offer by WCW. [ citation needed ]

1997–2002: The Attitude Era

In 1997, Vince McMahon responded by taking the WWF in a different direction with more realistic characters and edgier storylines. Rising stars included the D-Generation X group (consisting of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna) and Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose rise to popularity began with his 1996 King of the Ring win and famous ‘Austin 3:16’ speech. Despite starting out as a heel, Austin’s popularity would start to gradually exceed those of the top faces in the promotion. [ citation needed ] At Survivor Series 1997, WWF debuted the «scratch» logo which would be the company’s signature throughout the Attitude Era and on December 15, 1997, Vince McMahon aired a promo on Raw addressing the audience on the company embarking on a «more innovative and contemporary campaign», which would advise parent discretion for a younger audience.

In 1997, McMahon also informed Bret Hart that he could not longer afford to pay him what his contract stated, and suggested that he go back to the more lucrative deal that WCW had offered him. [ citation needed ] Hart signed with WCW but a behind-the-scenes controversy developed over Hart’s final matches, resulting in the Montreal Screwjob. Hart was defending his WWF Championship against Shawn Michaels at 1997 Survivor Series, when McMahon ordered the referee to award the match and the championship to Michaels as if Hart had submitted. [ citation needed ] While Hart went on to WCW, McMahon received enormous backlash from the media wrestlers and fans alike, inspiring him to create the «Mr. McMahon» character, a villainous extension of his status as promoter. [ citation needed ]

Following Hart’s departure, the company was heavily pushing Stone Cold Steve Austin, now a fan favourite, whose rise in popularity mirrored that of Hogan in the 1980s. At WrestleMania XIV Austin became WWF World Heavyweight Champion, beating Shawn Michaels, and began a long-lasting feud with Mr McMahon. Later in the year, new talent began to emerge for WWF: The Rock, Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Kane strengthened WWF’s singles division while stables such as D-Generation X and Nation of Domination WCW talents such as Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero who all found single success went on to sign with the WWF helped the fight against rival company WCW.

WWF rebounded in its ratings and popularity, with Raw finally beating Nitro for the first time in 84 weeks on April 13, 1998. On September 27, 1999, Raw achieved its highest viewership rating of 8.4 with a «This Is Your Life» segment featuring The Rock and Mankind. [17] [18]

The Attitude Era saw WWF expand its television coverage and its business structure as well. During this period, WWF’s parent company Titan Sports was renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (WWFE, Inc. or WWFE) and on October 19, 1999 became a publicly traded company, offering 10 million shares priced at US$17 each, [19] and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2000. [20]

In 1999, WWF launched a secondary program known as SmackDown! on the UPN network to compete with WCW’s Thunder. SmackDown!’s pilot debuted as a special on April 29, 1999. Beginning on August 26, 1999, the WWF program was aired weekly. In 2000, WWF, in collaboration with television network NBC, created XFL, a new professional football league. XFL, however, was a failure, having only lasted a single year before closing its doors. [ citation needed ]

Head writer Chris Kreski replaced Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara, who defected to WCW in 1999. [21] Kreski’s work was admired for well planned and detailed storylines, and the transitional period saw feuds and storylines such as the Triple H/Cactus Jack feud, the Triple H/Kurt Angle/Stephanie McMahon love triangle, and a highly successful feud between The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, and The Dudley Boyz. [ citation needed ] At Survivor Series, Stone Cold Steve Austin was run over by a limousine to write him off of television due to a serious neck injury. [22]

Prior to WrestleMania 2000, the McMahon family had gone into an on-screen rivalry with each other, setting up the «McMahon in Every Corner» Fatal 4 Way elimination main event between The Big Show (managed by McMahon’s son Shane McMahon), The Rock (managed by Mr. McMahon), Triple H (managed by McMahon’s daughter Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley), and future WWF Commissioner Mick Foley (managed by McMahon’s wife Linda McMahon). Triple H won after Mr. McMahon turned on The Rock and thus retained his WWF Championship. [23] In the weeks leading up to No Mercy, Stone Cold Steve Austin made his return to WWF to gain revenge on Rikishi. Austin would go on to win the next year’s Royal Rumble match and come out victorious against The Rock for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania X-Seven with help from his former rival, Mr. McMahon, turning heel in the process. [24]

2000–2002: The WCW/ECW «Alliance» Invasion and the nWo

On 9 July 2001, the stars of WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling (acquired by Stephanie McMahon in a related storyline) joined forces, forming «The Alliance» with WCW owner Shane McMahon and the new owner of ECW Stephanie McMahon, and supported and influenced by original ECW owner Paul Heyman. At Invasion, Stone Cold Steve Austin turned on WWF and helped the Alliance win the Inaugural Brawl. [25] At Survivor Series, WWF finally defeated WCW and ECW in a «Winner Takes All Match» and this concluded the angle. In the aftermath of the Invasion angle, WWF made several major changes to their product. Ric Flair returned to the company as «co-owner», feuding with Vince McMahon. Jerry Lawler returned to the company after a nine-month hiatus, after his replacement on commentary Paul Heyman was fired on-screen by Vince McMahon. Several former Alliance stars were absorbed into the regular WWF roster, such as Booker T, The Hurricane, Lance Storm, and Rob Van Dam.

Eventually Vince McMahon brought back Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall to reunite the nWo at the No Way Out pay-per-view in February 2002. However, the storyline proved unpopular with fans and Hogan soon turned face at WrestleMania X8 after his classic match with The Rock.

2002–present: World Wrestling Entertainment

In 2002, the World Wrestling Federation lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF trademark. [26] World Wrestling Federation was forced to rebrand itself, and in May 2002 the company changed its business name to World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE). Shortly thereafter, they eliminated all elements that used the term Federation; this affected licensed merchandise such as action figures, video games, and home videos with its previous logo, which was replaced by a new «scratch» logo. [ citation needed ] The last-ever WWF-branded pay-per-view event was the UK-exclusive Insurrextion in May 2002. [ citation needed ] WWE Studios was formed in 2002 as WWE Films, [27]

2002–2008: Ruthless Aggression Era

In April of 2002, with an excess of talent employed as a result of having purchased WCW and ECW, WWE needed a way to provide exposure for all of its talent. This problem was solved by introducing a «Brand Extension», with the roster split in half and the talent assigned to either Raw or SmackDown! in a mock draft lottery. Wrestlers, commentators and referees became show-exclusive, and the shows were given separate on-screen General Managers. Shortly thereafter, on the June 24, 2002 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon officially referred to the new era as «Ruthless Aggression». [28] After WWE Champion Brock Lesnar announced himself exclusive property of the SmackDown! brand and with the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship, all the championships became show-exclusive too. Additionally, both Raw and SmackDown! began to stage individual pay-per-view events featuring only performers from that brand – only the major four pay-per-views Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series remained dual-branded. [ citation needed ] The practice of single-brand pay-per-view events was abandoned following WrestleMania 23. [29] In effect, Raw and SmackDown were operated as two distinct promotions, with a draft lottery taking place each year to determine which talent was assigned to each brand. This lasted until August 2011, when the rosters were merged and the Brand Extension was quietly phased out. [ citation needed ]

Two of the top stars of the Attitude Era, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, eventually left the company in 2003 and 2004 respectively, while newcomers such as Brock Lesnar, who would become the youngest WWE Champion and Randy Orton, who became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion, saw huge success. Triple H would also be featured prominently during this time, winning several of his fourteen world championships, as would The Undertaker whose streak started gaining fame during this time frame. Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, John «Bradshaw» Layfield and Rob Van Dam were also given main event opportunities. From mid 2002 to 2003, WWE brought several prominent WCW stars to the company, including Eric Bischoff, Scott Steiner, Goldberg, Kevin Nash and Ric Flair. The Great American Bash, originally a WCW pay-per-view event, made a return in WWE.

However, the biggest breakout stars of this era would end up being John Cena and Dave Batista. Upon his debut, Cena quickly proved popular, receiving a WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar at Backlash in 2003, having a major feud with The Undertaker during the summer. At WrestleMania 21, he won his first world championship when he defeated John «Bradshaw» Layfield the WWE Champion at that time. Cena’s popularity soared when he was drafted to Raw, where he quickly became the face of WWE, a rise not seen since Austin and Hulk Hogan. Cena’s popularity has led to him becoming the all-time record «wish maker» for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with having 400 wishes as of February 2014. [30]

Beginning in early 2005, Batista’s popularity would soar much like Cena’s, winning the 2005 Royal Rumble and the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21. Although Batista would have major success in the months following his championship win, he would suffer an injury in early 2006 and miss that years WrestleMania. After returning and eventually winning another world championship, at WrestleMania 23 in 2007, Batista would lose it to The Undertaker in a classic match. Both Cena and Batista would not face each other for the first time until SummerSlam in 2008, with Batista winning.

In August 2002, Shawn Michaels would also return as a wrestler at SummerSlam after a hiatus of over four years. He would achieve great success, winning a World Championship and main eventing WrestleMania. In 2006, Michaels would reunite with Triple H to once again form the popular 90’s group D-Generation X. They would have major feuds with The Spirit Squad, The McMahon Family, and the newly established Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton), which ended prematurely when Triple H suffered a torn quadriceps muscle. [31]

Money in the Bank

The concept for the Money in the Bank match was introduced in March 2005 by Chris Jericho. [32] Jericho pitched the idea on an episode of Raw to general manager Eric Bischoff, who liked it and promptly signed it for WrestleMania 21 naming Jericho, Christian, Chris Benoit, Edge, Shelton Benjamin, and Kane to participate in the match. Edge won this inaugural match, and since, many times the match became a way to help elevate new stars to the main event, with winners such as CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio. [33] The match format was originally exclusive to the annual WrestleMania until 2010, when the Money in the Bank PPV debuted.

The return of ECW

By 2005, WWE began reintroducing Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) through content from the ECW video library and a series of books, which included the release of The Rise and Fall of ECW.

On May 26, 2006, WWE officially announced the relaunch of the franchise with its own show on NBC Universal’s Sci Fi Channel, later to be known as Syfy, starting June 13, 2006. [34] Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by Sci Fi’s demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer stated that she believed ECW would fit the channel’s theme of «stretching the imagination». [35]

On June 13, Paul Heyman, former ECW owner and newly appointed figurehead for the ECW brand, recommissioned the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to be the brand’s world championship and awarded it to Rob Van Dam as a result of winning the WWE Championship at One Night Stand 2006. Under the WWE banner, ECW was presented in a modernized style to that when it was an independent promotion and was produced following the same format of the other brands, with match rules, such as count outs and disqualifications, being standard. Matches featuring the rule set of the ECW promotion were classified as being contested under «Extreme Rules» and were only fought when specified otherwise. [34] The brand would continue to operate until February 16, 2010, when the brand was rendered defunct.

2008–2014: PG Era

In 2009, during a storyline involving then Raw (kayfabe) owner Donald Trump, he initiated the guest host concept, in which various celebrities, athletes or past wrestlers made weekly appearances and were incorporated to the shows and stories. This lasted from 2009 to 2010. On January 4, 2010, Bret Hart returned to a WWE ring after a 13-year absence, where he reconciled with Shawn Michaels on screen. At WrestleMania XXVI, Michaels retired following a loss to The Undertaker. Another top performer Edge, retired a year later. In early 2011, The Rock returned to WWE when he was announced as the host for WrestleMania XXVII. [36] He started a cross-generational feud with John Cena, defeating him in a match one year later at WrestleMania XXVIII.

In August 2011, WWE began to phase out the Brand Extension when they gave Raw the tagline «SuperShow», meaning wrestlers could appear on both Raw and SmackDown. [37] WWE held 9 draft lotteries. As of Raw’s 1,000th episode, airing on July 23, 2012, WWE Raw removed the «SuperShow» tagline as well as becoming a three-hour broadcast, extended from two-hours, a format that had previously been reserved for special episodes. [38] Around this time new superstars were pushed to the spotlight such as CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Sheamus.

CM Punk, who had become a top star during the summer due to his now infamous ‘Pipe bomb’ promo would hold the WWE Championship for 434 days before losing to The Rock at Royal Rumble 2013, a reign recognized by WWE as the sixth-longest reigning champion of all-time. [39] The Rock carried the title until he was defeated by John Cena at WrestleMania 29 in a rematch from their bout the previous year.

On December 15, 2013, the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship were unified in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between Randy Orton and John Cena. The match was won by Orton and the unified championship was renamed the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. [40]

Launch of NXT

On February 23, 2010, WWE launched a new program on SyFy, called NXT. [41] The premise of the show was a reality-like show which saw 8 new stars (Rookies) being mentored by Superstars from the main roster (Pros), and ran for just over three months, with the last episode of the first season being on June 1, 2010. The winner of the season was Wade Barrett, mentored by Chris Jericho. Six days after the end of the first season, the rookies interfered in the Raw main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking both competitors as well as the announcing team, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment. [42] During the segment, Daniel Bryan strangled ring announcer Justin Roberts with the announcer’s own tie, which WWE reportedly felt was too violent for their family-friendly programming. As a consequence, WWE announced via their official website four days later that Bryan had been (legitimately) released from his contract. [43] [44] NXT lasted for a further 3 complete seasons, which were won respectively by Kaval, Kaitlyn, and Johnny Curtis. A fifth season, dubbed NXT Redemption and featuring former NXT participants, never announced a winner and quietly ended with Derrick Bateman being the sole remaining participant. Eventually, the show morphed into both a television show and WWE’s new official development territory, replacing Florida Championship Wrestling, and is permanently located at Full Sail University. [45] [46]

2014–2016: The Reality Era

2014 began with high-profile spots for young superstars such as Daniel Bryan, who would headline WrestleMania XXX, after he defeated Triple H to be inserted into the main event, a scenario brought on by negative fan reaction from holding Bryan out of the title picture on the road to WrestleMania. Triple H would dub this phase of the business as the «Reality Era» in a February 2014 episode of Raw, as fans now were aware of more about the inside of the business than ever before. Bryan would defeat both Randy Orton and Batista in a Triple Threat match in the main event of WrestleMania XXX to win the WWE World Championship. [47] [48] [49] The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan), The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods), The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso), and The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) were also popular superstars during this time. [50] [51] [52]

At WrestleMania XXX, The Undertaker was defeated for the first time at the event by Brock Lesnar, following 21 consecutive victories dating back to 1991. [53] [54] WCW legend Sting, who had a long hold out on signing with WWE, made his debut at Survivor Series 2014 and had his first-ever match in WWE at WrestleMania 31 against Triple H, a match he would lose.

Seth Rollins would hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for most of 2015 before having to vacate the championship due to injury, while Daniel Bryan was forced to retire on the February 8, 2016 episode of Raw due to various injuries suffered throughout his wrestling career.

During this time period, WWE has reached a historic decrease in television ratings, reaching an all-time low that hasn’t been seen since 1997.

WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, Texas garnered the largest crowd to ever attend a WrestleMania event, surpassing a disputed 100,000 attendees. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Triple H to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

2016–Present: The New Era

After WrestleMania 32, WWE has been dubbing the era as the «New Era», with siblings Shane and Stephanie McMahon taking control of Raw and SmackDown after given control by Mr. McMahon at Payback (2016).

Other

WWE Online

In 1998, Shane McMahon helped form WWE’s digital media department and launched WWF.com on May 21, 1998 (now known as WWE.com), a site that receives more than seven million visitors a month. [ citation needed ]

Death of Owen Hart

On May 23, 1999, Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event. [55] Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and grapple line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blazer’s new «buffoonish superhero» character, he was to begin a dramatic entrance, being lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would act «entangled», then release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect—this necessitated the use of a quick release mechanism. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done previously on the Sunday Night Heat before Survivor Series in 1998. [56]

While being lowered into the ring, Hart fell 78 feet (24 m), landing chest-first on the top rope (approximately a foot from the nearest turnbuckle), throwing him into the ring. [57]

Hart had performed the stunt only a few times before. Hart’s widow Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Hart unintentionally triggered an early release. Television viewers did not see the incident. Moments after the fall, a pre-taped vignette was being shown on the pay-per-view broadcast as well as on the monitors in the darkened arena. Afterward, while Hart was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the live event’s broadcast showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. [58]

Hart was transported to Truman Medical Center in Kansas City. While several attempts to revive him were made, he died from his injuries; some believe he died in the ring. [59] The cause of death was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt force trauma. [60]

Legends program and WWE Hall of Fame

The Legends program began informally with the return of the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2004, held annually during WrestleMania weekends. The introduction of WWE 24/7, WWE’s on-demand television service, and the success of career retrospective DVDs such as The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection, Roddy Piper: Born to Controversy, and Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon has invested WWE’s present product with a sense of heritage, and allows a new generation of wrestling fans to witness matches and events they may only previously have heard of.

Death of Eddie Guerrero

On the morning of November 13, 2005, Chavo Guerrero checked into a hotel with his uncle, Eddie Guerrero, in Minneapolis, Minnesota where they were both scheduled be a part of a planned Raw and SmackDown! «Supershow» (a show where both Raw and SmackDown! would take place the same night in the same arena). After Eddie missed a wake-up call, security opened his hotel room and Chavo found his uncle unconscious. Chavo attempted CPR, but 38-year-old Eddie was declared dead at the scene. Vickie Guerrero, Eddie’s wife, later announced that an autopsy ruled the cause of death to be massive heart failure.

Guerrero’s death fell on the day that he had been scheduled to compete in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship versus Batista and Randy Orton. The company held tributes to Guerrero on both Raw and SmackDown during the week following his death. On April 1, 2006 at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremonies during WrestleMania 22 weekend, Guerrero’s wife Vickie accepted his posthumous induction into WWE Hall of Fame by Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit and Chavo Guerrero.

Following Guerrero’s death, Vince McMahon announced a new drug policy under which performers would be subject to random drug tests by an independent company and would receive regular medical physicals with an emphasis on cardiovascular health. [61]

Chris Benoit’s double-murder and suicide

On June 25, 2007, the Fayette County Police notified WWE around 4:15 p.m., informing them that they had discovered three bodies of Chris, Nancy, and their seven-year-old son Daniel Benoit at their home in Fayette County, Georgia, and the house was now ruled as a «major crime scene». WWE canceled the scheduled three-hour-long live Raw show on June 25 (which, coincidentally, was supposed to be a scripted memorial for the Mr. McMahon character), and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to his life and career, featuring past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers from the Raw, SmackDown! and the now-defunct ECW brands. Shortly after the program aired, many of the aired comments were posted on WWE.com. It was not until the program was nearly over that reports surfaced that police were working under the belief that Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself over a three-day period. [ citation needed ]

The next night, after some of the details of the deaths became available, the company aired a recorded statement by its chairman Vince McMahon before their ECW broadcast:

Following the double-murder suicide committed by Chris Benoit the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform began investigating WWE regarding their Wellness policy.

Social media and WWE HD

In January 2008, WWE began broadcasting in high-definition, beginning with the 21 January Raw, while the 2008 Royal Rumble was the first pay-per-view event presented in HD. [62] [63]

On November 19, 2008, WWE officially launched their online social network, WWE Universe. It opened in April as WWE Fan Nation, and adopted the name WWE Universe a few months later. The website was similar to MySpace, with blogs, forums, photos, videos, and other features. [64] [65] Despite a heightened popularity the site was shut down on January 1, 2011 and has since replaced with WWE InterAction. [66] Since closing down their social media website, WWE has created accounts on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tout, and Instagram, with executive vice president of digital media Perkins Miller stating that «social media is going to transform our company». [67]

WWE Network

In September 2011, WWE officially announced plans to launch the WWE Network in time for WrestleMania XXVIII. [72] [73] WWE’s official website featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1, 2012 [74] however, the clock was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised.

At the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8, 2014, WWE announced the WWE Network would launch on February 24, 2014 in the United States. WWE called the network «the first-ever 24/7 streaming network». [75] [76] On February 27, 2014, the WWE Network aired its first ever live event, NXT Arrival, which featured three championship matches and a well-received match between Cesaro and Sami Zayn. [77] The network reached 1 million subscribers in January 2015. [78]

Despite #CancelWWENetwork [79] trending on social media in early 2015 after angry fans were upset with the booking of the 2015 Royal Rumble match, the trend did not prevent the Network from reaching a milestone of over 1 million subscribers the very same week. [80]

Pink Ribbon campaigning

History of Wrestling & UWW

A brief History of Wrestling

Origins

The first real traces of the development of wrestling date back to the times of the Sumerians, 5000 years ago. The Epic of Gilgamesh written in cuneiform, the sculptures and the low reliefs, are numerous sources that reveal the first refereed competitions, accompanied by music. There are also many historical and archaeological traces of wrestling in Ancient Egypt. Among them, it is worth mentioning in particular the drawings discovered in the tombs of Beni-Hassan representing 400 couples of wrestlers. These drawings, as well as many other vestiges, witness the existence of corporations of wrestlers in Ancient Egypt, wrestling rules and refereeing codes.

During the Ancient Olympic Games, from 708 B.C., wrestling was the decisive discipline of the Pentathlon. In fact, it was the last discipline to be held – after the discus, the javelin, the long jump and the foot race – and it designated the winner of the Pentathlon, the only crowned athlete of the Games. The most famous of all wrestlers was Milon of Croton (student of the philosopher Pythagoras), six times Olympic champion (from 540 to 516 B.C.), ten times winner of the Isthmic Games, nine times winner of the Nemean Games, and five time winner of the Pythic Games. Legend has it that when he tried to splinter a tree with his own hands, his fingers got stuck in the split tree-trunk and he was devoured by a lion.

Rupture and restoration

Wrestling in Roman Times was developed on the basis of the legacy of the Etruscans and the restoration of the Greek games. Wrestling was the favourite sport of young aristocrats, soldiers and shepherds. According to Classius Dion, the palestra was at the origin of the military success of the Romans. In 393, Emperor Theodosius I prohibited all pagan games and outlawed the Olympic Games. Olympic Values sank into the dark Middle Ages, but they were always latent, without ceasing to exist. During Middle Ages and Renaissance, wrestling was practiced by the social elite, in castles and palaces. Numerous painters and writers celebrated wrestling and encouraged its practice : Caravaggio, Poussin, Rembrandt, Courbet, Rabelais, Rousseau, Montaigne, Locke, etc. It is also interesting to mention that the first book to be printed came out in 1500, and that already in 1512 came out the wrestling manual in color by German artist Albrecht Dürer.

The attempts made to restore the Olympic Games were numerous, but it was not until 1896 that they were re-established by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. After the creation of the International Olympic Committee in 1894, the development of new international sport federations and Olympic committees were accelerated. The first Olympic Congress took place in 1894 at « la Sorbonne » and decided of the ten sports that would be part of the Olympic program : athletics, wrestling, rowing, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, swimming, shooting and tennis (see the congress minutes). During the wrestling tournament in Athens, there were no weight categories and all five competitors wrestled under rules similar to those of the professional Greco-Roman wrestling. The matches lasted until one of the competitors won. It was allowed to interrupt and resume the matches on the following day. The first Olympic champion – the German athlete Schumann – who was not a trained wrestler, was also the winner of horse jumping and parallel bars. Schumann succeeded to beat the English weightlifting champion Launceston Elliot, who was heavier than him, by executing a quick and accurate body lock.

In Paris, in 1900, and for this unique occasion in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the Games did not include wrestling in their program, even if at the same time, professional wrestling was at its best shape at the Folies Bergères and the Casino de Paris.

Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling began in France around 1830. Wrestlers who had no access to the wrestling elite, formed troupes that travelled around France showing their talent. Wrestlers thus frequented wild animals’ exhibitors, tightrope walkers and bearded women. Showmen presented wrestlers under names such as “Edward, the steel eater”, “Gustave d’Avignon, the bone wrecker”, or “Bonnet, the ox of the low Alps” and challenged the public to knock them down for 500 francs. In 1848, French showman Jean Exbroyat created the first modern wrestlers’ circus troupe and established as a rule not to execute holds below the waist. He named this new style « flat hand wrestling ». Upon Mr. Exbroyat’s death in 1872, Mr. Rossignol-Rollin attorney from Lyon assumed the direction of this troupe and was soon noticed for his ability to advertise, to « arrange » matches and to reward wrestlers in the name of the audience.

The French influence extended to the Austrian Hungarian Empire, to Italy, to Denmark and to Russia and the new style circulated under the name of Greco-Roman wrestling, classic wrestling or French wrestling. Professional wrestling matches were thus organized everywhere in Europe with variable programs and competition rules according to the taste of wrestlers, of managers and of the audience. In 1898, the Frenchman Paul Pons, also named “the Colossus”, was the first Professional World Champion just before the Polish Ladislaus Pytlasinski. Some other great champions succeeded him, like the Turkish Kara Ahmed (the eastern Monster), the Bulgarian Nikola Petrov (the lion of the Balkans) or the Russian Ivan Poddoubni (the Champion of Champions).

At the end of the 19th century, professional wrestling was the most in vogue sport in Europe, but it started to degrade from 1900 because of the pre-arranged matches, the announcement of forgery, false victories and false nationalities of the competitors. The rediscovery of Olympic amateurism encouraged the creation of numerous clubs and schools that finished professional wrestling off. However, from a historical point of view, professional wrestling has its indisputable merits. Competitions contributed to making wrestling more popular, the physical aspect of wrestlers served as a model to young men and the training system allowed amateur wrestling clubs to rapidly become more structured.

Modern Olympic Wrestling

In 1904, freestyle wrestling was first introduced during the St. Louis Games and was only disputed by American wrestlers. It was only during the fourth Olympic Games held in London in 1908 that competitions were organized for both styles. At the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912, freestyle wrestling was again absent from the program and glima competitions (Icelandic wrestling) were organized. Wrestling matches took place on three mats in the open air. They lasted one hour, but finalists wrestled without limit of time. The match which confronted the Finnish wrestler Alfred Johan Asikainen and the Russian Martin Klein lasted 11 hours and 40 minutes and appears on the Guinness Book of Records. Both wrestlers, having the same score, were separated by two periods of three minutes of ground wrestling. The Russian finally defeated the Finnish who weighed 8 kilos (17.64 lbs) more than he did. Exhausted by this match, Martin Klein could not beat the Swedish Johansson who won the gold medal for the 75 kilos (165.35 lbs).

From this date, and encouraged by the newly created International Federation, wrestling developed in every country. Northern Europe countries maintained during many years the monopoly of Greco-Roman wrestling, whereas freestyle wrestling was largely dominated by the English and the Americans. In Amsterdam, in 1928, the Egyptian wrestler Ibrahim Mustafa was the first African wrestler to win an Olympic title. The Japanese Shohachi Ishii won the first Asian title at the Olympic Games in Helsinki, in 1952. Numerous legends shaped the history of wrestling around the world and it would be impossible to name them all. However, four wrestlers have deeply changed the history of Modern Olympic Games by winning three Olympic titles : the Swedish Carl Westergren (Greco-roman wrestling in 1920, 1924 and 1932), the Swedish Ivar Johansson (Greco-roman and freestyle wrestling in 1932, and freestyle wrestling in 1936), the Russian Alexandre Medved (freestyle wrestling in 1964, 1968 and in 1972) and the Russian Alexandre Karelin (in 1988, 1992 and 1996). After obtaining his third title, Alexandre Karelin decided to conquer his fourth title at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, but to the general surprise, he was beaten by the American wrestler Rulon Gardner. In 2002, during the World Championship held in Moscow, FILA awarded the title of Best Wrestler of the Century to both Russians : Alexandre Medved (for freestyle wrestling) and Alexandre Karelin (for Greco-roman wrestling), offering them the FILA Gold necklace, award generally reserved for heads of state.

A hundred years after the introduction of freestyle wrestling in the Olympic program, worldwide wrestling entered a new era with the acknowledgement of female wrestling as an Olympic discipline on the occasion of the Athens Games in 2004. This decision is part of the policy of the IOC that aims at establishing equality in sport, and legitimized the efforts made by FILA to sustain the development of female wrestling since the end of the 80s.

History of UWW

History of United World Wrestling

The first International Federation for the development of wrestling and weight lifting was created in Duisburg in 1905 by the Deutsche Athleten-Verband (DAV). A committee was then created, made up by the following members: Mr. Monticelli (ITA), the brothers van Elst (NED), Mr. Koettgen (GER) and Mr. Stolz (GER). The goal of the Federation was to set in order the organisation of the World Championships.

The first International Wrestlers’ Union (Internationaler Ring Verband) was created on the eve of the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912. The organising committee of the Olympic Games entrusted the Swedish Athletics Federation with the organisation of a congress to draw up the statutes and the rules of an international governing body. Two Hungarians were temporarily elected : Dr. Péter Tatits as President and Mr. Mor Csanádi as Secretary General. It was decided that the first congress of the International Wrestlers’ Union would take place in Berlin in 1913. The designation of «First Congress” was a mere formality, since the constituent congress of the Wrestler’s Union had already taken place in Stockholm.

The congress in Berlin took place from June 5th to June 9th, 1913 and the delegates from the following countries participated : Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Hungary, Austria, Bohemia and Great Britain. The International Wrestlers’ Union became the International Union of Heavy Athletics (Internationaler Amateur Verband für Schwerathletik) and was responsible for the development of wrestling (Greco-roman style), boxing, weightlifting, rope wrestling and weight throw. German was adopted as the official language. The length of wrestling matches was set to twenty minutes, with a one-minute break. A board was established, whose members were appointed as follows : President, Dr. Péter Tatits (HUN); Vice-presidents, Mr. R. Preuss (GER) and Mr. Mor Csanádi (HUN); Secretaries, Mr. James Borg (SWE) and Mr. F. Koller (AUT) and Members, Mr. J. Lindstedt (FIN), Mr. A.R. Nielsen (DEN), Mr. P. Longhurst (GBR), Mr. R. Schwindler (Bohemia) and Mr. L. Zsaplinsky (RUS).

Creation of IAWF

During the Antwerp Olympic Games in 1920, the IOC recommended the creation of independent Federations for each sport. The International Amateur Wrestling Federation (IAWF) was thus created during the IOC Olympic Congress in Lausanne in 1921. The statutes of nineteen National Federations and those of IAWF were approved on that occasion. Mr. Einar Raberg, Swedish official and former wrestler, was elected President. English was adopted as the official language. The new Federation assumed the responsibility of promoting the two wrestling styles and made some corrections to the existing rules. Greco-Roman World championships were organised in Helsinki (1921) and in Stockholm (1922). The creation of IAWF legitimized wrestling towards the IOC, the National Olympic Committees, the National Wrestling Federations, the governmental and non-governmental organisations and the public opinion around the world.

In 1924, Einar Raberg resigned and was replaced by the Hungarian Alfred Brüll, who stayed until 1929, date in which the Finnish Viktor Smeds was elected. In 1946, Viktor Smeds convened a congress in Stockholm and some new members were elected : Mr. Roger Coulon (FRA) as Secretary General, treasurer and technical director, Mr. Vehbi Emre (TUR), Mr. Per Tamm (SWE) and Mr. Streit Jr. (USA) as Vice-presidents, Mr. Ratib (EGY), Mr. Himberg (FIN), Mr. Perrel (NED), Mr. Cortenbosch (BEL), Mr. Mackenzie (GBR) and Mr. Salvatorelli (ITA) as Bureau Members. From this date, the IAWF began to work very actively. New rules were adopted and Roger Coulon organised the first referees’ course in Paris in 1957.

Structuring of FILA

In 1952, Roger Coulon was elected FILA President and renamed the Federation: International Federation of Amateur Wrestling during the congress in Tokyo in 1954. During the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956, new FILA board members were elected : Mr. Vehbi Emre (TUR), Mr. Arvo Himberg (FIN), Mr. M. Mackenzie (GBR), Mr. Ichiro Hatta (JPN), Mr. A. Katouline (URS), Mr. Albert de Ferrari (USA), Mr. Mihaly Matura (HUN), Mr. Anselmo Baficio (ITA), Mr. M. Ratib (EGY), Mr. Per Strömbäck (SWE), Mr. Jules Perrel (NED), Mr. M. Pascal (FRA), Mr. Milan Ercegan (YUG) and Mr. M. Hergl (GER). In 1965, Mr. Coulon moved the FILA headquarters to Lausanne and made FILA the first International Federation to settle in the Olympic capital. In 1967, Roger Coulon created the GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations) to allow International Federations to better communicate and control the evolution of the international sports movement.

During the sixties, FILA showed creativity in several fields and especially in its organisation. A certain improvement was noticed in the exchange of information with the National Federations : the FILA Bulletin started coming out, the wrestlers’ licences were introduced and a good qualification system for the referees was set up. Under the direction of Mr. Milan Ercegan, Secretary General of FILA, educational videos for referees were first produced.

After President Coulon’s death in 1971, Secretary General Mr. Milan Ercegan was appointed temporary President and was elected FILA President through a voice vote during the congress in Munich in 1972. He published the first book for coaches (Theory and Practice of Wrestling) in 1973 and organised the following year the first coaches’ course in Dubrovnik. He also created the Advanced School for Coaches in 1974. During his 30 years of presidency, numerous works were published, notably the three major books from Bulgarian Professor Raïko Petrov : Olympic Wrestling throughout the Millennia (1993), 100 Years of Olympic Wrestling (1997) and The Roots of Wrestling (2000). In 1994, FILA was renamed International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles after it broadened to other wrestling styles. Thanks to its programmes, Milan Ercegan opened some new perspectives to the promotion of wrestling. He started the ‘FILA Golden Plan’ whose goal was to provide technical assistance for developing countries. At the end of his term in 2002, about a hundred wrestling mats and a considerable number of books, magazines, videos and other pedagogic tools were distributed for free to National Federations. During this period, FILA introduced new competitions to its calendar (junior World Championships and cadet Continental Championships) and Mr. Ercegan revolutionized the world of wrestling by admitting female wrestling as a full-fledged discipline within FILA and the National Federations.

New World of Wrestling

In 2002, FILA entered a new era with the election of its new President, Mr. Raphaël Martinetti (SUI), Bureau Member since 1980 and Vice-president responsible for the Refereeing Department since 1986. Since his election, President Martinetti has worked under the slogan “Welcome to the New World of Wrestling” and has set up a strategy of modernisation to promote wrestling around the globe. To this day, the activities that have been undertaken or are being undertaken are :

History of World Championship Wrestling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World Championship Wrestling (WCW) is a now-defunct American professional wrestling promotion that existed from 1988 to 2001. It began as a promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that appeared on the national scene under the ownership of media mogul Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The name came from a wrestling television program that aired on TBS in the 1980s, which had taken the name from an Australian wrestling promotion of the 1970s.

In the 1990s, World Championship Wrestling, along with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)), were the top two wrestling promotions in the United States. Its flagship show WCW Monday Nitro went head-to-head with WWF Raw is War in a ratings battle known as the Monday Night Wars. However, poorly-received storylines, the increasing popularity of the WWF’s Attitude Era, and restrictions from Time Warner eventually led to WCW’s decline and eventual acquisition of key assets by its main competition, Vince McMahon and the WWF.

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) — крупнейшая в мире федерация рестлинга. Основана Винсентом Макмахоном-старшим 24 января 1963 года.

Содержание

История WWE

WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation, Всемирная открытая федерация рестлинга)

24 января 1963 года в Торонто проходил матч между Бадди Роджерсом и Лу Тезом за титул чемпиона мира NWA в тяжёлом весе. Матч проходил по правилам «до первого фолла», несмотря на то, что в то время титульные матчи шли как минимум до двух фоллов. Тез победил Роджерса, выиграв титул. Но промоутеры одного из отделений NWA (CWC) Раймонд Мондт и Винс Макмэхон-старший не признали Теза своим чемпионом, и в знак протеста объявили о выходе CWC из состава NWA, образовав WWWF. В апреле Бадди Роджерсу был вручен новый титул чемпиона мира WWWF в тяжёлом весе. Но в 1971 года WWWF снова вошла в состав NWA.

WWF (World Wrestling Federation, Всемирная федерация рестлинга)

В марте 1979 года федерация была переименована в WWF (World Wrestling Federation, Всемирная Федерация Рестлинга). В 1980 году WWF перекупает сын Винса Макмэхона-старшего — Винс Макмэхон-младший, а в 1982 году снова выводит WWF из состава NWA. Винс становится главным реформатором рестлинга. В 1983 году WWF получают тайм-слот на национальном телевидении (USA Network, шоу WWF All-American Wrestling). Макмэхон подписывает контракт с Халком Хоганом, и 23 января 1984 года Хоган побеждает Железного Шейха, выигрывая титул чемпиона мира WWF в тяжёлом весе. Винс Макмэхон начинает скупать многие отделения NWA, образуя большую рестлинг-монополию.

31 марта 1985 году Винс представляет на всеобщее обозрение новый формат шоу — PPV, а именно WrestleMania.

Золотая эра

После появления РестлМании впервые заговорили о формате «спортивное развлечение», придуманном Макмэхоном. В WWF дебютировали такие известные рестлеры из AWA и NWA, как Последний Воин, Рэнди Савейдж, Джейк Робертс, Брет Харт, Шон Майклз, Марти Джаннетти, Джерри Лоулер, Харли Рейс, Рик Руд и другие. Но все основные события федерации происходят вокруг главной звезды — мегафейса Халка Хогана. Появляется такое явление, как Халкомания. 29 марта 1987 года проходит самое большое в истории рестлинг-шоу — WrestleMania III. На стадионе собирается 93 173 зрителя. [1] В главном бое этого шоу Халк Хоган победил Андрэ Гиганта.

Это продолжается до 1993 года. В 1993 году Халк Хоган покидает WWF после стероидного скандала, из-за которого Винс Макмэхон был вынужден (хоть и формально) отказаться от поста президента WWF в пользу своей жены Линды. Главными звездами WWF становятся Брет Харт, Шон Майклз, Undertaker, «Бритва» Рамон (Разор Рамон, Скотт Холл) и Дизель (Кевин Нэш). В это же время Халк Хоган и Рэнди Савейдж становятся главными звездами другой большой федерации рестлинга — WCW. Вскоре Кевин Нэш и Скотт Холл также переходят в WCW, организуя вместе с Хоганом группировку «Новый мировой порядок». Начинается «Война по понедельникам» между двумя шоу (Monday Night RAW от WWF и Monday Nitro от WCW соответственно), которые одновременно идут в прайм-тайме национального телевидения США.

Из-за «Войны по понедельникам» в WWF начинается кризис. Именно из-за этого происходит такое событие, как «Монреальский облом», после чего WWF покидает Брет Харт. На этом золотая эра WWF заканчивается, уступая место эре Attitude.

Эра Attitude

Официальным началом эры Attitude считается 29 марта 1998 года, когда Стив Остин победил Шона Майклза на WrestleMania XIV, выиграв титул чемпиона мира WWF в тяжёлом весе. Сюжеты и матчи в WWF становятся всё более жестокими и драматичными, это заставляет зрителей переживать за своих героев. Всё это делается для того, чтобы WWF могла уверенно конкурировать с WCW. Главным сюжетом эры Attitude было противостояния Стива Остина и Винса Макмэхона. 13 апреля 1998 года Остин и Макмэхон впервые сходятся на ринге в матче 1 на 1. В этот день RAW бьёт рейтинг Nitro, впервые за 2 года. [2]

Политика, которую вела WWF во время эры Attitude оказалась правильной — пока WCW получала рейтинги за счет старых звезд рестлинга, WWF раскручивала своих. Таких, как Стив Остин, Рок, Игрок (Triple H), Икс-Пак, Кейн. В итоге «Война по понедельникам» закончилась банкротством WCW. 23 марта 2001 года Шэйн Макмэхон — сын Винса Макмэхона — купил WCW, а 26 марта прошёл последний выпуск Nitro, в котором был запущен сюжет со «Вторжением» звёзд WCW и ECW в WWF.

9 декабря 2001 года чемпион WCW Крис Джерико побеждает Чемпиона WWF Стива Остина и объединяет оба титула в титул «непобедимого чемпиона WWF».

6 мая 2002 года WWF проигрывает суд Всемирному фонду дикой природы, (World Wildlife Fund, тоже WWF) и вынужденно меняет название на WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). [3]

Эра развлечений

В апреле 2002 года весь огромный ростер WWE делится на два бренда — RAW и SmackDown! (по названию двух главных ТВ-шоу WWE). Сначала был запущен сюжет, по которому генеральные менеджеры брендов боролись за обладателя титула Непобедимого Чемпиона WWE — сначала Халк Хоган и Гробовщик держали титул на SmackDown!, а затем Рок вернул его на RAW. Но после того, как титул выиграл Брок Леснар и решил остаться с ним на SmackDown!, генеральный менеджер RAW Эрик Бишофф учредил свой главный титул для рестлеров RAW. Первым его обладателем стал Игрок, победивший Рика Флера той же ночью. С тех пор в WWE 2 главных титула.

26 мая 2006 года огранизовывается третий бренд WWE — возрождённое ECW (WWECW). Первым Чемпионом ECW по версии WWE стал Роб Ван Дам. С начала 2010 года бренд закрыт,а вместо него появилось NXT.

Wrestling History

What is the history of Wrestling? What are its origins? Where did Wrestling come from? Who invented it? Here is the history of Wrestling.

Table of Contents

Country of Origin

Wrestling is believed to have been started by the ancient Sumerians, which is modern day Iraq. The first evidence of this was a sculpture found in Iraq that dates back to 2600 BCE.В

Evidence of wrestling has also been found in ancient Egypt. There are paintings of wrestlers that date back to 2500 BCE. Some tombs show ancient drawings that show people performing contemporary wrestling holds.В

The sport was also mentioned by the Greek poet Homer. Pindar, another famous poet, described how Zeus and Cronus, Gods in Greek mythology, wrestled for the universe.В

Wrestling winners began being documented since the 708 BCEВ Olympic games. A famous Greek wrestler was the philosopher Plato. His real name was Aristocles but was given the name Plato, which means broad shoulders, because of his success in wrestling.В

Inventor

Although wrestling dates back to ancient Sumeria, the Greeks have been credited with inventing modern wrestling and they introduced the sport to the ancient Olympics in 708 BCE. They developed this form of combat to train their soldiers when fighting against the Romans.

Origins

The sport was officially established when professional wrestling started in France around 1830. Wrestlers would travel all throughout France and put on shows. In 1848, Jean Exbroyat, a French showman, developed the first modern wrestlers’ circus group and created the style of flat hand wrestling, which meant that competitors could not perform holds below the waist.В Eventually, the first wrestling tournament was in New York City in 1888.В

In the 1896 Olympic Games, Greco-Roman wrestling was incorporated into the competition for the first time. Then in 1904, freestyle wrestling was introduced to the St. Louis Olympic Games. Eventually, in the 1908 Games of London, both styles were established parts of the competition.

Popularity

Wrestling’s popularity quickly began to rise after the first competition in 1888. Although it was in the ancient Olympics, it was introduced to the modern Olympics in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Olympics are the pinnacle of athletic competition, and now that wrestling was in the public eye more people wanted to participate than ever before.

Wrestling, both freestyle and Greco-Roman, has become a sport that is celebrated all throughout the world. Here are some of the countries that wrestling is popularВ in.В

World Wrestling History

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World wrestling history

Рестлинг сейчас – это миллионная индустрия, а начиналось все с поединков цирковых бойцов. В США постепенно стали появляться разные мелкие и не очень федерации рестлинга, которые в 1948 году объединились в Национальный Альянс Рестлинга (National Wrestling Alliance). В 60-е годы прошлого века один из промоутеров Национального Альянса Винс Макмехон-старший обособился от NWA и образовал собственную федерацию. После ряда покупок и смен названия она обретает название «Всемирная федерация рестлинга» (World Wrestling Federation) и собственника в лице Винса Макмехона-младшего. Именно Макмехон-младший, будучи рестлером, сумел разработать и применить на практике новый формат шоу, дошедший до наших дней. Он первым стал осуществлять платные трансляции поединков, сколотив на этом состояние. По мере накопления капитала Макмехон поглощал своих конкурентов. Этот процесс завершился в 2001 году с покупкой главного конкурента – «Чемпионат а мира по рестлингу» (World Championship Wrestling). С тех пор WWF становится монополией в мире рестлинга. Интересно, что в 2002 году WWF проиграла суд по поводу названия Всемирному фонду дикой природы (английская аббревиатура WWF), после чего стала носить имя WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Акции компании торгуются на Нью-Йоркской фондовой бирже.

Шоу обычно включает в себя:

Торжественный выход каждого из участников (команд) в зал.

Собственно встречу (поединок).

Мероприятия после встречи, во время которых проходит награждение поясом или другим призом.

Серьёзную встречу рестлеров, как правило, предваряет словесная перебранка между участниками, которая формирует сюжет будущего шоу и эпатирует публику.

Поединок рестлеров может иметь весьма разнообразный характер. Один на один или команда на команду. Есть варианты, когда на ринг выходит несколько (более двух) атлетов и в ходе их общего столкновения определяется один победитель. Возможны встречи один против нескольких, поединок рестлеров разного пола и т. д.

Существуют «правила» определения «победителя», после чего встреча останавливается:

Удержание противника на лопатках более 3 секунд.

Принуждение противника сдаться.

Дисквалификация из-за недопустимого поведения или нарушения правил.

«Нокаутирование» противника — отсчет 10 секунд судьей, пока противник лежит на ринге.

Слишком долгое нахождение вне ринга.

Халк Хоган, настоящее имя Терри Джин Боллеа. Звезда рестлинга 80-х, именно благодаря Халку, шоу Макмехона «WrestleMania» становится невероятно популярным.

Гробовщик, настоящее имя Марк Уильям Кэлвей. Обладатель самой длинной беспроигрышной серии в истории WWE — стрика на «WrestleMania» 18-0.

Крис Джерико, настоящее имя Кристофер Кит Ирвайн. Ветеран рестлинга. Крис является верующим христианином. Сценический псевдоним «Джерико» Крис себе выбрал, будучи вдохновленным историей древнего города Иерихона.

WWE активно использует различные национальные пристрастия и стереотипы. В шоу участвуют рестлеры «со всех концов света».

Сантино Марелла, настоящее имя Энтони Карелли. Играет роль итальянца, хотя на самом деле он канадец.

Дольф Зигглер, настоящее имя Николас Теодор Немет, «немец», хоть и родом из Огайо.

Владимир Козлов, настоящее имя Олег Александрович Прудиус, играет роль бесстрашного русского бойца. Родился на Украине.

Шеймус, настоящее имя Стефен Фаррелли. В отличие от вышеперечисленных действительно ирландец.

Словарь профессионального рестлера:

Фейс (англ. face) — рестлер, который отыгрывает роль хорошего парня, его любят зрители, он пользуется большой популярностью, дерётся честно, не нарушает правила.

Хил (англ. heel) — рестлер, который отыгрывает роль плохого парня — грязную роль; его ненавидят зрители, он пользуется запрещёнными приёмами, предметами, выигрывает матчи с чьей-либо помощью, или всякими подлыми способами.

Твинер (англ. tweener) — нечто среднее между хилом и фейсом, бывают разные варианты. Например, если рестлер ещё не хил, но уже не фейс. Или наоборот — был хилом, а теперь по каким-то причинам дерётся честно. Или рестлер, который дерётся не как хил и не как фейс, а без всяких тому особенностей, чтобы можно было определить его поведение.

Гиммик (англ. gimmick) — сценический образ того или иного борца. Включает в себя стиль поведения, одежды, выхода на ринг, даже стиль боя. Гиммик — это неотъемлемый атрибут каждого рестлера, определяющий уровень зрительских симпатий.

Федерация, или Промоушен — компания, занимающаяся организацией и проведением реслинг-шоу. Примеры: WWE, WCW, TNA, ROH, CZW.

ТВ-шоу — телевизионные трансляции боёв. Они идут либо в прямом эфире, либо в записи.

RAW — еженедельное шоу, которое идёт в прямом эфире по понедельникам

SmackDown! — еженедельное шоу, которое записывается во вторник, а в пятницу выходит по ТВ.

TNA iMPACT! — еженедельное шоу, выходящее в эфир по четвергам.

Праздники Рестлинга (Pay Per View) — специальные платные шоу, которые проходят раз-два каждый месяц. Они идут в прямом эфире, по продолжительности больше чем обычные ТВ-шоу. Средняя продолжительность ППВ — 3—4 часа. На ППВ обычно проходят главные матчи, решаются важные события, заканчиваются фьюды. У каждого ППВ есть своё определённое название, они распределены по месяцам.

Примеры PPV — WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Summerslam, WWE Royal Rumble, TNA Slamiversary, WCW Starcade, WCW Mayhem

Титантрон — вступительное видео рестлера, его заставка. Также титантроном принято называть огромный экран, который является частью оформления шоу.

Музыка рестлера — определённая композиция, под которую он появляется в зале.

Рампа — пространство, находящееся около входа-титантрона в зал. В основном имеет бетонную поверхность.

Титул чемпиона — пояс. Награда для рестлера. Аналогична чемпионским поясам в профессиональном боксе. Пояса бывают разной ценности и для разной весовой категории.

World Heavyweight Championship — Титул Чемпиона Мира в Тяжёлом Весе.

Intercontinental Championship — Титул Интерконтинентального Чемпиона.

X-Division Championship — Титул Чемпиона Икс-Дивизиона.

Tag Team Championship — Титулы Чемпионов в Командном Бое.

Хардкор — бой, проходящий без правил, и в котором могут использоваться разные вещи, от стульев до колючей проволоки.

Ультравайлент — более кровавая версия хардкора. В котором могут быть использованы разные вещи которые с собой принесли фанаты, либо всякие подручные предметы. Примеры тому — кнопки, колючая проволока, лампы, ёлочные игрушки, стекло, кактусы, различные металлические предметы. В этом виде матчей рестлеры обычно теряют очень много крови и получают многочисленные порезы.

Блейд (англ. blade) — небольшое лезвие, например, кусок бритвы, обмотанный скотчем. С помощью него чаще всего рестлеры имитируют рану после сильного удара, после которого непосредственно должна пойти кровь. Например, рестлера ударили стулом, камера показывает его противника, а сам рестлер в этот момент делает надрез на лбу и вызывает кровотечение.

IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) — фанаты рестлинга, которые находят время, чтобы обсуждать его в интернете и общаться друг с другом на эту тему.

Букер (англ. booker) — человек, который придумывает сюжеты рестлерам, а также то, как они должны выглядеть, поступать и т. п. Ответственный за их сюжеты и гиммики, а также за то, чтобы противостояния между рестлерами облекались в матчи. Не обязательно должен иметь знания о рестлинге, но должен быть известным творцом сюжетов для книг, театров или телевидения. В WWE таких людей больше, чем в других промоушенах, но в более мелких федерациях такой человек один, или максимум 3—4. В независимых промоушенах букером чаще всего является владелец промоушена. У WWE целая команда людей — сценаристы (writers), они прорабатывают и посылают WWE сюжеты, получая за это деньги.

Шутер (англ. shooter) — рестлер, который не умеет (или плохо умеет) или не хочет намечать удары, а бьёт всегда в полную силу. Часто среди таких парней оказываются очень талантливые и спортивные рестлеры, но их зажимает руководство в профессиональном рестлинге за неумение бить вполсилы. Шут (англ. shoot) — также реальные события, которые иногда происходят в рестлинге и тщательно скрываются кайфебом (секрет фирмы). К примеру, когда рестлер не любит другого и избивает его по-настоящему, скрывая это за происходящем в матче. Или какая-либо подстава, подоплёку которой руководство промоушена старается скрыть, чтобы не уронить репутацию того или иного события или рестлера

Работа (англ. job) — противоположность shoot. Правдоподобные события или действия, придуманные букерами и выдаваемые за реальность. Фактически всё, что рестлеры делают на ринге.

Селлинг (англ. selling) — изображение рестлером сильной боли, атаки, повреждений от ударов и т. п. Соответственно, плохие актёры или шутфайтеры боль показывать убедительно не умеют, из-за чего страдает качество боя и не создаётся убедительного впечатления о реальности происходящего.

Спот (англ. spot) — оригинальный приём, или сочетание приёмов, или нестандартное использование чего-либо. Делается для вызывания реакции у зрителей. Обычно это главные самые запомнившееся события шоу. К примеру, когда рестлер зажимает канатом противника.

Фьюд (англ. feud) — вражда рестлеров, на базе которой назначаются матчи между ними. Когда Крис Джерико случайно пролил горячий кофе на Кейна и получает за это — это начало фьюда. Когда после этого он вызывает Кейна на матч и избивает его при этом стулом — это продолжение фьюда. Их матч на PPV — конец фьюда.

World Championship Wrestling

Тед Тёрнер (1988-2001)
Макмэн, Винс (2001-наст. время)

Turner Broadcasting System (1988-1996)
Time Warner (1996-2001)
WWE (2001-наст. время)

Чемпионат мира по рестлингу (англ. World Championship Wrestling ) — профессиональный рестлинг-промоушен в США, существовавший c 1988 по 2001 год. Базировалась в Атланте, штат Джорджия. Истоки федерации исходят от компании Jim Crockett Promotions, владелец которой, Джим Крокетт скупивший ряд региональных рестлинг-промоушенов и насобирав долг в более чем десяти миллионов долларов, продал активы своей компании Теду Тернеру, владельцу компании TBS. После чего была переименована в World Championship Wrestling.

Содержание

Организация

Штаб-квартира WCW находилась в городе Атланта, штат Джорджия. С момент основания до продажи компании в 2001 году ею руководил Тед Тёрнер.

Мероприятия проходили несколько раз в неделю: по понедельниками они именовались как Monday Nitro, по четвергам — Thunder, по субботам — Saturday Night.

История

WCW была основана в 1991 году на базе одного из отделений федерации NWA. До 1993 года её рестлеры ещё выступали в боях против бывших «коллег» из NWA, но с августа 1993 года WCW окончательно стала независимой организацией. Её популярность держалась на борцах, пришедших из федераций ECW, WWF и NWA, а также своих звездах — Стинге, Голдберге, и др.

Почти все топ-бойцы были разделены по группировкам: NWO (New World Order — «Новый мировой порядок»), Wolfpack («Волчья стая»), LWO (Latin World Order — «Латиноамериканский мировой порядок»), «The New Blood» («Новая кровь»), «Filthy Animals» и т. д. [1]

На протяжении всего времени своего существования WCW пыталась абстрагироваться от своих конкурентов — NWA и WWF. Федерации постоянно искала деньги на погашение долгов перед телевидением, и для привлечения новых зрителей сталкивала «плохих» (NWO Hollywood) и «хороших» (nWo Wolfpack) рестлеров в боях и всевозможных стычках за рингом. Однако, федерация совершила ошибку, увольняя проигравших рестлеров, а на освободившиеся деньги нанимая новых — молодых и недорогих. Самые рейтинговые бойцы начали покидать WCW, и доходы компании падали. Владельцы промоушена продали WCW хозяину WWF Винсу МакМэну. Сама же WCW прекратила свое существование в ноябре 2001 года.

Ранняя История

Руководство

Эрик Бишофф и Винс Русо

WCW в других СМИ

Приобретение WWF

Разыгрываемые титулы

В федерации разыгрывались титулы чемпионов мира в тяжёлом, среднем и лёгком весе, а также пояса чемпионов в командном бое, интерконтинентального и телевизионного чемпионов, чемпионов США.

Известные бойцы

В боях под эгидой федерации неоднократно принимали такие известные рестлеры как Халк Хоган, Кевин Нэш, Скотт Холл, Стинг, Брет Харт, Крис Бенуа, Даймонд Даллас Пейдж, Билл Голдберг, Гигант, Крис Джерико, Рей Мистерио, Сид Вишес, Эдди Герреро, Билли Кидман, Скот Штайнер, Стив Остин, Ренди Севедж, Скотт Нортон, Лекс Люгер, Бам Бам Бигелоу, Рик Флэр.

Wrestling

Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two unarmed persons, in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over his opponent.

Contents

Physical techniques which embody the style of wrestling are clinching, holding, locking, and leverage. Avoiding potentially lethal techniques, wrestling has aspects of ritual fighting, but its basic principles are closely related to those of military hand-to-hand combat or self-defense systems. Many styles of wrestling are known all over the world and have long histories, and sport wrestling (particularly amateur wrestling) has become an Olympic sport.

History

Wrestling made a name for itself while history was still young in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and several smaller countries. The concept of wrestling dates as far back as 3400 B.C.E. In fact, origins of the sport can be traced back 15,000 years to cave drawings in France. Early Egyptian and Babylonian reliefs depict wrestlers using most of the holds known to the present-day sport. In ancient Greece, wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend and literature; wrestling competition, brutal in many aspects, was the supreme contest of the Olympic Games. The ancient Romans borrowed heavily from Greek wrestling, but eliminated much of its brutality. During the Middle Ages, wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the patronage of many royal houses, including those of France, Japan, and England.

Ancient

Middle and Far East

The Epic of Gilgamesh in Sumerian literature features its hero Gilgamesh establishing his credibility as a leader after wrestling Enkidu. Other sculptures and literature from ancient Mesopotamia show that wrestling was held in popularity. [1] One other early (probably c. 1500 B.C.E.) description of wrestling appears in the Old Testament book of Genesis 32:22-32. The passage depicts the patriarch Jacob wrestling with the Angel, for which Jacob was subsequently renamed Israel. (Israel translates to «wrestles (or strives) with God.») [1]

The Mahabharata, one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, describes the encounter between the accomplished wrestlers of Bhima and Jarasandha; «grasping each other in various ways by means of their arms, and kicking each other with such violence as to affect the innermost nerves, they struck at each other’s breasts with clenched fists. With bare arms as their only weapons roaring like clouds they grasped and struck each other like two mad elephants encountering each other with their trunks.» [2] The popular folk wrestling style of India performed on a mud surface called the akhara follows the Indian tradition.

Shuai Jiao, a wrestling style originating in China, is arguably the most ancient of all Chinese martial arts, with a reported history of over 4,000 years. (The date may be legendary, but wrestling was reportedly used by the Yellow Emperor during his fight against the rebel Chih Yiu and his army in 2697 B.C.E.) During these matches, the combatants reportedly wore horned helmets that they used to gore their opponents while using a primitive form of grappling. This early style of combat was first called Jiao Ti (butting with horns). Throughout the centuries, the hands and arms replaced the horns while the techniques increased and improved. The name Jiao Ti also changed over time, both through common usage and government decree. [3]

Mediterranean

The first documented evidence of wrestling in Egypt appeared circa 2300 B.C.E., on the tomb of the Old Kingdom philosopher Ptahhotep. During the period of the New Kingdom (2000-1085 B.C.E.), additional Egyptian artwork (often on friezes), depicted Egyptian and Nubian wrestlers competing. Carroll notes striking similarities between these ancient depictions and those of the modern Nuba wrestlers. [4] On the 406 wrestling pairs found in the Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan in the Nile valley, nearly all of the techniques seen in modern freestyle wrestling could be found. [1]

During the period of Ancient Greece (about 1100 to 146 B.C.E.), Greek wrestling was a popular form of martial art in which points were awarded for pinning a competitor by stretching the opponent prone to the ground or touching his back to the ground, forcing a competitor to submit or by forcing a competitor out of bounds (arena). [5] Three falls determined the winner. It was at least featured as a sport since the eighteenth Olympiad in 704 B.C.E. Wrestling is described in the earliest celebrated works of Greek literature, the Iliad and the Odyssey. [1] Wrestlers were also depicted in action on many vases, sculptures, and coins, as well as in other literature. Other cultures featured wrestling at royal or religious celebrations, but the ancient Greeks structured their style of wrestling as part of a tournament where a single winner emerged from a pool of competitors. [1] Greek mythology celebrates the rise of Zeus as ruler of the earth after a wrestling match with his father, Kronos. Both Herakles and Theseus were famous for their wrestling against man and beast. Late Greek tradition also stated that Plato was known for wrestling in the Isthmian games. [1]

This continued into the Hellenistic period. Ptolemy II and Ptolemy III of Egypt were both depicted in art as victorious wrestlers. After the Roman conquest of the Greeks, Greek wrestling was absorbed by the Roman culture and became Roman wrestling during the period of the Roman Empire (510 B.C.E. to AD 500). Arabic literature depicted Muhammad as a skilled wrestler, defeating a skeptic in a match at one point. By the eighth century, the Byzantine emperor Basil I, according to court historians, won in wrestling against a boastful wrestler from Bulgaria. [1]

Middle Ages

In 1520, at the Field of the Cloth of Gold pageant, Francis I of France threw Henry VIII of England in a wrestling match. [1] In Henry VIII’s kingdom, folk wrestling in many places was widely popular and had a long history. In particular, the Lancashire style may have formed the basis for Catch wrestling also known as «catch as catch can.» The Scots later formed a variant of this style, and the Irish developed the «collar-and-elbow» style which later found its way into the United States. [1] The French developed the modern Greco-Roman style which was finalized by the nineteenth century and by then, wrestling was featured in many fairs and festivals. [6]

Modern

Because of that and the rise of gymnasiums and athletic clubs, Greco-Roman wrestling and modern freestyle wrestling were soon regulated in formal competitions. On continental Europe, prize money was offered in large sums to the winners of Greco-Roman tournaments, and freestyle wrestling spread rapidly in the British Isles and in the United States after the American Civil War. Professional wrestling soon increased the popularity of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling around the world with such competitors as Georg Hackenschmidt, Kara Ahmed, Paul Pons, Stanislaus Zbyszko, William Muldoon, and Frank Gotch. [1] When the Olympic games resurfaced at Athens in 1896, Greco-Roman wrestling was introduced for the first time. After not being featured in the 1900 Olympics, sport wrestling was seen again in 1904 in St. Louis; this time in freestyle competition. Since then, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling have both been featured, with women’s freestyle added in the Summer Olympics of 2004. Since 1921, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) has regulated amateur wrestling as an athletic discipline, while professional wrestling has largely become infused with theatrics. [1]

Etymology

The term wrestling is an Old English word that originated some time before 1100 C.E. It is perhaps the oldest word still in use in the English language to describe hand-to-hand combat. [7] The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines wrestling as «a sport or contest in which two unarmed individuals struggle hand-to-hand with each attempting to subdue or unbalance the other.» [8]

Roget’s New Millennium Thesaurus does not support the usage of «wrestling» (noun) and «grappling» (noun) as synonymous. [9]

International disciplines (non-folk styles)

Wrestling disciplines defined by FILA are broken down into two categories: International wrestling disciplines and folk wrestling disciplines. According to the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, there are five current international wrestling disciplines acknowledged throughout the world. They are Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, Sambo (martial art), Grappling and Beach wrestling. [10]

Greco-Roman

Greco-Roman is an international discipline and an Olympic sport. «In Greco-Roman style, it is forbidden to hold the opponent below the belt and to actively use the legs in the execution of any action.» Recent rule changes have increased the opportunities for «high amplitude» throws. One of the most well known Greco-Roman wrestlers from the United States is Rulon Gardner. [11]

Freestyle

Freestyle wrestling is an international discipline and an Olympic sport. «In free style, it is allowed to hold the legs of the opponent, to make trips and to use actively legs on the execution of any action.» [12] It is thought to have originated from English catch wrestling, and is currently the international style in which women participate in competition.

Sambo

Sambo is a martial art that originated in the Soviet Union (particular Russia) in the twentieth century. It is an acronym for «self-defence without weapons» in Russian and had its origins in the Soviet armed forces. Its influences are varied, with techniques borrowed from sports ranging from the two international styles of Greco-Roman and freestyle to boxing, judo, jujitsu, European styles of folk wrestling, and even fencing. The rules for sport sambo are similar to those allowed in competitive judo, with a variety of leglocks and with over 5,000 defense holds from the various national wrestling styles in the Soviet Union, while not allowing chokeholds. [13]

Grappling

«Grappling, also called submission wrestling, refers to the gripping, handling, and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking, typically through the application of various grappling holds and counters to various hold attempts. Grappling can be used in both a standing position, where it is known as stand-up grappling, and on the ground, where it is known as ground grappling. Grappling is an essential part of both clinch fighting and ground fighting.» [14] Grappling is also used to describe the skills used in mixed martial arts competitions, differing from the FILA definition.

Beach wrestling

Apparently in a bid to give wrestling greater appeal to television audiences, FILA adopted beach wrestling as an official discipline during 2004-2005. Beach wrestling is standing wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-filled circle measuring 6 meters in diameter. There are only two weight categories, heavy and light. The objective is to throw your opponent or take your opponent to his or her back. The wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling uniforms. Wrestlers may also wear spandex or athletic shorts. [15] [16]

Folk style disciplines

There are almost as many folk wrestling styles as there are national traditions, because folk wrestling describes a traditional form of wrestling unique to a culture or geographic region of the world. Folk wrestling styles are not recognized by FILA internationally. The following list provides examples of wrestling systems that fall into this category.

Collegiate wrestling

Collegiate wrestling (sometimes known as scholastic wrestling or folkstyle wrestling) is the commonly used name of wrestling practiced at the university level in the United States. A very similar style is practiced at the high school and middle school levels. The term is used to distinguish the styles of wrestling used in other parts of the world, and for those of the Olympic Games: Greco-Roman wrestling and Freestyle wrestling. There are currently several organizations which oversee collegiate wrestling competition: Divisions I, II, and III, of the NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA, and the NCWA. Division I of the NCAA is considered the most prestigious and challenging level of competition. A school chooses which organization to join, although it may compete against teams from other levels and organizations during regular-season competition. The collegiate season starts in November and culminates with the NCAA tournament held in March.

Wrestling as a martial art

Wrestling has gained respect among martial arts practitioners, especially with the advent of mixed martial arts competition. [17] Early competitions (e.g. UFC 4 & 5) saw wrestlers defeat stylists from more traditional, striking-oriented styles such as karate and kickboxing. Randy Couture (current UFC heavyweight champion) and Dan Henderson (current PRIDE champion in both the 183 and 205 pound divisions) both competed extensively in collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling before beginning their careers in mixed martial arts. Other fighters coming from wrestling are: Matt Lindland, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, Urijah Faber, Tyson Griffin, Kevin Randleman, Mark Kerr, Don Frye, Mark Coleman, Brian Vettel, Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, Jeff Monson, Matt Horwich.

Many other prominent and successful fighters began their training in various forms of wrestling, and fighters from non-wrestling backgrounds often pursue wrestling training to complement their other skills.

Professional wrestling: World Wrestling Federation(WWE/WWF)

Professional wrestling has grown in popularity over the past decade. The basis for its growing popularity is not confined to simply wrestling. The main professional wrestling league is the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Professional wrestling most closely resembles a soap opera, with well-defined characters that play to the audiences’ emotions. The violence is rampant; while much of it appears to be scripted, with combatants hitting each other with metal chairs and slamming through tables. Professional wrestlers such as the Rock (Duane Johnson) have forged their way into the television industry simply due to their popularity. The WWE has taken its act to global boundaries, even having a WWE Japan, Frankfurt, Australia, and so on.

Wrestling glossary

Notes

References

Credits

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World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. History

Telephone: (203) 352-8600
Fax: (203) 359-5151

Company Perspectives:

Our objectives are to broaden our leadership position in the creation, production and promotion of our form of televised and live entertainment events and to leverage our technical and operating skills to pursue complementary entertainment-based business opportunities. Some of the key elements of our strategy are to: continue to produce high quality branded programming, live events and consumer products for worldwide distribution; expand our existing television and pay-per-view distribution relationships and develop broader distribution arrangements for our branded programming worldwide; increase the licensing and direct sale of our branded products through our distribution channels; grow our Internet operations to further promote our brand and to develop additional sources of revenue; form strategic relationships with other media and entertainment companies to further promote our brand and our products; create new forms of entertainment and brands that complement our existing businesses, including the development of new television programming that will extend beyond our current programming, all of which will appeal to our targeted demographic market; and develop branded location-based entertainment businesses directly or through licensing agreements, joint ventures or other arrangements. Key Dates:

Key Dates:

Company History:

1960s Origins

Vincent K. McMahon, Jr., represented the third generation of McMahons to earn its living by promoting professional wrestling. His grandfather, Jesse McMahon, established the trend, foregoing his career as a boxing promoter during the 1940s to try his hand at performing the same function for professional wrestling. Jesse McMahon’s son, Vincent McMahon, joined his father in the business during the 1950s, when the popularity of professional wrestling was on the rise. Vincent McMahon formed his own promotion company in 1963, naming the enterprise the World Wide Wrestling Federation. The global implication of the company’s name belied the realities of the professional wrestling business, which was composed of a patchwork of promoters who were geographically segregated. Far from worldwide, the World Wide Wrestling Federation operated within well-defined boundaries, promoting professional wrestling matches in northeastern cities of the United States.

Although the company’s territory was restricted, it embraced heavily populated metropolitan areas, including New York City and Philadelphia. Popular wrestlers such as Gorgeous George had helped professional wrestling gain a loyal following among television viewers during the early years of television. However, not long after McMahon formed the World Wide Wrestling Federation, the half-sport, half-entertainment attraction began to lose its appeal. It was during the business downturn in the late 1960s and early 1970s that the third generation of McMahons entered the professional wrestling promotion business. Vincent K. McMahon, Jr., a pioneer in a decades-old business, entirely transformed the world of professional wrestling.

In a business that was a hybrid of sports and entertainment, McMahon excelled by being half-innovator, half-renegade. His unquestionable marketing skills may have surprised some, considering his less-than-exemplary past, but his iconoclasm probably struck longtime acquaintances as the natural progression of a troubled childhood. As a child, McMahon was exceedingly disruptive in school. Eventually, authorities were forced to present him with one of two alternatives: enroll in a state reform school or in a military academy. McMahon opted for the latter, becoming the first cadet in the history of the Waynesboro, Virginia, Fishburne Military School to be court-martialed. McMahon’s academic career only moderately improved after his truncated stay at Fishburne. He spent five years attending college, all the while petitioning professors to raise his grades while attending summer school each of the five years. After college, McMahon tried to make his mark in sales, hawking paper cups and adding machines before deciding to join his father in the promotion of professional wrestling. From his undistinguished background, McMahon emerged to create one of the most successful marketing organizations in the country.

In 1971, McMahon began working for his father’s organization, shuttling throughout the Northeast promoting local shows and serving as an announcer at the matches. A 6’3′ amateur bodybuilder, McMahon fit the mold of a wrestler, but it was never his inclination to blend into the world of professional wrestling. As he had during his years as a schoolboy, McMahon wanted to be a disruptive force. He worked for the company (which dropped the word ‘Wide’ from its title in 1979) for nearly a decade, before acquiring WWF in 1982 from his ailing father.

Taking Charge, 1982

With full control over the organization, McMahon was able to express his renegade side and shape the company into a formidable force, the likes of which had never been seen in the business. The difference between McMahon and other promoters was his disregard for the traditions of professional wrestling. He ignored the geographical boundaries that divided the industry and began buying out regional promoters, emerging as a consolidator bent on amalgamating the smaller tours into a national company. Along with the territory he gained from other promoters, McMahon also took other promoters’ top wrestling personalities, including a fellow amateur bodybuilder named Terry Bollea. Bollea, whom McMahon lured away from a Minneapolis promoter in 1983, wrestled under the name Hulk Hogan, the most popular professional wrestling star of the 1980s. To provide greater exposure to his motley collection of wrestlers, McMahon purchased time on local television stations to air WWF’s matches, hoping to stimulate interest in a spectacle whose popularity had been on the wane for nearly 15 years. Nothing contributed more to WWF’s startling success, however, than an industry-shaking announcement McMahon made during the early 1980s. He acknowledged that the winners of professional wrestling matches were predetermined, sparking furor among other promoters and some fans. Aside from freeing WWF from state regulations, which was particularly important in light of the company’s aggressive geographic expansion, McMahon’s concession pushed professional wrestling headlong into the realm of show business. No longer forced to masquerade as a legitimate sport, professional wrestling could embrace the concept of entertainment wholeheartedly and throw away the trappings of bleak gymnasiums for something more akin to Las Vegas.

Presenting wrestling as pure entertainment unleashed McMahon’s marketing talents, transforming WWF’s live events into bawdy extravaganzas that titillated crowds. In the scripts that governed the live events, McMahon developed and accentuated rivalries between his wrestlers, creating story lines that carried the actions of one event to their denouement in later events. Marketing, brash and glitzy in its tone, was suffusive and highly effective, transforming the image of such wrestlers as André the Giant, the Iron Sheik, and Hulk Hogan into superheroes or detestable villains. In essence, McMahon amplified the intensity of everything under his control, making Titan Sports, Inc., the company he created in 1982, and WWF, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Titan Sports, a rousing success a few short years after leadership was passed from father to son.

As the popularity of professional wrestling exploded, it developed into much more than an arena show. National television syndication, pay-per-view television events, and licensing deals for everything from action figures to wrestling-themed air fresheners were indicative of a booming business whose boundaries were stretching beyond precedent. WWF’s core audience of children and teens expanded to embrace more and more adults, blue-collar and white-collar alike. Celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper began making appearances, performing as referees and timekeepers and, more importantly, helping professional wrestling become a mainstream phenomenon. With a fan base increasing by the droves and steady streams of revenue filling its coffers, WWF basked in the glow of the popularity it had created. However, the company did not stand by itself for long.

Attracted by the enormous financial potential of professional wrestling, media mogul Ted Turner decided he wanted a stake in the business. In 1988, he created World Championship Wrestling (WCW), forming a formidable rival to WWF. Backed by Turner’s sizeable fortune and TNT and TBS, the two cable television networks owned by Turner, WCW enjoyed an easy and swift entry into the business, securing a sizeable market presence almost overnight. Wrestlers were easy to come by in the frenzy sweeping the country, as WWF and WCW hired ‘almost anyone off the street,’ according to John Wendt, director of the MBA sports and entertainment program at the University of St. Thomas. ‘If you’re big, mean, and ugly,’ Wendt continued in his May 12, 1997 interview with Marketing News, ‘you’re a world wrestler.’ The emergence of too many unknown wrestlers in the ring, however, delivered a crippling blow to the popularity of professional wrestling. By the end of the 1980s, the flamboyant world created by McMahon had begun to turn stale.

WWF Struggles Through the Early 1990s

The overabundance of unknown wrestlers was just part of the problem affecting WWF. Licensing had proliferated out of control and marketing had grown too pervasive, saturating the appeal of Hulk Hogan and his cohorts to a detrimental extent. Ironically, the same overblown aggrandizement of professional wrestling that fueled its meteoric rise led to its downfall by the beginning of the 1990s, as the hype surrounding the entertainment spectacle eventually suffocated its popularity. By the early 1990s, the celebrities that had once circled the wrestling ring of WWF events were nowhere to be found, fleeing the scene of what was rapidly becoming perceived as a joke. A substantial portion of the fans went with them, causing attendance at live events to fall and television ratings to slip as well.

To make matters worse for McMahon, Titan Sports was the object of scandal during the early 1990s. Federal charges were lodged against McMahon and WWF’s parent company for homosexual harassment and illegal steroid use, further deteriorating professional wrestling’s image. McMahon and Titan Sports were acquitted of both charges, but damage had already been done, damage that made WWF vulnerable in Turner’s mind. In another ironic twist that drew WWF downward, Turner took the opportunity presented to him to do what McMahon had done to regional promoters during the early 1980s. The WCW chief began luring WWF star wrestlers into his organization, including Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and, to complete the circle of events, Hulk Hogan.

Lawsuits and counter-lawsuits between WWF and WCW ensued, providing a litigious backdrop to professional wrestling’s waning market appeal. Hobbled by the highly publicized scandals and the departure of some its most popular personalities, WWF lost ground to WCW, but McMahon was ready for another fight. He and his management team made pervasive changes to all facets of the company’s operation. Methods governing staffing, licensing, touring, and marketing were altered, and marketing representatives were sent into the field. ‘We wanted to get back to grassroots efforts,’ explained WWF’s senior vice-president of event booking and operations to Amusement Business in a May 13, 1996 interview. Licensing was approached more methodically, with the company choosing its licensees after careful examination. Outside the United States, where WWF had registered considerable success in England and Germany in particular, the company was mindful of oversaturating markets. Company officials emphasized cultivating followings in new markets instead, leading to WWF tours in India, Kuwait, and South Africa during the mid-1990s.

As the company tightened its control over operations, pursuing a general strategy of reigning in corporate functions that had careened during the late 1980s, McMahon amplified the scripted performances of WWF live events. To differentiate WWF from WCW, McMahon stepped up the violence and sexual innuendo contained in WWF shows, casting WWF as the edgier alternative to the tamer WCW. Matches between wrestling personalities were presented as parts within larger plots, following story lines that grew darker and more elaborate in style and content. The live events became chapters in a never-ending saga pitting factions of wrestlers against one another, each victimized by betrayals that spawned endless subplots. In WWF’s two-hour television program, 36 minutes of airtime was devoted to wrestling, with the remainder focusing on soap-opera-style feuds and ‘behind-the-scenes’ intrigue. The response from the public left little doubt as to the effectiveness of McMahon’s changes. Attendance figures rose, highlighted by the highest gross ever for a WWF event at Madison Square Garden in 1996, and television ratings climbed upwards, with WWF eclipsing the figures reported by WCW in each category.

Late 1990s: WWF’s Comeback Complete

As McMahon prepared to lead WWF into the 21st century, his objectives were not limited to beating back the advances of rival WCW. Considering the popular appeal of the more than 200 live events staged by WWF annually and the company’s consistent ranking as the highest-rated program on cable television, McMahon could entertain the prospect of mounting an assault against the purveyors of legitimate sport: the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and Major League Baseball. In one of the last developments of the 1990s, McMahon renamed Titan Sports ‘World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.’ and took the company public. The debut of the ‘WWFE’ ticker symbol on the NASDAQ exchange in October 1999 marked the beginning of a new era in the company’s history, one that promised to stir the emotions of professional wrestling fans in the years ahead.

Principal Subsidiaries: World Wrestling Federation; World Wrestling Productions.

Principal Competitors: World Championship Wrestling; National Football League; National Basketball Association; National Hockey League.

Further Reading:

Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 32. St. James Press, 2000.

Wrestling / WWE

Edit Locked

WWE, short for World Wrestling Entertainment, note Currently marketed solely as WWE, but World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. remains the legal name of the company is a «global entertainment» juggernaut specializing in professional wrestling. It was formerly known as the Capital Wrestling Corporation, World Wide Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Federation. In 2002, a trademark dispute with the nonprofit World Wide Fund for Nature required the company to settle on the current initialism.

The company was founded in 1952 by Roderick «Jess» McMahon (1882-1954) and Raymond «Toots» Mondt (1894-1976) to promote wrestling matches in the New York City area. Vincent J. McMahon (1914-1984) took over in 1954, following the death of his father. Vincent expanded the company to cover the entire northeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh to Maine. Run by Vincent K. McMahon (1945-) after acquiring the company from his father in 1982, the then-WWF revolutionized — and monopolized — the pro wrestling world in the 1980s, using a series of closed-circuit broadcast events, colorful characters, and clever cross-promotion with MTV to transform wrestling from a regionalized industry with a series of small players in a loose confederation into its own private Idaho, and transforming themselves into a multi-billion-dollar global entertainment conglomerate. In 2022, McMahon retired from the company he owned, leaving the promotion in the hands of his daughter Stephanie McMahon (1976-) and son-in-law Paul «Triple H» Levesque (1969-).

WWE currently has five different television shows that they produce weekly: Raw and SmackDown are the A shows, which air live on weekly television, and are currently treated as two separate brands, with the characters and storylines not interacting except at special pay-per-view events. note This is not always the case; they were initially split in 2002, merged in 2012, and re-split in 2016. NXT started out as a developmental show, but thanks to heavily featuring technically-gifted former indy darlings and the quality of its matches and storylines, has gained a fanbase and become a brand unto itself, albeit one often treated by WWE booking as subordinate to Raw or SmackDown. Main Event and 205 Live are C level shows.

They currently hold twelve PPVs a year note All featuring Main Roster talent. It’s worth nothing that since 2014, NXT runs their own group of PPVs called NXT: Takeover featuring talent from that brand :

Three magazines about WWE (WWE Magazine, WWE Kids, and WWE Presents) were also published.

WWE also operates its own film studio, which produces star vehicles for its talents, mostly comedy and straight-to-DVD fare. For every Scorpion King (Rock) and Marine (Cena), for instance, you get Leprechaun: Origins (Hornswoggle) and The Chaperone (Triple H). The Marine series is showing healthy life on Blu-ray, though, with Cena being succeeded by Ted Dibiase Jr and The Miz.

WWE launched its own subscription 24/7 web-stream and on-demand service, the WWE Network, on February 24, 2014, which carries WWE’s pay-per-views and B-shows, as well as NXT, a number of original documentary/reality programs, and selections from the WWE/WCW/ECW/World Class tape vaults. In January 2021, WWE announced that it would close the service in the United States and move all programming to Peacock, for that service’s premium subscribers, though it will remain in operation overseas.

Inter-Brand

World Wrestling All-Stars

World Wrestling All-Stars

Acronym

Established

Folded

Style

Location

Founder

Owner

Parent

Contents

History

WWA recruited TNA ring announcer and commentator Jeremy Borash as booker and head of talent for its shows. He also acted as Ring Announcer and Commentator. Borash was recommended to the WWA by Vince Russo, who was not able to work with the company as originally planned. WWA focused on signing the wrestlers that did not get signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after the WWF-WCW merger. They aimed to fill the gap left by the demise of WCW and ECW and provide an alternative to WWE.

Many popular former WWF and WCW wrestlers wrestled for the company during its nearly two-year existence. These included Jeff Jarrett, Road Dogg, Scott Steiner, Sting, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, Rick Steiner, Jerry Lynn, Shane Douglas, Buff Bagwell, Lex Luger, Stevie Ray, Sabu, Disco Inferno and Gangrel.

They also brought in relatively unknown wrestlers, many of whom went on to make names for themselves for other promotions like TNA. These included A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Shark Boy and Nathan Jones. Further big names like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Randy Savage were scheduled to appear for WWA at some point but their appearances did not happen. The promotion had three in ring commissioners during it time, these were Bret Hart, Sid Vicious and Mike Sanders.

First Tour and The Inception PPV

This debut PPV can be considered a decent effort for the WWA’s first show. The event was held inside a full sized arena in Sydney and production values were of a decent standard. However the event was universally panned by the critics. The event was generally rather short at 2 hours and a number of the matches were too short to be able to allow them to run to their full potential. The use of WCW style comic story lines also did little to endure themselves to the viewing public as a serious alternative to the WWF.

Some such comic storylines involved Australian kids TV performers, The Fruits in Suits, interfering in matches and former WCW joke team Lenni and Lodi being allowed to compete in the semi final after an injury. The final of the title tournament predictably saw the Road Dogg face Jeff Jarrett. Commissioner Bret Hart was at ringside for the match and interfered on two occasions to prevent either man from winning the match using his sharpshooter move. In the end Jarrett won the match with his trademark guitar shot and became the champion.

UK Tour

Next the WWA toured the UK in December 2001. This tour largely included the same line up as the Inception PPV tour. Additions to the card were former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Scott Steiner and former WWF tag team competitor Brian Christopher. Although wrestling is well supported in the UK, this new organization failed to draw big crowds for this tour. The main event on this tour was usually Jeff Jarrett v Road Dogg v Scott Steiner for the title in a three-way dance. Jarrett successfully defended his title each time.

Revolution PPV

In February 2002 the WWA held its second PPV, The Revolution. This took place in the Aladdin Casino in America. This was a smaller venue, which reflected upon the look and style of the show. However this can be considered as WWA’s best event in terms of the matches and the longest at 2 hours 50 minutes. A number of high quality matches took place at this event, including a 6 way Cruiserweight survival match, a three-way dance for the cruiserweight title and a hardcore match between Sabu and Devon Storm.

However erratic booking continued to have an effect on the company. The event was originally to see the return of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, however this did not happen. Then Randy Savage was advertised to be appearing, this was only canceled shortly before the show. This led to some fans feeling cheated. A significant amount of talent was underutilized on the show. Former WCW World Tag Team champions KroniK wrestled an unknown gimmick tag team and Scott Steiner only attacked the Disco Inferno instead of being used in the main event.

The main results of the show saw Eddie Guerrero winning the Cruiserweight Title and Jeff Jarrett successfully defending the WWA title against Brian Christopher.

Eruption PPV and Australian Tour

In April the WWA returned to Australia for a tour and to film its third PPV, the Eruption. During this tour Nathan Jones won the WWA title after winning a 4 corners match against Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner and Brian Christopher. It is believed this happened before the PPV as Jarrett was not available for the PPV due to TNA commitments.

The Eruption PPV was held at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The show started with Jeff Jarrett being escorted away from the building proclaiming he’ll be back (Jarrett never appeared after this). It is presumed that this was prerecorded earlier in the week. A new Cruiserweight Champion was crowned at the show after Eddie Guerrero had returned to the WWF. A.J. Styles defeated Jerry Lynn in a four-man tournament in the final to win the title. Another match of note was a cage match between Sabu and Devon Storm. Sabu won the match after leaping from the top of the cage onto Devon Storm, who was laid on top of a double deck of tables. In the main event Scott Steiner defeated Nathan Jones to win the title. He would later give up the title to sign with the WWF.

A further UK and European tour was planned for after this event. The WWA canceled this, citing injuries to its major stars as the reason. However it is believed that poor ticket sales was the more likely explanation.

Retribution PPV and European Tour

The WWA eventually toured the UK only in December 2002, filming the Retribution PPV in Glasgow, Scotland. The WWA title remained vacant for the first half of the tour, with it being held up to be decide at the PPV. Mike Sanders took over as commissioner for this tour and fought Joe E. Legend each night. Memorable matches on this tour included a three way hardcore match including Sabu, Perry Saturn and Simon Diamond.

The Fourth PPV, the Retribution was filmed in Glasgow in early December 2002. This was later broadcast in February 2003. The card included 9 matches and two title matches (WWA and TNA), however it only ran for 1 hour 45 minutes. This was in fact 15 minutes shorter than the house show in Newcastle the night before, which only included 6 matches and no title matches.

This tour included an infamous dispute with a seemingly badly out of shape Lex Luger. He reportedly missed shows due to illness and refused to wrestle more than 5-minute matches despite being in the main events. He faced Sting for the vacant WWA title at the PPV. This was very poor 7 minute match, which largely involved Luger pacing around and avoiding wrestling. In true bizarre WWA tradition Luger won this match and became WWA Champion after a trademark interference from Jeff Jarrett with his guitar. He lost this title to Sting a few days later at a house show in Zurich, Switzerland.

Final Tour and The Reckoning PPV

In May 2003, the WWA embarked on its final tour. This visited Australia and New Zealand. The Reckoning PPV was held in Auckland in front of a vocal crowd. This show was actually the best in terms of production values from the WWA. It was the first to include replays and split screen shots. Before the PPV the decision had been made to fold the WWA, hence the titles were to be unified with the TNA titles. Chris Sabin won an excellent four corners cruiserweight match to unify the TNA X-Division and WWA Cruiserweight titles. In the main event Sting was defeated by TNA champion Jeff Jarrett to reunify their two world titles.

During its short history the WWA may not have achieved its goal of establishing itself as an alternative to the WWE, a mantle which TNA eventually took up. However it did provide the chance to see many former favorites from WCW/WWE/ECW again and provide a number of high quality matches and humorous moments.

Classic Quotes and Fluffs

It can commented that although the WWA had its faults, its comic nature was one of the main things that endeared it to its fans. A selection of some of these funny quotes are presented below.

— » Oh my god, he must be at least 6 feet high up there » Disco mocks the Hardcore Midget’s leap from the top turnbuckle.

— » It shocked me what happened with Hall and Nash » Borash, not noticing his mic was live, discusses the failure to secure Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for the Revolution PPV.

— » We have just heard from the back that Shark Boy has eaten creative consultant Terry «The Rooster» Taylor » Mark Madden takes the Shark Boy gimmick even further.

— » Stevie Ray has just informed me that unless you people show him some respect, he is leaving here and never coming back » A regular line used by Borash on the WWA tour of 2001.

— » Lenni and Lodi are trying to prove themselves worthy of a shot at the WWA Tag Team Titles » At the Revolution PPV, Borash forgets that the WWA does not have Tag Team Titles.

— » Joe E. Legend is just another in a long line of great Canadian wrestlers, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho and. Scott D’Amore « Disco humorously bigs up the career of jobber Scott D’Amore, then employed as a creative consultant by the WWA.

— » A big chair shot there from Chris. er. Crowbar. er..Devon Storm Borash forgets what name Chris Ford is competing under at the Revolution PPV.

— » Mee mee. I beat the Stinger..me. I beat Lex Luger. me. I slept with the Disco Inferno » Commissioner Mike Sanders mocks Joe E. Legend’s in-ring promo at the Retribution PPV.

— » These Guys are not from Wales » Disco reacts to the crowd’s suggestion that Lenny and Lodi are gay, when they are caught in a compromising position during the UK tour of 2001.

— » WWA regulations state that Referee Mike Sparks must wear a hard hat at all times during hardcore matches » Borash for some reason refers to Head Referee Mark ‘Slick’ Johnstone as Mike Sparks for the whole of a house show in Newcastle, England in 2001. It is unknown why he did this as Referee Mike Sparks appears with the WWE and never with the WWA.

— » Look at Lex Luger, he is jacked, he has been working out big time. I have never seen him so big » Borash attempts to cover up the seemingly out of shape appearance of Lex Luger during the WWA title match at the Retribution PPV.

— » Because you people showed him no respect in the first half, joining me on second half commentary. the Disco Inferno » Borash explains the Disco Inferno appearance on commentary.

— » I would like to dispel the rumor that it is Alan Shearer under Shark Boy’s mask » Disco attempts to get a pop from the Newcastle, England crowd by mentioning a local footballer.

— » Earlier when I said that all 6 of these men had never appeared on PPV before, I was lying to try and make our promotion look better » Mark Madden admits that he was talking rubbish by declaring that all 6 men in the cruiserweight survival match at the Revolution PPV were debuting on PPV.

— » This place has no class, in fact I was glad that Liverpool was awarded the Capital of Culture instead » Disco insults Newcastle during a house show in 2002, after Liverpool beat Newcastle to the European Capital of Culture award for 2008.

— » Of course we saw a great three way hardcore match tonight, Sabu won that one » Borash recalls the evenings matches after the WWA title match at the end of the Retribution PPV. The only fault was that the hardcore match actually took place after the WWA title match on the night, resequenced for the PPV broadcast.This was after this segment was filmed, so Borash declared the result of a match that had not actually taken place yet. This also explains why the crowd were all still sat in their seats after the event had apparently finished, as there was still the hardcore match to come after the WWA title match.

— » I would like to welcome you to the show on behalf of the World Wrestling Allsports..er..er. Allstars Organization » The Australian ring announcer makes a good start to the Eruption PPV.

— » If one of these midgets dies and needs cremating, I have a spare Bic Lighter » Disco pokes more fun at the hardcore midgets.

World Championship Wrestling

Из Википедии — свободной энциклопедии

World Championship Wrestling (WCW) (в переводе с англ. — «Чемпионат мира по рестлингу») — рестлинг-промоушен США, существовавший c 1988 по 2001 год. Базировался в Атланте, Джорджия.

Истоки федерации исходят от NWA-аффилированной компании Jim Crockett Promotions, владелец которой, Джим Крокетт скупивший ряд региональных рестлинг-промоушенов и насобирав долг в более чем десять миллионов долларов, продал активы своей компании Теду Тёрнеру, владельцу Turner Broadcasting System. После чего компания была переименована в World Championship Wrestling.

В середине 1990-х годов WCW резко улучшила свои экономические показатели, в основном благодаря назначению Эрика Бишоффа на должность исполнительного продюсера; стратегии найма главных звёзд WWF; созданию шоу Monday Nitro; креативное и маркетинговое использование бренда «Новый мировой порядок» (nWo) и другие инновационные концепции. В течение следующих нескольких лет промоушен способствовал росту таких рестлеров, как Голдберг, Крис Джерико, Букер Ти, Эдди Герреро, Даймонд Даллас Пейдж, Рей Мистерио, Крис Бенуа и Гигант (Биг Шоу в WWF), а также успешному обновлению образов Халка Хогана, Стинга и Скотта Штайнера. WCW обгонял WWF по популярности и телевизионным рейтингам в конце 1990-х годов, однако многочисленные финансовые и творческие ошибки привели к тому, что компания потеряла лидерство. Тёрнер (и позже Time Warner) владел WCW до 2001 года, когда избранные активы были приобретены WWF. С 2001 года образы и видеоматериалы WCW широко распространяются в медиа, принадлежащих WWE. На апрель 2017 года большая часть библиотеки WCW доступна в сервисе WWE Network.

History of World Wrestling Entertainment

Beginning/Capitol Wrestling

Eventually, the trio dissolved and the promotion did also, after a disagreement over power. Mondt formed partnerships with several promoters. When Jack Curley was dying, Mondt knew that New York wrestling would fall apart. Realizing this he gained help from several bookers, one of these being Jess McMahon.

Together, Jess and Mondt created the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC). There is not a lot of information on the early days of the CWC, but it is known that it joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1953.

Mondt had been using Antonino Rocca as a main eventer. He was successful in the role and Mondt was pleased to have him as part of the company. Unfortunately, Mondt was unable to keep Rocca happy.

In 1956, the CWC signed a deal with WTTG Channel 5 to air live professional wrestling shows.

World Wide Wrestling Federation

The NWA recognized an undisputed NWA World Heavyweight Champion that went from wrestling company to wrestling company in the alliance and defended the belt around the world. In 1963, the champion was «Nature Boy» Buddy Rogers.

Toots Mondt left the company in the late sixties for unclear reasons, probably due to old age.

Although the WWWF had withdrawn from the NWA, Vince McMahon Sr. still sat on the NWA Board of Directors, no other territory was recognized in the Northeast, and several «champion vs. champion» matches occurred (usually ending in a double disqualification or some other non-decisive ending).

World Wrestling Federation

The NWA was not the only wrestling outfit in operation; the American Wrestling Association (AWA) had long ago ceased being an official NWA member, and controlled the US Northern Midwest. But in neither instance did the defecting member attempt to undermine, and destroy, the territory system that had been the foundation of the industry.

According to several reports, Vince Sr. warned his son: «Vinny, what are you doing? You’ll wind up at the bottom of a river.»Fact|date=November 2007 In spite of such warnings, the younger McMahon had an even bolder ambition: the WWF would tour nationally. However, such a venture required huge capital investment; one that placed the WWF on the verge of financial collapse.

There were attempts in the Deep South to keep the legacy of the regional territory system alive. Several regional territories in the Deep South merged together to form Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). Starrcade and The Great American Bash were the Jim Crockett Promotions version of » WrestleMania «. However JCP had trouble competing against the WWF. JCP even ran a few shows outside its regional base. The promotion was sold off becoming WCW, which ended up becoming the main competition for the WWF until 2001.

The Golden Age

The steroid trials and subsequent years

The World Wrestling Federation suffered one of its biggest hits in the company’s history when the Federal Government began to investigate a steroid scandal involving Dr. George Zaharian, the company’s doctor at the time. Reputedly, steroid use was rampant among wrestlers within the company (both in the wrestling circuit and the WBF, Vince McMahon’s bodybuilding league) supplied through Zaharian. Zaharian himself received counts of litigation regarding his distribution of illegal supplements through many athletes across the sporting spectrum. However, the tip-off that gave authorities cause to charge the WWF was shipment details to various WWF stars. Some of the larger names, most famous of which was Hulk Hogan, gained infamy when news of their long-time steroid use was revealed. Hogan, in particular, lost much fan confidence due to the allegations.

The Pennsylvanian Federal Office made strong efforts to have the WWF prosecuted over the issue, despite most of the alleged activities happening out of state in Connecticut. However, Dr. Zaharian had been based in Penn State for most of the transactions, hence their eagerness to forge ahead with the case. The prosecution against the WWF rested upon two particular shipments of steroids addressed from Vince McMahon to Hulk Hogan (one of which was dated two days after the WWF had actually appeared at the arena, thus making the accusation null and void). Over much deliberation, ultimately McMahon and the company were acquitted of the charges.

Despite the legal victory, the company suffered heavily from the publicity it caused. Ratings and Pay-Per-View buyrates fell as a result. Merchandise and ticket sales plummeted and for a while the company looked seriously towards bankruptcy.

The New Generation

During 1991 and 1992, wrestling’s popularity suffered as bland storylines and over-the-top gimmicky characters turned many fans away. The WWF’s poor direction was strongly criticized as uninteresting and not in touch with the current times. WCW themselves were in a position of evolution, yet they failed to capitalize until late 1993-early 1994 when Eric Bischoff became Executive Producer of WCW’s creative product. However, once WCW begun to innovate and evolve their product, the WWF failed to view them as a threat and subsequently lost ground.

Fans had also grown tired of the WWF’s familiar faces. Acts such as the Ultimate Warrior had begun to outlive their welcome. Hulk Hogan was slowly becoming boring and stale, his reputation damaged by the steroid scandals. The larger, less mobile workers had become passé compared to the newer, quicker, more athletic performers. The industry had begun to experience a change in it’s popularity and fortunes.

Soon, WWF performers such as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall emigrated to the growing WCW empire. Incentives such as a lighter schedule and a higher guarantee of money (while performers earned less of a guaranteed wage in the WWF, the incentive structured payment scale meant some wrestlers could actually earn more. However, the performer tends to work more in order to earn the money) helped convince performers of the benefits working in WCW would hold.

Starting near the end of 1996, the WWF began to experiment with edgier content, throwing in more adult themes and more hard-hitting bouts in an attempt to try and claw back their fanbase who had been slowly pulled over to WCW’s programming. WCW had begun to gain traction due to the growing nWo and the influx of a edgier, more brash product. Quicker, more agile superstars from Japan, Mexico and Europe had raised the bar, while the edgier stories and cliffhanger endings of the shows had viewers eagerly anticipating the next show. The WWF continued to lag behind, but they slowly gained on the competition through employing similar tactics and edgy content.

Monday Night Wars

McMahon responded by stating that he could create new superstars to regain the upper hand in the ratings war, and at the same time tightening contracts to make it harder for WCW to raid WWF talent. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were elevated to the top of the card, gaining popularity based mostly on the excellence of their in-ring abilities, a far departure from the Hogan era. Despite this, the WWF was losing money at a rapid rate. WCW’s reality-based storylines drew attention away from the WWF’s.

The death of Brian Pillman

The Attitude Era and The Montreal Screwjob

While Hart’s departure was not a surprise, the WWF was concerned about the fact that the man about to leave was the WWF Champion. Earlier in the WWF/WCW feud, the WWF Women’s Champion, Alundra Blayze, signed with WCW while in possession of the belt and threw it in a trashcan on WCW Nitro (imitating a heavily publicized act by heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe ). Hart promised that no such thing would ever happen and put an agreement in place that the announcement of his departure would be delayed until the belt could be transitioned to a new champion. However, McMahon was concerned that the word would get out and he sought a way to get the belt off Hart before the deal.

The death of Owen Hart

The WWF announced the death of Owen Hart to the home viewers during the event, but not to the crowd in the arena. The rest of the event continued as scheduled. Much criticism has been directed at WWF management for continuing the event despite their knowledge of Hart’s death.

The WWF aired a special broadcast the next night, entitled «Raw Is Owen», where many wrestlers broke character and expressed their grief over Hart’s death. Hart’s widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company.

The end of the Attitude Era

The WCW/ECW «Alliance» InVasion

Undisputed Championship

New World Order (nWo)

World Wrestling Entertainment

In the late 1980s, the World Wrestling Federation’s parent company, Titan Sports, filed for international trademark of the initals «WWF», which was disputed by the World Wildlife Fund. In 1994, the two companies had entered into an agreement over the rights to the usage of the initials. [ [http://contracts.onecle.com/wwe/wwf.settle.1994.01.20.shtml World Wildlife Fund and Titan Sports, Inc. legal settlement] ] However, the Federation’s continued usage of the initials internationally led to a lawsuit.

Brand Extension

Faced with a surplus of talent, even after the departure of several undercard wrestlers from both organizations, April 2002 saw the WWF undergo a process McMahon called the Brand Extension. The WWF was divided into two de facto wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures. RAW and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other.

Following the Brand Extension, a yearly Draft Lottery was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.

Legends program and WWE Hall of Fame

The Legends program began informally with the return of the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2004, held annually during WrestleMania weekends. The introduction of WWE 24/7, WWE’s on-demand television service, and the success of career retrospective DVDs such as «The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection», «Roddy Piper: Born to Controversy», and «Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon» has invested WWE’s present product with a sense of heritage, and allows a new generation of wrestling fans to witness matches and events they may only previously have heard of.

The death of Eddie Guerrero

Return of Extreme Championship Wrestling

The death of Chris Benoit

WWE canceled the scheduled live wrestling event broadcast on June 25 and instead aired a tribute to Benoit’s life and career. In the following days, it was reported that investigators believe that Benoit murdered his wife and son over the weekend and hanged himself sometime on Monday.

WWE HD

WWE Online

In 1997, Shane McMahon helped form WWE’s digital media department and launched WWF.com (now known as » [http://www.wwe.com/ WWE.com] «), a site that receives more than seven million visitors a month.

References

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/ Official WWE website]
* [http://smackdown.wwe.com/ Official SmackDown! website]
* [http://raw.wwe.com/ Official RAW website]
* [http://www.ecw.com/ Official ECW website]
* [http://corporate.wwe.com/ Official WWE Corporate website]
* [http://www.wwe.co.jp/ Official Japanese WWE website]
* [http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=t&s=WWE WWE Stock]

Look at other dictionaries:

World Wrestling Entertainment — World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Unternehmensform Corporation … Deutsch Wikipedia

World Wrestling Entertainment — WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) крупнейшая в мире федерация рестлинга. Основана Винсентом Макмахоном старшим 24 января 1963 года. Содержание 1 История WWE 1.1 … Википедия

World Wrestling Entertainment — Infobox Company company name=World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. company logo= company type=Public (nyse|WWE) foundation= 1952 location=Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. key people=Vince McMahon, Chairman Linda McMahon, CEO Shane McMahon, Executive… … Wikipedia

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History of professional wrestling in the United States — Professional wrestling in the United States, up until the 1920s, was viewed as a legitimate sport. This respectability did not endure as professional wrestling became identified with modern theatrics, or admitted fakeness ( kayfabe ), moving away … Wikipedia

World Wrestling Federation — World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Unternehmensform Corporation … Deutsch Wikipedia

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History of collegiate wrestling — The history of collegiate wrestling can be traced to the many indigenous styles of folk wrestling found in Europe, particularly in Great Britain. Those folk wrestling styles soon gained popularity in what would become the United States, and by… … Wikipedia

History of professional wrestling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The history of professional wrestling, as a performing art, started in the early 20th century, with predecessors in funfair and variety strongman and wrestling performances (which often involved match fixing) in the 19th century.

Professional wrestling is a popular form of entertainment in Australia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Japan. Wrestling as a modern sport developed in the 19th century out of traditions of folk wrestling, emerging in the form of two styles of regulated competitive sport, «freestyle» and «Greco-Roman» wrestling (based on British and continental tradition, respectively), summarized under the term «amateur wrestling» by the beginning of the modern Olympics in 1896. The separation of «worked», i.e. purely performative, choreographed wrestling («admitted fakery» or «kayfabe») from competitive sport begins in the 1920s.

Its popularity declined during World War II, but it was revived in the late 1940s to 1950s, the First Golden Age of professional wrestling in the United States, during which Gorgeous George gained mainstream popularity. In Mexico and Japan, the 1940s-1950s was also a Golden Age for professional wrestling, with El Santo becoming a Mexican folk hero, and Rikidōzan achieving similar fame in Japan.

There was a marked decline in public interest in the 1970s and early 1980s, but with the advent of cable television in the mid 1980s, there followed a Second Golden Age as the United States experienced a professional wrestling boom, with protagonists such as Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, «Macho Man» Randy Savage, Ric Flair and «Rowdy» Roddy Piper. The nature of professional wrestling was changed dramatically to better fit television, enhancing character traits and storylines. Television has also helped many wrestlers break into mainstream media, becoming influential celebrities and icons of popular culture. Wrestling’s popularity boomed when independent enthusiasts unified and their media outlets grew in number, and became an international phenomenon in the 1980s with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, shortened to simply WWE). Throughout the 1990s, professional wrestling achieved highs in both viewership and financial success during a time of fierce competition among competing promotions, such as World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.

Since the mid 2000s, there has been another decline in popularity of professional wrestling; Pro Wrestling Noah’s Power Hour and New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s World Pro Wrestling have been largely relegated to the midnight hours by their broadcasters and WWE’s television programs have seen relatively lower ratings, despite reporting record-high yearly earnings in 2018 and a modest spike in interest and viewership in 2019 and 2020. [1] This was paralleled with a renewed interest in competitive combat sports with the rise of mixed martial arts. Despite this, WWE has managed to establish itself as the leader of sports-oriented content on digital viewership platforms, most notably YouTube, where it commands the highest number of channel subscribers and video views for a sports channel. [2] [3]

WCW: World Championship Wrestling

World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. It began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his Turner Broadcasting System established the promotion, initially renaming it the Universal Wrestling Corporation (UWC) that consisted of Crockett’s assets, but soon changing the name again to World Championship Wrestling. WCW became the primary competitor to Vince McMahon’s incumbent World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

In the mid-1990s WCW improved its economic stability, largely due to the promotion of Eric Bischoff to Executive Producer, the hiring of former WWF main eventers, the introduction of WCW Monday Nitro and the resultant Monday Night Wars with the WWF, the formation of the New World Order, and other innovative concepts. The organization went on to eclipse the WWF in popularity throughout the United States during much of the latter half of the 1990s. However, numerous problems financially and creatively led to the company losing its lead. Its fall from grace and the various factors leading up to it have been heavily documented within the industry. Turner, and later Time Warner, owned WCW until 2001 when selected assets were purchased by the WWF. Since 2001, WCW images and video footage have been widely distributed in WWE media.

Two separate subsidiary companies exist as successors to WCW. WCW Inc. is the WWE subsidiary established in Delaware in late 2000 initially as W. Acquisition Company which holds the rights to the WCW video library and other intellectual property. The former WCW entity, which retained certain liabilities (such as guaranteed contracts with certain performers) not acquired by the WWF, was renamed back to the Universal Wrestling Corporation, and as of 2014 is still registered as an active Georgia-domiciled subsidiary of Time Warner.

Contents

WCW Championships

Major Titles

Other Titles

WCW Pages

WCW History

History of WCW

The name » World Championship Wrestling» was first used as a brand and television show in 1982. Jim Barnett, who had worked for the World Championship Wrestling promotion in Australia, came to Atlanta in the 1970s during an internal struggle over the NWA Georgia territory. Barnett wound up as the majority owner of the territory, and he wound up using the name for the territory’s television program in 1982. The brand eventually passed on to Jim Crockett Promotions.

However, it was not until November 2, 1988 that an actual NWA-affiliated promotion called World Championship Wrestling appeared on the national scene, under the ownership of media mogul Ted Turner, based in Atlanta, Georgia. While initially the new company was called Universal Wrestling Corporation (launched on October 11, 1988), very shortly following the purchase the decision was made to utilize the familiar «World Championship Wrestling» name for the new promotion.

Leadership and Booking

The company went through various changes in its leadership and booking during the following years. Some people, like Jim Herd and Kip Frey, were completely lacking in wrestling experience; others, like Bill Watts, Ole Anderson, and Dusty Rhodes had extensive wrestling experience, but were so entrenched in the old territorial methods of promotion that they were ineffective at building WCW’s audience.

While Eric Bischoff has received much criticism for some of his mishandling while he acted as WCW Executive Producer (and later, WCW President), he combined an understanding of wrestling with a willingness to make changes that were needed in order to help WCW become more visible in the eyes of the media and advertisers. These changes including moving some television tapings to Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, and signing both main-event performers and young stars from around the world.

Some of the creative freedoms that Bischoff granted main-event level talent helped to bring the company down, as main-event level talent were less than cooperative in helping rising stars fulfill their potential, a staple of the industry. Once Bischoff was relieved of his duties in 1999, Vince Russo, a former writer for the World Wrestling Federation, came on board to become the lead writer of WCW. Russo did not last long in his position, but in April 2000, WCW opted to bring Russo and Bischoff back in hopes that the duo might re-spark interest in WCW. The two, however, did not get along well and Bischoff soon left the company.

WCW in other media

From 2000 to 2001, Monster Jam had a series of monster trucks based on wrestlers’ names. These include nWo (2000), Sting (2000–2001), Nitro Machine (2000–present; currently Inferno), Madusa (2000–present) and Goldberg (2000–present; currently Maximum Destruction). The first to go was nWo, which only ran for a season. Next, all but Goldberg, Nitro, and Madusa were retired after the WCW sponsorship was lost. Nitro then became Flashfire, then was converted into Inferno. Madusa has stayed as the same name ever since it was created, because it is driven by former WCW superstar Madusa. As for Goldberg, it was changed to Team Meents in 2002, then into Maximum Destruction, which debuted in 2003 and continues to compete in the series.

WCW also had a presence in NASCAR from the mid-1990s to 2000, sponsoring the #29 team in the Busch Grand National Series full-time and the #9 Melling Racing team in the Winston Cup Series part-time. In 1996, Kyle Petty’s #49 car in the Busch Grand National series was sponsored by the nWo. Then, Wally Dallenbach, Jr. sponsored WCW driving for Galaxy Motorsports for a couple races.

Sale to WWF/E, Inc.

As 2000 came to a close, a number of potential buyers for WCW were rumored to show interest in the company. Ted Turner, however, still had a position of influence at Time Warner prior to the final merger of AOL and Time Warner in 2001, and most offers were rejected. Eric Bischoff, working with Fusient Media Ventures, made a bid to acquire the company in January 2001 (shortly following the AOL/Time Warner merger), and it appeared that WCW would continue.

One of the primary backers in the WCW deal backed out, however, leaving Fusient to take that offer off the table while it attempted to bring a new deal around. In the meantime, the World Wrestling Federation founded W. Acquisition Company in late 2000 and began speaking to the new AOL Time Warner about acquiring the WCW brand. Jamie Kellner was handed control over the Turner Broadcasting division, and deemed WCW wrestling to be out of line with its image. As a result, WCW programming was canceled on both TBS and TNT, leaving Vince McMahon’s company, which at the time had an exclusive deal with Viacom, free to acquire the trademarks, video libraries and a few contracts of World Championship Wrestling through its new subsidiary W. Acquisition Company and was renamed to WCW Inc. afterwards.

During the sale, WCW was in litigation, with various lawsuits pending, and AOL Time Warner still had to pay various performers their guaranteed deals, as many had contracts directly with the parent company, and not with WCW. Since WCW Inc. had acquired select assets, the company that was once World Championship Wrestling was reverted to Universal Wrestling Corporation once again; its only purpose now, however, was to deal with old contracts and lawsuits.

Legacy

WCW started out as a regional promotion in the late 1980s focusing mainly in the Deep South. It started growing nationally a few years later, which led to its rivalry with the WWF. Even though WCW folded in 2001, its legacy lived on in the WWF. The WWF kept the WCW United States Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, the WCW World Tag Team Championship, and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Eventually, the titles were unified into their WWF counterparts. In 2003, now known as the WWE, the company resurrected the United States title to be competed for exclusively on SmackDown. When Hulk Hogan came back to the WWF, the WWF kept his Hollywood nickname. In 2004, the WWE brought back The Great American Bash pay-per-view and also in 2009, released Starrcade: The Essential Collection as a three-disc DVD set. In August 2009, WWE released a DVD set chronicling the history of WCW called The Rise and Fall of WCW. Commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the purchase of the company, WWE re-opened WCW.com, highlighting the history of the company that had once had the upper-hand in the professional wrestling marketplace. WWE released two documentaries showing highlights from WCW Nitro’s history, The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro and The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2, both documentaries are hosted by Diamond Dallas Page.

WCW is a major focus in the WWE ’12 video game released by THQ for Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii in 2012. In the Game’s «Road to Wrestlemania» Story Mode, many WCW superstars are featured such as Arn Anderson, Ricky Steamboat, Road Warrior Animal, Kevin Nash, Booker T and Vader.

World wrestling history

24 January 1963

Many consider this the day the actual World Wide Wrestling Federation was formed, but
it only marked the day of which Lou Thesz beat Buddy Rogers in Toronto to capture the
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship. Buddy Rogers had been
the top draw as a heel in the northeast and promoters in that region continued to
recognize him as the World Champion after this loss. Promoters Willie Gilzenberg, Joe
“Toots” Mondt, Vincent J. McMahon and the Capitol Sports Booking Office were all
members of the NWA. It has been cited that these promoters didn’t recognize the
January 24th win by Thesz because it was only a one-fall match. Other facts were that
Rogers was making big money for promoters in the northeast and according to some
sources, they attempted to book Thesz in their territory, but could not get into his already
busy schedule. Buddy Rogers had been booked by Capitol Sports and Lou Thesz was
booked by Sam Muchnick, the NWA President.

07 February 1963

A rematch between NWA World Champion Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers took place in
Toronto and has been often overlooked. The match was a two-of-three-falls match and
was won by Thesz. The National Wrestling Alliance and nationwide reporters recognized
Thesz as the universal World Champion.

These “rouge” NWA promoters went a step further by establishing their own organization
and decided to withdraw their membership from the Alliance. The “World Wide Wrestling
Federation” (WWWF) was formed and Buddy Rogers was named the group’s initial
champion. Several additional reports stated that Rogers took the title in a tournament
final victory over Antonino Rocca in South America.

“Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers was officially awarded the WWWF Title after his match with
Bruno Sammartino in Washington D.C.

Over 19,000 fans packed Madison Square Garden in New York City to see Rogers
defend his title against Bruno Sammartino in a rematch. The challenger caught Buddy in
a powerful bearhug and at the 48-second mark, the World Wide Wrestling Federation
had a new champion. A new era of pro wrestling began.

Bruno Sammartino teamed with Bobo Brazil in the main event of a Madison Square
Garden show in New York City. Their opponents were Buddy Rogers and Johnny
Barend. In two-of-three-falls, Barend and Rogers won. Also on the show were the
Fabulous Kangaroos, Brute Bernard and Skull Murphy, Tim Woods, Gorilla Monsoon,
Killer Kowalski and Pedro Morales.

16 December 1963

In the main event of a Madison Square Garden event, Bruno Sammartino successfully
defended his WWWF World Title against Dr. Jerry Graham. In another match, Killer
Kowalski, a co-holder of the United States Tag Team Title, teamed with Hans Mortier
against his championship partner, Gorilla Monsoon and Bobo Brazil. The bout ended in
a draw. The Tolos Brothers beat the Fabulous Kangaroos in other matches.

Bruno Sammartino beat Gorilla Monsoon to retain his WWWF World Title in Madison
Square Garden in New York City. Bobo Brazil and Ernie Ladd teamed to beat the Mortier
Brothers, Hans and Max. Also on the show was Killer Kowalski and Bill Watts, who fought
each other to a draw.

16 November 1964

The WWWF continued to prove that it was holding some of the most important shows in
wrestling at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In the main event of a Monday Night
show, Bruno Sammartino beat former AWA and future NWA World Champion, Gene
Kiniski. The following superstars also worked the show: Haystacks Calhoun, Gorilla
Monsoon, Miguel Perez Sr., Boris Malenko, Pedro Morales, Fred Blassie, Sam
Steamboat, Luke Graham, Waldo Von Erich and Bobo Brazil.

25 December 1964

NWA Miami Promoter, Chris Dundee brought in Bruno Sammartino for a show at the
Miami Beach Convention Hall to defend his WWWF World Title. Two weeks earlier at the
Miami Beach Auditorium, the NWA World Champion Lou Thesz appeared. Sammartino
met and beat Duke Keomuka before more than 4,100 fans. Arnold Skoaland, another
WWWF wrestler, also appeared on the bill.

14 September 1970

In a shocking result, Bepo Mongol beat Bruno Sammartino in a non-title match at
Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bepo was the co-holder of the WWWF World
Tag Title with Gito.

18 January 1971

“The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff, guided by Captain Lou Albano, defeated Bruno
Sammartino to capture the WWWF World Heavyweight Title in New York’s Madison
Square Garden. Many consider it to be the upset of the century. Sammartino had
reigned as champion for 2,803 days, and today continues to be the longest in
organization history.

08 February 1971

The popular Pedro Morales dethroned Ivan Koloff in New York City and won the WWWF
World Heavyweight Title.

Tarzan Tyler headlined a Madison Square Garden show in New York against WWWF
World Champion, Pedro Morales. Morales retained his crown. Eddie Graham, Luke
Graham, Chief Jay Strongbow, Gorilla Monsoon, Jimmy Valiant and Bob Roop were
among the others who filled out the card.

Capitol Wrestling Corporation (Capitol Sports) rejoined the National Wrestling Alliance
and mended an old wound. The WWWF World Heavyweight Title became a territorial
championship, known as the WWWF Heavyweight Title, under the NWA World Title. The
reigning WWWF Champion was always a top contender to the NWA throne.

Pedro Morales successfully defended his WWWF Title against Captain Lou Albano in
Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Arena in a special cage match.

02 September 1972

In New York’s Madison Square Garden, Pedro Morales wrestled Ernie Ladd for the
WWWF Heavyweight Title. After 15:50, Morales pinned his opponent and retained the
belt.

18 December 1972

A historic night of professional wrestling occurred in New York City and Madison Square
Garden on Monday, December 18, 1972. In the main event, Pedro Morales beat Ray
Stevens to retain his WWWF Title. The legendary father and son duo of Dory Funk Sr.
and Terry Funk teamed in a loss to Victor Rivera and El Olympico. Mil Mascaras, the first
masked wrestler to compete in New York after a ban on masked athletes was lifted by the
New York State Athletic Commission, beat The Spoiler.

30 September 1972

The two most popular figures in WWWF history were matched up in the main event of a
Shea Stadium spectacular in Flushing, New York. Pedro Morales defended his WWWF
Heavyweight Title against the “Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino. After … minutes, the
two wrestled a draw.

01 December 1973

The popularity of Pedro Morales had sustained the WWWF’s power in the northeast.
The heartpunch expert, Stan Stasiak beat Morales for the WWWF Championship in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stasiak was managed by the “Manager of Champions,” The
Grand Wizard.

10 December 1973

Nine days later, Bruno Sammartino won his second WWWF Heavyweight Title with a win
over Stan Stasiak at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The match had been Stasiak’s
first title defense. Was another seven year reign ahead?

Bruno Sammartino found one of his toughest opponents in a man from West Texas
named Stan “The Lariat” Hansen. Hansen lived up to his nickname when he broke
Sammartino’s neck with his famous “lariat” clothesline. Immediately after the champion
went down, both Hansen and his manager Fred Blassie claimed the WWWF Title. The
claim was not backed by any promoter and later dropped.

“Superstar” Billy Graham beat Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Title in
Baltimore, Maryland. Sammartino had reigned for an additional 1,237 days as the
heavyweight king. Like Stan Stasiak before him, Graham was guided to the title by The
Grand Wizard.

25 January 1978

On Wednesday Evening, 12,000 fans attended the “SuperBowl of Professional Wrestling”
on a rainy night in Miami, Florida. The main event saw National Wrestling Alliance World
Heavyweight Champion Harley Race wrestle WWWF Champion Billy Graham in a title vs.
title match. A bloody and even match ended with Graham locked in a sleeperhold. When
the bell rang, Race thought he had won the match, but it had ended in a sixty-minute
draw. Fans responded in respect and appreciation for both champions’ work. A rematch
was scheduled for Jacksonville.

20 February 1978

An estimated 23,000 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York City saw former NCAA
Amateur Wrestling Champion, Bob Backlund dethrone Billy Graham and capture the
WWWF Heavyweight Title. Although Graham’s foot was on the bottom rope when the
pinfall was counted, referee Jack Lotz did not see it. The decision stood and Backlund’s
reign began.

23 February 1978

The second SuperBowl of Professional Wrestling was also known as Night of Champions ’
78. The event took place on a Thursday Night at the Jacksonville Coliseum in
Jacksonville, Florida. Because of Billy Graham’s loss of the WWWF Title three days
earlier, Bob Backlund took over the spot in the main event against NWA World Champion
Harley Race. Jacksonville newspapers reported the title change and alteration to the
card on Wednesday, February 22nd. Bob Backlund and Harley Race followed suit in the
NWA vs. WWWF Title matches, going the distance and ending with a sixty-minute draw.
On the undercard, Women’s World Champion Fabulous Moolah beat Vicki Williams.

The organization faced some bad news when it’s reigning President and one of it’s
founding fathers, Willie Gilzenberg passed away at the age of 77.

The World Wide Wrestling Federation became the “World Wrestling Federation,”
dropping the “Wide” from it’s name.

In yet another title vs. title match, Bob Backlund went to Toronto and wrestled the AWA
World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Bockwinkel to a double-countout.

30 November 1979

In controversial fashion, New Japan superstar Antonio Inoki beat Bob Backlund and
captured the WWF Heavyweight Title in Tokushima, Japan. The event marked the first
title change out of the continental United States. This title change has not been
recognized by many sources and many wrestling writers have refused to print the switch.
Inoki was also the NWF World Champion.

06 December 1979

In a rematch for the WWF Championship, Tiger Jeet Singh interfered and Antonio Inoki
retained the belt when the match was declared a no contest. Afterwards, Inoki gave up
the title and officials declared the vacant. Promoters in the United States scheduled a
match to determine a new champion in New York City.

12 December 1979

Bob Backlund won his second WWF Heavyweight Title with a vacant title victory over
Bobby Duncum Sr. at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The WWF worked closely with promoters in Los Angeles, Montreal, Quebec, Tokyo,
Japan and in Mexico. The organization used it’s strengths to build and expand. Among
the top superstars of the late 1970s and into the early 1980s were Andre the Giant,
Pedro Morales, Pat Patterson, Pedro Morales, Don Muraco, Ivan Putski, Larry Zbyszko
and many other younger stars who would become legends.

22 September 1980

Harley Race, the NWA World Champion, ventured into New York City to meet Bob
Backlund in a title vs. title match. Race was disqualified for hitting the referee and both
men retained their titles

19 October 1981

The WWF Heavyweight Title was held-up after a match between Bob Backlund and Greg
Valentine on October 19, 1981 at Madison Square Garden in New York. A rematch was
scheduled for November.

23 November 1981

Bob Backlund beat Greg Valentine in New York City and regained the WWF Heavyweight
Title. His third reign began.

In Atlanta, Bob Backlund wrestled NWA World Champion Ric Flair in a title vs. title match.
The important match ended in a double-countout.

Vincent K. McMahon bought out his father and changed the name of the business from
Capitol (Sports) Wrestling to Titan Sports Promotions. The World Wrestling Federation
was looking at a major change.

Vince McMahon was firmly ready to go “national.” He separated from the NWA and
elevated his recognized WWF Heavyweight Title back to World Championship status.
Then he signed a chiasmic athlete away from the American Wrestling Association. When
that pen went to paper and Terry Bollea ventured to New York City, professional wrestling
altogether changed. It wasn’t just the WWF, and not just wrestling in the northeast, but
wrestling from Asia to Los Angeles changed. Most of it fell onto the shoulders of one
man. That individual was Hulk Hogan.

26 December 1983

“Ayatollah” Fred Blassie led the Iron Sheik to a victory over Bob Backlund for the WWF
World Heavyweight Title at Madison Square Garden. In 11:50, Backlund’s second,
Arnold Skoaland tossed in a towel to stop the match after the Sheik had caught Backlund
in a painful Camel Clutch. Backlund had three WWF Title reigns and led the organization
through his popularity with fans and his toughness in the ring.

In his continuing efforts to demolish individual territories, McMahon bought the NWA’s
television time on the cable outlet Superstation WTBS named “World Championship
Wrestling,” based out of Georgia. Instead of the normal wrestlers fans were used to
seeing, Hulk Hogan and the WWF’s stars were broadcast. Fans protested the change
with their phone calls. WCW Wrestling was moved to Saturday Mornings and then
returned to it’s normal position at 6:05 nine months later. The WWF had done it’s
damage. Taking their competitor’s off television and replacing them with their own stars
brought an interest to their organization in areas of the country which had grown on NWA
wrestling. McMahon soon purchased Georgia’s World Championship Wrestling.

23 January 1984

Only weeks after his return, Hulk Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik and captured the WWF
World Heavyweight Title in New York City. In a post-match party, Hogan celebrated with
Andre the Giant. The WWF had a new hero. Hogan had an earlier stint in the
organization several years earlier, but hadn’t exploded on the scene as “Hulkamania”
had. Hogan was also the IWGP World Champion in Asia.

The man who helped the WWF become what it was, Vincent J. McMahon died at the age
of 69 in North Miami, Florida of cancer.

Hulk Hogan’s popularity was further expanding. Through feuds with Roddy Piper, Paul
Orndorff, The Iron Sheik, Greg Valentine, David Schultz, Terry Funk, Don Muraco and
Nikolai Volkoff. Hogan dominated his opponents and maintained his following through
thick and thin. Hogan’s legacy was only going in one direction. Up. Where he lacked the
scientific prowess of Ric Flair, he made up with his size and ring presence.

The organization scheduled appearances for Cyndi Lauper, a famous singer, on WWF
Television. A connection between wrestling and music began the “Rock and Wrestling”
era of the ’80s. Lauper began a feud with Captain Lou Albano, which lead to his
appearance in Lauper’s music videos “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “She Bop.”

Several big-time wrestling shows were broadcast on Music Television (MTV). The “Brawl
to End it All” was held on Monday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Several of the matches were broadcast on MTV. Hulk Hogan successfully defended his
WWF World Title against Greg Valentine. Wendi Richter, who was managed by pop
music icon Cyndi Lauper, beat The Fabulous Moolah to capture the WWF Women’s
World Title. Tito Santana retained the WWF Intercontinental Title over Bob Orton Jr.

18 February 1985

The “War to Settle the Score” was the second live telecast on MTV from the WWF at
Madison Square Garden. In the main event, Hulk Hogan beat Roddy Piper by
disqualification and retained the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Leilani Kai won the
Women’s Title over the popular Wendi Richter.

WrestleMania was announced and would act as the annual “SuperBowl” of the World
Wrestling Federation. It would be the ultimate wrestling show and pay-per-view. The first
annual WrestleMania would be held on Sunday, March 31, 1985 in New York City at
Madison Square Garden. The event would be shown on an estimated 135 closed-circuit
television locations throughout the world.

With such names as Hogan, Mr. T, Lauper, Albano and Roddy Piper, the first
WrestleMania seemed as if it could be a wrestling event like never before seen. It was.
Seemingly beyond the NWA’s annual supershow, Starrcade. The promotions were
universal and fans were coming out of the woodwork.

Hulk Hogan appeared on a Lifetime Cable Talkshow hosted by Richard Belzer three-days
before WrestleMania. The interview was to promote the event before a national
audience. Belzer, a comedian, asked Hogan to demonstrate a wrestling maneuver on
him. Hogan agreed and put Belzer in a front facelock. Belzer slumped in Hogan’s arms
and when the Hogan released the hold, the host dropped face first into the ground. His
head cracked opened and a pool of blood grew on the show’s floor. A lawsuit was filed
and settled out of court four years later in late 1989 for an undisclosed sum of money.

The first ever Saturday Night’s Main Event was taped in Uniondale, New York. Hulk
Hogan faced off against Bob Orton Jr. in the show’s main event. SNME was broadcast
the next night on NBC.

In Japan, Hulk Hogan wrestled Antonio Inoki in a battle of two rival World Heavyweight
Champions. Inoki was the IWGP Champ and Hogan was the WWF Champ. Inoki won the
battle, but no title changed hands.

The first annual King of the Ring Tournament was held in Foxboro, Massachusetts at
Sullivan Stadium. 16-competitors battled for the honors. Among the wrestlers who
competed were almost a who’s who of pro-wrestling: Terry Funk, Pedro Morales, Paul
Orndorff, Don Muraco, Junkyard Dog, Johnny Valiant, Bob Orton Jr., Greg Valentine, Tito
Santana and B. Brian Blair. In the finals, Don Muraco beat the Iron Sheik and won the
tourney.

WrestleMania II was held in three separate locations and was the first broadcast on pay-
per-view. From the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on Long Island, Mr. T beat Roddy
Piper in a special boxing match by disqualification. Among the sports and entertainment
celebrities involved in this portion of the show were Joe Frazier, Lou Duva, Joan Rivers,
G. Gordon Liddy, Cab Calloway and Darrell Dawkins. Randy Savage also retained his I-
C Title over George “The Animal” Steele. At the Rosemont Horizon in the western
Chicago area, the Fabulous Moolah beat Velvet McIntyre to retain her WWF Women’s
World Title. In a special twenty-man battle royal, Andre the Giant eliminated Bret Hart to
win. Several NFL football stars were involved in the match. The British Bulldogs also
captured the WWF World Tag Title from the Dream Team. Finally, in Los Angeles, Hulk
Hogan successfully defended his WWF World Title against King Kong Bundy. The match
was held inside of a cage. Tommy Lasorda, Rick Schroeder and Elvira were also in
attendance.

On Thursday Night at the Exhibition (CNE) Stadium in Toronto, 74,000 fans attended a
huge WWF spectacular. In the main event, Hulk Hogan beat Paul Orndorff by
disqualification. The Rougeau Brothers beat Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine.
Among the other names involved in the show were Dory Funk Jr., in the role of “Hoss”
Funk, Big John Studd, Don Muraco, Harley Race, Pedro Morales, Rick Steamboat, Jake
Roberts, Junkyard Dog, Adrian Adonis, Dick Slater and Billy Jack Haynes.

The legendary Andre the Giant made it publicly known during an interview segment on
Piper’s Pit, that he wanted a piece of Hulk Hogan and specifically yearned for the WWF
World Heavyweight Title. Andre tore the shirt and chain from around Hogan’s neck,
leaving an impact both on the champion and the fans. Bobby Heenan became his
manager.

On Sunday, 93,173 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac,Michigan, breaking an
American indoor attendance record. Hogan successfully defended his title against
Andre, body-slamming and pinning his opponent. The champ suffered an injury during
the match. The torch was passed. In other matches, Rick Steamboat beat Randy
Savage for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in one of the most highly regarded
WrestleMania matches of all time.

The WWF presented longtime NWA Promoter, Paul Boesch’s Retirement Show in
Houston. Hogan defended his World Title against former UWF World Champion One
Man Gang in the main event.

The World Wrestling Federation continued to not only go “national,” but “international.”
WWF Wrestlers ventured into Milan, Italy and an estimated 10,000 fans saw the likes of
Junkyard Dog, Jim Duggan, Nikolai Volkoff, Sherri Martel, Dino Bravo and Greg
Valentine. It was the WWF’s first ever show in that country.

05 February 1988

The Hogan-Andre war was not over. The two met on a live edition of the “Main Event” on
NBC in prime time. Andre pinned Hogan and captured the WWF World Title.
Controversy immediately was spawned and two Hebners were on the scene. Andre
attempted to sell the belt to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, but had it stripped from
him and it was declared vacant.

13 February 1988

WWF President, Jack Tunney announced that a World Heavyweight Title Tournament
would be held at WrestleMania IV, on Superstars of Wrestling.

A major problem came up around February 1988 when Randy Savage was announced
as the new WWF World Champion in the WWF’s Magazine. This was prior to his
participation in WrestleMania IV and the heavyweight title tournament. It was stated that
USA Today got a copy of the magazine and printed the results. Rumors also circulated
about a month following the WrestleMania card as well when Rick Rude was billed as the
WWF World Champion in a separate promotion for his appearance in Las Vegas. Rick
Rude never did capture the World Title, but did have a reign as the Intercontinental
Champion in 1989.

WWF wrestling in 1988 also saw the retirement of multiple-time World Champion, Harley
Race. It was stated that Race was put out of the business after his Saturday Night’s Main
Event bout with Hulk Hogan. Race would return later in the year.

The first ever WWF World Heavyweight Title Tournament was held on Sunday in Atlantic
City, New Jersey. WrestleMania IV was shown on pay-per-view and broadcast in more
than 160 closed-circuit markets. 14-wrestlers entered the tournament and both Andre
the Giant and Hulk Hogan received a bye into the second round. In a shocker, Andre
and Hogan ended in a double-disqualification and were disqualified. Their eliminations
opened the door for many others, but many considered Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase
to be the favorites. Savage and DiBiase successfully advanced to the finals and in a
dramatic moment, Savage landed his elbowdrop and scored a winning pin. He captured
the vacant WWF World Title. In other matches, Demolition won the WWF World Tag Title
from Strike Force and Bad News Brown won a battle royal. Among the celebrities and
dignitaries at the show were Glades Knight, Bob Uecker, Vanna White, Robin Leach,
Sugar Ray Leonard and Donald Trump.

03 February 1989

After WrestleMania IV, a partnership between Randy Savage, Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan
had been formed. They were known as the “Mega Powers,” and by early ’89, Elizabeth
was directly in the middle of both superstars. On February 3rd in Milwaukee, the Mega
Powers wrestled the Twin Towers during a live edition of The Main Event on NBC. After
Elizabeth was knocked down, Hogan rushed to her aid. He carried her back to the
dressing room for assistance as Savage was beaten by both the Big Bossman and
Akeem. Later, Savage attacked Hogan and the Mega Powers were officials separated.
Their feud was leading up to WrestleMania.

The explosion of the Mega Powers culminated in their WrestleMania V main event contest
in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Where Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage had celebrated the
year earlier, both men wrestled for the WWF World Title. In the end, Hogan kicked out of
a top-rope elbowdrop and landed his finisher. He pinned Savage and won his second
WWF Title. In another match, “Ravishing” Rick Rude won the Intercontinental Title from
the Ultimate Warrior with some help from Bobby Heenan. The Warrior would regain the
title at SummerSlam.

21 January 1990

During the third annual Royal Rumble, Hulk Hogan ran into the organization’s second
most popular wrestler, the Ultimate Warrior. Alone in the ring and in the midst of the
Rumble, Hogan and Warrior squared off for the first time as fans everywhere stood. Fan-
favorites vs. fan-favorites were a very uncommon thing in the WWF. The two circled
each other and then criss-crossed off the ropes leading into a double clothesline. Both
men laid barely unmoving until a third participant entered through the ropes. More was
ahead.

27 January 1990

Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior were forced to team against Mr. Perfect and the
Genius during Saturday Night’s Main Event in Chattanooga. After a miscue, an
accidental blow nearly brought the two to fists. Soon thereafter, the main event for
WrestleMania VI was announced. It was going to be Hulk Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior
in a title vs. title match, the WWF World Champion vs. the WWF Intercontinental
Champion.

23 February 1990

Earlier in February 1990, James “Buster” Douglas won the Boxing World Heavyweight
Title in an upset over Mike Tyson in Tokyo. In Detroit, Douglas replaced Tyson as the
special outside the ring referee for a match between Hulk Hogan and “King” Randy
Savage on the Main Event. Douglas’ participation would become more than just the
observer as he counted the final pinfall on Savage for Hogan. Afterwards, Savage had
words for Douglas as Hogan watched. When he had enough, Douglas punched Savage
and knocked him out. The two champions celebrated before a screaming audience.

In Toronto’s Skydome, the “Ultimate Challenge” saw Hulk Hogan wrestle the Ultimate
Warrior in a battle between the WWF’s top two babyfaces. 67,678 fans saw the Warrior
pin Hogan after the latter missed his famous legdrop. The Warrior landed a splash and
pinned the World Champion and became the first man to hold both the WWF Title and
the WWF I-C Title simultaneously. After the match, Hogan handed the belts to the
Warrior and left as a symbolic “torch” was passed. Also on the show, Demolition, Ax and
Smash, regained the WWF World Tag Title from the Colossal Connection.

One of the WWF’s most popular athletes, Brutus Beefcake suffered serious injuries in a
boating accident near Tampa, Florida. Early speculation was that he would never return
to the ring, but he made sporadic appearances in 1992 and 1993 before jumping to
WCW in 1994. He would headline Starrcade that year.

The WWF signed both former NWA World Champion Kerry Von Erich and the legendary
tag team, Legion of Doom. “LOD” were also known as the Road Warriors, Hawk and
Animal.

The United States prepared it’s military for an impending war against Iraq. Sgt. Slaughter
soon turned against the country he loved for so long and declared loyalty for Iraq, and
instantaneously became the most hated man in wrestling. Slaughter took General Adnan
and Colonel Mustafa as seconds.

17 December 1990

The WWF’s weekly Monday Show, “Prime Time Wrestling,” aired it’s 300th episode. The
show was hosted, at it normally would have been, by Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan.

19 January 1991

In Miami, the fourth annual Royal Rumble was held and was headlined by the 30-man
Rumble and a WWF Title match between champion, the Ultimate Warrior and Sgt.
Slaughter. With help from Randy Savage, Slaughter beat the Warrior and won the World
Title. Hulk Hogan won his second consecutive Rumble, last eliminating the Earthquake in
65:17.

Promoters made arrangements for a Hulk Hogan-Slaughter Title Match at WrestleMania
VII in Los Angeles. Originally planned to sell out the Rose Bowl with an upwards of
100,000 fans, but changed it’s location to the Sports Arena due to safety precautions.

Hulk Hogan pinned Sgt. Slaughter to capture his third World Title at WrestleMania VII in
Los Angeles.

Sid Vicious was signed by the WWF and was named as the special referee for the main
event of SummerSlam in New York City. Vicious, who was coming off his Four Horsemen
stint in WCW, altered his name to “Sid Justice.”

An estimated 20,000 fans packed Madison Square Garden in New York City to see Hulk
Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior beat the Triangle of Terror and finally put the pro-Iraqi
supporters out of business. Sid Justice performed the officiating duties and celebrated
with Hogan after the match. The Warrior was surprisingly absent. Also on the show, the
Legion of Doom beat the Nasty Boys and became the first team in history to have won
the AWA, NWA and WWF World Tag Team Titles. Bret Hart also beat Mr. Perfect in a
classic contest and won the Intercontinental Title.

10 September 1991

Aside from Sid Justice, there was another former Four Horsemen member who was about
to make his presence felt in WWF arenas. The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair appeared and
claimed that he was the real World’s Champion and held the gold belt fans remembered
him wearing in WCW. The former NWA and WCW World Champion made his debut on
September 10th in Cornwall, Ontario. Flair made Jim Powers submit to his figure-four
leglock.

27 November 1991

Hulk Hogan was pinned by the Undertaker and lost the WWF World Title in Detroit at the
Survivor Series. Flair played a part in the finish. A rematch between Hogan and the
Undertaker was scheduled for December 3rd at a special pay-per-view entitled “Tuesday
in Texas.” Hogan regained the championship that night at the Freeman Coliseum in San
Antonio. The following day in Austin, WWF President, Jack Tunney declared the WWF
Title vacant due to the circumstances surrounding Tuesday’s match. The belt was put up
for vacancy in the 1992 Royal Rumble.

19 January 1992

Ric Flair drew number three in the Royal Rumble event in Albany, New York and lasted
for over sixty-minutes. He ousted Sid Justice in the finals and captured the vacant WWF
World Heavyweight Title. Flair became the second man in history and the second
“Nature Boy” to have held both the NWA and WWWF/WWF World Titles. The first was
Buddy Rogers, a man who Flair was often compared to.

The legendary “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers died of a stroke in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at
the age of 71. Rogers had established himself as one of wrestling history’s best, and
was the initial WWWF World Champion in 1963.

13 October 1992

Wrestling got a jolt when the circus came to town in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Doink
the Clown made his WWF debut.

Accomplished tandem, Rick and Scott Steiner signed with the World Wrestling Federation
and joined a tough tag team division.

11 January 1993

The first ever Monday Night Raw was broadcast live on the USA Network from the
Manhattan Center in New York City, New York. The Undertaker wrestled Damien
Demento and Koko B. Ware grappled against the mammoth Yokozuna.

01 February 1993

The WWF gave a respectful 10-bell salute to the late Andre the Giant on Monday Night
Raw. Pictures of the man’s heroic career was shown. Andre had died in January. The
WWF paid tribute to him again in March.

At Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Yokozuna went into a WWF World Title match against
Bret Hart and won the title, then dropped the strap to Hulk Hogan. A confident Yokozuna
and his manager, Mr. Fuji made a challenge to Hogan after the latter had run out to help
Hart from the ring. Hogan accepted. He pinned Yokozuna and captured his fifth WWF
Title. The following day, WWF President Jack Tunney validated the title switch in Phoenix.

The WWF formed a business partnership with the United States Wrestling Association
and Jerry Lawler. Lawler traveled north to do television commentary and wrestle. Other
wrestlers would soon make the trip both to the WWF from the USWA and to the USWA
from the WWF. A similar partnership was formed with Smokey Mountain Wrestling,
another independent organization. The SMW Tag Team Title actually changed hands on
a WWF Pay-per-view on November 24, 1993. The WWF was helping these two
promotions gain more national recognition.

28 September 1993

Tatanka’s long winning streak came to an end on September 28, 1993 in Worcester,
Massachusetts. Lost a match to Ludvig Borga after being smashed in the ribs with a
steel chair, then tossed back into the ring and covered for the three-count.

24 November 1993

Controversy within the Hart Family began during the Survivor Series in Boston. Bret
teamed with brothers Owen, Bruce and Keith Hart against Shawn Michaels and the
colored Knights. A rift between Bret and Owen began, but apparently was brushed under
the mat once the show was over. In December and going into January, Bret and Owen
formed a highly successful tag team. The duo made a strong challenge towards the
WWF World Tag Team Title. After a falling out at the Royal Rumble, Bret and Owen
would feud throughout 1994 and staged some of the organization’s best matches in
history. The Harts engaged in several 60-minute broadways which fans today still talk
about.

22 January 1994

Bret Hart and Lex Luger co-won the Royal Rumble in Providence when both men hit the
arena floor at the same time. According to WWF Rules, they would each receive a World
Title shot at WrestleMania.

Yokozuna retained his WWF World Title against Lex Luger with a disqualification victory,
but lost the belt to Bret Hart. WrestleMania X was held at Madison Square Garden in New
York City and was billed as “Ten Years in the Making.” After Hart’s victory, members from
the locker room ran out and hoisted the new champion onto their shoulders as the large
audience applauded. Earlier in the night, Bret’s brother Owen pinned him and after the
main event, immediately became the top contender to the World Title.

23 November 1994

Bob Backlund won his fourth WWF World Heavyweight Title with a controversial victory
over Bret Hart in San Antonio. The match ended when Hart’s mother Helen tossed a
towel into the ring, reminiscent of the way Backlund lost his last WWF Title to the Iron
Sheik in New York.

26 November 1994

Diesel, better known today as Kevin Nash, beat Bob Backlund at Madison Square
Garden and won the WWF World Heavyweight Title. A long reign was ahead.

One of the World Wrestling Federation’s most widely acclaimed and successful attempts
to drive pro wrestling into the mainstream light occurred in early 1995. Former New York
Giant and Hall of Fame Linebacker, Lawrence Taylor was lured into the ring for the co-
main event of WrestleMania XI in Hartford on April 2nd. Taylor was going to stand across
the ring from Bam Bam Bigelow, one of the top rated big men in the world. The Bigelow-
Taylor contest was heavily promoted and both men appeared for a press conference, a
live workout in New York and on the Howard Stern Show.

WrestleMania XI was held in Hartford, Connecticut. In one of the main events, Diesel
pinned Shawn Michaels to retain his WWF World Heavyweight Title in 20:40. Both men
were accompanied two of the most beautiful women in the world. Michaels had Jennifer
McCarthy on his side and Diesel had Pamela Anderson. Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam
Bam Bigelow in his match while NFL superstars Carl Banks, Reggie White, Steve
McMichael and Chris Spielman looked on.

04 September 1995

The WWF and Monday Night Raw received a jolt when World Championship Wrestling’s
Nitro on TNT hit the air waves. The Monday Night wars began with each trying to out-do
the other. WCW won the first battle when it resigned Lex Luger away from the WWF less
than twenty-four hours after appearing on a WWF card. More shockers were to come.

18 December 1995

Once again, the WWF faced a problem on Monday Night when Women’s World
Champion Alundra Blayze appeared on WCW Monday Nitro with the WWF Belt.
Wrestling fans were shocked when she tossed the belt into the garbage and returned to
her old persona, Madusa.

25 December 1995

Rather then putting on an edition of Monday Raw on December 25th, the WWF instead
let WCW put on a show unmatched and instead put on a special show that Thursday
Night on USA. It was a half-hour long and promoted the WWF World Title and it’s
importance in the wrestling world. The program ended with a tribute to Shawn Michaels.

29 January 1996

During Monday Night Raw, a “Billionaire Ted Press Conference” was held, continuing the
growing feud between Ted Turner and WCW and Vince McMahon and the WWF. Later
that night, Mankind was introduced as well as Roddy Piper in the position of interim WWF
President.

The WWF paid tribute to legendary grappler Ray Stevens during Monday Night Raw.

Future WWF Champion Kurt Angle captured the Olympic Gold Medal in Atlanta,
Georgia. His legendary status as a amateur wrestler was pounded into stone.

16 September 1996

Jim Ross announced during Raw that Razor Ramon and Diesel were going to appear on
the following week’s show. WWF President, Gorilla Monsoon said the information was
false. The news got many fans wondering if, in fact, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had left
WCW and returned to the WWF. When it came down to it, Ramon and Diesel did
appear, but they weren’t the men many were expecting to see.

08 January 1996

The “Ring Master” Steve Austin made his World Wrestling Federation debut during
Monday Night Raw. Austin, with manager Ted DiBiase, had an interview with Brother
Love. Austin adopted the “Million Dollar Dream” sleeperhold as his finisher and DiBiase
supplied him with the Million Dollar Belt. His potential was unknown.

21 January 1996

Shawn Michaels won his second-straight Royal Rumble in Fresno, California, last
eliminating Diesel. In the WWF World Title match, Bret Hart retained his title but lost to
the Undertaker by disqualification.

WrestleMania XII saw an epic match between WWF World Champion Bret Hart and
Shawn Michaels in Anaheim, California. The two grapplers went 61:52 in an Iron Man
Match with only one fall scored for Michaels. The belt changed hands. Steve Austin
made his WrestleMania debut and beat Savio Vega. Also at WrestleMania were “Rowdy”
Roddy Piper, The Ultimate Warrior, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, The Undertaker, Diesel,
Owen Hart and Yokozuna. In the “Free for All” match was the Huckster against the Nacho
Man.

A house show at Madison Square Garden saw Shawn Michaels successfully defend his
WWF World Title against Diesel in Kevin Nash’s final match in the WWF before jumping
to WCW. Razor Ramon, who was also wrestling his final match, had wrestled his final
match against Hunter Hearst Helmsley. When the Michaels-Diesel match ended,
Helmsley and Ramon (Scott Hall) went to the ring and joined their “Clique” teammates,
breaking kayfabe. The quartet celebrated in the ring as fans watched history.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was being born before the public’s eye. In Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, Austin won the King of the Ring Tournament, overcoming a 16-stitch injury he
suffered to his mouth, with a defeat of Jake Roberts in the finals.

22 September 1996

Entering enemy territory, the WWF promoted a pay-per-view event in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania entitled “Mind Games.” Philadelphia was the home of Extreme
Championship Wrestling, a rouge promotion which was building a national following. In
the front row were Paul E. Dangerously (Heyman), The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer.
The trio had words for the WWF’s athletes and were escorted from the building. A WWF-
ECW relationship would be formed. In the main event, Shawn Michaels won a tough and
memorable match against Mankind.

17 November 1996

After years in the hunt and placing consistently in the top five of the so-called “Big Two,”
Sid Vicious captured his first major World Championship with a defeat of Shawn Michaels
in New York City. The title change occurred at the 1996 Survivor Series. In other
matches, Bret Hart beat Steve Austin and Rocky Maivia Jr. (The Rock) made his pay-per-
view debut.

19 January 1997

1997 was going to quickly prove to be the year of “Stone Cold.” Steve Austin won the
annual Royal Rumble before 60,000 fans at the AlamoDome in San Antonio. He would
soon enter a vicious feud with Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation. Through his
“Rattlesnake” image, Austin became the most popular man in the business.

In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Bret Hart beat The Undertaker and captured the WWF
World Heavyweight Title for a fifth time. Shawn Michaels acted as special referee. Steve
Austin won the Intercontinental Title over Owen Hart in 16:16, but suffered a serious neck
injury in the process. He was carried from the ring and taken to a local hospital.

The “Excellence of Execution” Bret Hart signed an unprecedented twenty-year contract
extension with the World Wrestling Federation. The contract was later voided.

04 October 1997

Brian Pillman lost a match to Goldust at a house show in St. Paul, Minnesota. The bout
was his last. Mr. Pillman was found dead the next day in a hotel room in Bloomington. He
was 36 years of age and it was later learned that he had died of heart disease.

05 October 1997

The WWF ran it’s “Badd Blood” pay-per-view from the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
More then 21,000 fans turned out to see Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker wrestle a
classic “Hell in a Cell” cage match. During the program, the WWF honored the city of St.
Louis and it’s decades of professional wrestling history. A number of wrestling legends
were brought to the ring and honored. Jim Ross announced each dignitary, as a short
bio played. Gene Kiniski, “Canada’s Greatest Athlete” was the initial man brought out.
Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, Terry Funk, Lou Thesz and Sam Muchnick
followed. Some of wrestling’s greatest individuals stood together as the WWF and it’s
fans paid tribute to their years of work.

09 November 1997

At the Survivor Series, a situation arose that will forever be remembered. It was the
infamous, “Montreal Finish.” After the fabled “twenty-year contract” was altered, and a
falling out with Vince McMahon, Bret Hart signed with World Championship Wrestling. At
the time, he was still the WWF World Champion. To prevent Hart from taking the WWF
Title to WCW, organizers planned to have him lose to Shawn Michaels at the Survivor
Series in Montreal. Hart didn’t want to lose the title in his home country. The film “Bret
Hart, Wrestling With Shadows” documented the situation completely. During the brutal
match, Michaels locked Hart in the sharpshooter and seconds later, the bell rang. Hart
had apparently given up and the title changed hands. The question was, did Hart give
up? An altercation between Hart and Vince McMahon took place backstage afterwards.
It was over and everyone had witnessed the action in the ring. Michaels was the
champion. During an edition of Raw, members of DeGeneration X mocked the “Hitman”
in the ring. Many were forced to wonder whether others had known about what was
going to transpire that night in Montreal. A legend was gone from the WWF and
professional wrestling had changed forever.

Steve Austin won his first WWF World Heavyweight Title from Shawn Michaels in the main
event of WrestleMania XIV in Boston, Massachusetts.

Shane McMahon, the fourth generation McMahon in the business, became the President
of New Media for Titan Sports Inc., and the World Wrestling Federation.

27 September 1998

The WWF World Title was declared vacant after a controversial match between Steve
Austin, The Undertaker and Kane in Hamilton, Ontario. A WWF Title Tournament was
planned for only the second time in organization history.

15 November 1998

Just a matter of two years after his professional wrestling debut, Rocky Maivia Jr.,
otherwise known as The Rock, captured the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Maivia won
a tournament final over Mankind in St. Louis and also marked his joining of Vince
McMahon’s “Corporation.”

29 December 1998

Four days after Christmas, Mick Foley won his first World Championship in Worcester,
Massachusetts as Mankind. The Maivia-Mankind war was just beginning. On January
24, 1999, Maivia regained the belt at the Royal Rumble. In the 30-man, over-the-top-
rope Rumble, Vince McMahon ousted Steve Austin for the victory. Two days later,
Mankind regained the belt in a special, empty arena match in Tucson. The bout was held
at the Convention Center, taped and broadcast during the WWF’s special “Halftime Heat”
show on the USA Network in-conjunction with the SuperBowl on ABC.

Titan Sports became “World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc.,” and a percentage
of the company was put up to the public on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Competing
against the likes of “Friends” and other top rated television shows, WWF “Smackdown”
was broadcast on the UPN Network and consistently drew high ratings. In it’s first year,
Smackdown saw many of the WWF’s top athletes compete and a number of title
changes. It quickly became an important factor in the World Wrestling Federation’s
continued success. Loyal WWF fans knew what they were watching on Thursday Nights.

WrestleMania XV in Philadelphia saw Steve Austin defeat The Rock for his third WWF
World Heavyweight Title.

On Sunday, the WWF held it’s second annual “Over the Edge” pay-per-view at the
Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Owen Hart, a former Intercontinental
Champion, was scheduled to challenge The Godfather for the belt in one of the show’s
most anticipated matches. Many speculated that Hart was finally going to regain the belt
after being without it for over 16-months. Prior to the match, Hart prepared to descend to
the ring from the arena’s rafters as the Blue Blazer, a longtime gimmick he first used ten
years earlier. The harness failed and Hart fell to the ring below, over 70 feet down and
into a turnbuckle. Mr. Owen Hart died from his injuries. The wrestling community
mourned the loss of one of it’s superstars and heroes. The WWF paid tribute to him, as
did World Championship Wrestling, the following night on Raw.

In Ames, Iowa, Hunter Hearst Helmsley won his first ever WWF World Title with a victory
over Mankind on Raw.

14 September 1999

Vince McMahon, the head of the World Wrestling Federation, beat Hunter Hearst
Helmsley and captured the WWF World Title in Las Vegas, Nevada during a Smackdown
Taping. McMahon received an assist from Steve Austin and his son Shane acted as
referee.

20 September 1999

Six days as World Champion was seemingly enough for Vince McMahon. During the live
Raw telecast from Houston, McMahon gave up the belt to vacancy and announced that it
would be up for the winner of a “Six-Pack” challenge at Unforgiven. Triple H would win
the belt.

05 October 1999

Darren Drosdov was paralyzed during a Smackdown Taping in Uniondale, New York. He
had been competing in a match against D-Lo Brown when the accident occurred.
Paramedics immediately rushed to his aid.

06 October 1999

In another blow to the sport of wrestling, legendary Gorilla Monsoon died on Wednesday
in New Jersey. The WWF and WCW both paid tribute to him during their respected
Monday Night programs.

Two WWF creative directors left the organization for it’s rival, WCW. They were Vince
Russo and Ed Ferrara.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley seemingly tricked Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon’s
daughter, into marriage in Las Vegas. The situation immediately drew the ire of the
entire McMahon Family. The WWF’s Owner battled Helmsley in a bloody war at the
December pay-per-view. Helmsley won, with help from Stephanie. It appeared that she
had accepted the bond and joined Triple H in his quest to be the top man in the
organization.

14 November 1999

The Big Show, replacing the injured Steve Austin, beat Hunter Hearst Helmsley and The
Rock in Detroit and became the sixth man in history to have captured both the NWA/
WCW and WWF World Heavyweight Titles. Austin’s neck injury would require surgery
and prevent him from wrestling until late 2000.

03 January 2000

One of the most notable actions in WWF History occurred in Miami. Stephanie McMahon-
Helmsley went to the ring with the Intercontinental Belt in her possession. She
announced that both Chris Jericho and Chyna owned a right to the belt, making it the first
championship held by both a male and a female at the same time. If one of them were to
lose a match, both would drop the strap. That night, Chyna was successful in a defense
against Hardcore Holly…with help from Jericho.

31 January 2000

Four wrestlers were broadcast on Monday’s Raw is War in the front row of the live show.
They were Perry Saturn, Eddy Guerrero, Dean Malenko and former World Champion,
Chris Benoit, all former employees of World Championship Wrestling. The group of four
would soon be signed by the WWF, much to the delight of fans.

03 February 2000

On Thursday, Vince McMahon announced that he was going to start a new professional
football league, named the “XFL,” beginning in February 2001. The XFL would have
eight teams.

The Rock captured his fourth WWF World Championship before 17,000 fans at the MCI
Center in Washington DC. His defeat over Hunter Hearst Helmsley meant he had to also
overcome the special referee, Shane McMahon, who was on the champion’s side. “Stone
Cold” Steve Austin also made his return to celebrate with the Rock afterwards.

WWF athletes were seen on all over mainstream television. Edge appeared on Total
Request Live on MTV on Friday, August 25, 2000. Chyna and The Rock appeared on
the MTV Video Music Awards live from New York on Thursday, September 7, 2000.
Chyna announced an award with Survivor Winner, Richard Batch, while the Rock
appeared with Kid Rock. Both were memorable scenes for the millions watching around
the world.

27 September 2000

In the Fall of 2000, the WWF left the USA Network and joined Viacom. It’s programming
switched channels to The National Network (TNN) and MTV. Making it debut on
September 27, 2000, Raw is War set the highest ratings in TNN’s 17-year record with it’s
first week’s broadcast. Many wondered if the jump would confuse the organization’s fans,
but it didn’t. The WWF only lost two points in the ratings from a 5.7 on USA, to a 5.5 on
TNN.

The WWF moved it’s holdings to the New York Stock Exchange and altered it’s symbol
from WWFE to simply “WWF.” Also, the group continued to beat WCW in the ratings.

25 February 2001

A major World Wrestling Federation record was broken by the Rock, one of the youngest
and most popular wrestlers in the business, when he captured his sixth WWF World
Championship. The win over Kurt Angle propelled him over “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan
and Bret “Hitman” Hart, whom he had previously shared the record with at five. Also on
the bill was a legendary two-of-three falls contest between Steve Austin and Hunter
Hearst Helmsley. Austin won the first fall with a stunner, but lost the second after being
leveled with a pedigree. Helmsley won the bloody final fall in a cage and the time of the
match was 39:28. The match was named Match of the Year ’01 by WWF fans.

World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. purchased World Championship Wrestling
from Time-Warner. On the 26th of that month, the WWF and WCW co-existed on the
same planet for the first time since the early 1980s. Shane McMahon appeared in
Panama City Beach, Florida and announced that he had purchased WCW while Vince
McMahon watched live from Cleveland. The match-up was simulcast on both Nitro on
TNT and Raw on TNN. The March 26th airing of Nitro was the final on Turner Network
Television. Prior to Shane McMahon’s appearance from Florida, Vince McMahon spoke
to the live WWF audience and ran through a list of WCW wrestlers before announcing
that he was putting WCW on the “shelf.” Among the names mentioned on WWF
Television were Hulk Hogan, Booker T, Scott Steiner and Sting.

At WrestleMania in Houston, 67,925 packed the Reliant Astrodome to see Steve Austin
beat the Rock for his fifth WWF World Title. Austin had some surprising assistance from
his longtime nemesis, Vince McMahon in the win. Chyna beat Ivory to capture the WWF
Women’s Title. Christian and Edge won a memorable Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC)
II match. Also, a Gimmick Battle Royal was held with many famous names from the past.
Sgt. Slaughter, Doink the Clown, The Bushwhackers, Jim Cornette, Michael Hayes, One
Man Gang, Tugboat, Brother Love, Nicolai Volkoff and Kamala were all involved. Former
WWF Champion, The Iron Sheik won.

The next night in Fort Worth, Austin announced his new loyalties to McMahon much to
the dismay of the organization’s fans. Hunter Hearst Helmsley also joined McMahon and
Austin’s alliance. Later in the week, The Rock was indefinitely suspended and Helmsley
won the Intercontinental Championship from Chris Jericho.

Like the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) before it, the XFL failed to meet
expectations and folded.

Into the summer, Shane McMahon made numerous appearances on WWF Telecasts with
the WCW logo not far behind. It wasn’t long before World Championship Wrestling
Wrestlers were also making themselves known and felt by interjecting into matches.
Dallas Page, Booker T, Lance Storm and Hugh Morris were among the first to join the
fracas. A war had started. WWF vs. WCW.

Before things could get too far out of hand, the wrestling world exploded on Monday night
in Atlanta when Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon reformed Extreme Championship
Wrestling. ECW’s heavy-handed crew aligned itself with Shane McMahon and WCW in it’
s battle against the WWF. They would be known collectively as the “Alliance.”

When it seemed that everything was going downhill, Vince McMahon made an
impassioned plea to Steve Austin during Smackdown to return to his old habits and
recover the lost “Rattlesnake” inside. Austin walked away without a word. Austin
temporarily returned to his old self and joined four other WWF superstars in their war with
the Alliance at the Invasion pay-per-view. In the end, Austin jumped sides and left the
WWF and Vince McMahon behind. The WWF World Title went with him. The Alliance
had control of both the WWF and WCW World Heavyweight Titles.

Hollywood Superstar, The Rock returned to professional wrestling in August 2001.
Before the end of the month, he would win the WCW World Heavyweight Title from
Booker T.

11 September 2001

On September 11, 2001, the United States and the entire world was rocked by terrorism.
The Smackdown Taping which was scheduled to have been held that Tuesday in
Houston was rescheduled for Thursday. The broadcast was the first major sports event
to be held live. Thousands of fans turned out for the event, ready to show their
patriotism. The WWF was applauded on many levels for their boldness in continuing
American life despite the horrors which had been thrust upon freedom everywhere. The
superstars of the organization spoke on a personal level, directed away from the mat and
the normal entertainment many were used to seeing. The tears were real.

During the fall of 2001, a member of the Alliance had become one of the most popular
athletes in the promotion. The man was the “Whole F’n Show” Rob Van Dam. “R.V.D”
chants could not be avoided in any city that the WWF toured. Rumors had also stated
that “R.V.D” had been bellowed by wrestling fans at a Major League Baseball game.
Many of his early WWF matches were praised by critics. Van Dam captured the WWF
World Hardcore Title and battled the likes of Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Steve Austin and
The Rock. Fans predicted bigger things for him. Van Dam co-headlined the October
pay-per-view with Austin and Kurt Angle.

21 October 2001

The WWF Website read “Jericho Wins The Big One!” on it’s front page after the No
Mercy pay-per-view on Monday, October 22, 2001. The event had been held the night
prior in St. Louis, Missouri at the Savvis Center. The headline made reference to Chris
Jericho’s victory over The Rock for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. “Y2J” had
wrestled in WCW for several years in the late ‘90’s prior to jumping to the WWF. During
his tenure in the Atlanta-based organization, Jericho never captured the World
Heavyweight Championship. He did hold both the Cruiserweight and World Television
Titles. Since his joining the WWF in 1999, Jericho won both the WWF World Tag Title
and the WWF Intercontinental Titles. A World Heavyweight Title continued to elude him.
On October 21st, Jericho finally realized his dream and had become the WCW World
Champion.

In early November 2001, America’s own Kurt Angle turned on his fans and joined Steve
Austin and the Alliance. The jump of sides was one of the most unexpected in recent
history. Vince McMahon also returned to battle his son Shane in a memorable street-
fight on Raw.

09 November 2001

On Friday, WWFE announced that they were laying off nine-percent of it’s workforce.
WWF President and COO, Stuart Snyder announced his resignation.

18 November 2001

The WWF rekindled some lost faith when it’s athletes defeated the Alliance at the
Survivor Series on November 18, 2001 in Greensboro, NC. Kurt Angle hit Steve Austin
with a belt and The Rock landed a “Rock Bottom.” A three-count was made and the WWF
had won it’s several month war with members from WCW-ECW. The WCW U.S. Title had
been unified with the Intercontinental Title and the WCW World Tag Title was unified with
the WWF World Tag Team Title.

19 November 2001

During an edition of Raw live from Charlotte, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair appeared and settled
dozens of rumors which were riding the line between him showing up and him not. It was
Flair’s first WWF appearance since early 1993. He strutted to the ring before Vince
McMahon and Kurt Angle and announced that he was the new co-owner of the WWF,
having bought the shares sold by Shane and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley months
earlier. Flair was greeted by an out-pouring of respect and excitement, reminding many
of his September 1998 return in Greenville. Jerry Lawler also returned to the WWF that
night, replacing Paul Heyman in the broadcast booth. Heyman had taken a beating from
Jim Ross and physically carried from the ring area. Those remaining members of the
Alliance, the champions, were going to face tremendous odds in their matches. For
example, WWF World Hardcore Champion Rob Van Dam wrestled the Dudley Boys in a
handicap tables match. He was defeated after nearly scoring an upset.

Perhaps the most important Raw in World Wrestling Federation History took place on
March 25, 2002 in State College, Pennsylvania at the Bryce Jordan Center. The brand
extension forced co-owners Vince McMahon and Ric Flair to draft wrestlers for their
particular wrestling programs. Here are the picks:
WWF Smackdown: (1) The Rock (2) Kurt Angle (3) Chris Benoit (4)
Hulk Hogan (5) Billy and Chuck – WWF World Tag Team Champions (6) Edge (7) Rikishi
(8) D-Von Dudley (9) Mark Henry (10) Maven (11) Billy Kidman (12) Yoshihiro Tajiri (13)
Chris Jericho (14) Ivory (15) Albert (16) Hurricane Helms (17) Al Snow (18) Lance Storm
(19) Dallas Page (20) Torrie Wilson (21) Scotty Too Hotty (22) Stacy Keibler (23)
Christian (24) Test (25) Faarroq (26) Tazz (27) Hardcore Holly (28) The Big Valbowski
(29) Perry Saturn (30) No Pick due to Billy and Chuck being two wrestlers
WWF Raw: (1) The Undertaker (2) New World Order (Scott Hall, Kevin
Nash and X-Pac) (3) Kane (4) Rob Van Dam (5) Booker T (6) The Big Show (7) Bubba
Ray Dudley (8) Brock Lesnar (9) William Regal (10) Lita (11) Justin Bradshaw (12) Stevie
Richards (13) Matt Hardy (14) Raven (15) Jeff Hardy (16) Mr. Perfect (17) Spike Dudley
(18) D-Lo Brown (19) Shawn Stasiak (20) Terri (21) Jacqueline (22) Goldust (23) Trish
Stratus (24) Justin Credible (25) Big Bossman (26) Tommy Dreamer (27) Crash Holly
(28) Mighty Molly (29) No Pick due to New World Order’s three wrestlers (30) No Pick due
to New World Order’s three wrestlers

Triple H, the reigning World Champion, and Jazz, the Women’s World Champion, would
be available to work on both shows. Steve Austin was not available to be picked and
would remain a “free agent.”

At the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York, a live Raw saw a new set, a new attitude and a
new roster of competitors.

Wrestling / New World Order

Edit Locked

The New World Order (nWo) was a professional wrestling Power Stable that formed at WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-view in 1996.

WWE and WCW were embroiled in a ratings war which would be nicknamed the «Monday Night Wars.» Two of the biggest stars at the time were Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and Diesel (Kevin Nash). Both jumped ship to WCW, lured with the promise of lucrative contracts for less work. Hall and Nash debuted in ’96 under their real names and made it seem like they were not supposed to be there, even implying that they were moles sent by the WWF. The announcers dubbed them «The Outsiders.»

The main event of Bash at the Beach pitted the duo against three opponents, since their «third man» had yet to arrive. Late in the match, Hulk Hogan (who had signed with WCW two years earlier) came down the ramp, set on rescuing the WCW mainstays. However, in one of the biggest swerves in wrestling history, Hogan delivered a leg drop to one of The Outsiders’ opponents, a downed Randy Savage, becoming the villainous «Hollywood» Hogan in one of professional wrestling’s most infamous Face-Heel Turns.

Hogan risked a lot with that move: His image had been sullied enough as it was, thanks to the steroid case against Vince McMahon (in which Hogan was a star witness). But it added another dimension to his legacy, and jolted WCW to be #1 in the ratings. Nitro displaced Raw for 84 straight weeks, mainly on the strength of Hogan’s heel turn. There was even a point where WWF was seriously looking at bankruptcy.

With the addition of Hogan, The Outsiders created the New World Order, and from 1996-97 it was one of the most dominant stables in wrestling history, if not the most. They grew to over 20 members, and became as synonymous with wrestling as Nitro almost did. There was good and bad about it: good in that it made Hogan a more effective heel by having an army of guys protecting him from reprisals. Bad in that it was done to placate a bunch of guys who would have otherwise looked elsewhere for employment. (Along with a ton of lower card wrestlers who thought it was the only way they could get some kind of a push.) What made the nWo such an albatross is that there wasn’t really an end in sight. As James J. Dillon and others have said, even when they were selling out stadiums, you could see from the inside that WCW was falling apart.

The original run of the nWo ended in 1999. A reunion, nWo 2000, with Bret Hart as leader, was formed in December of that year; however, Hart left the group in January 2000 after suffering what ended up being a career-ending injury, after which the new group slowly disbanded. In February 2002, almost a year after WCW closed down, the original trio resurfaced in WWE, but Hogan would turn face again at WrestleMania X8 and get kicked out of the group. A small shuffle of members ensued, during which Hall was fired and Nash would suffer a legitimate quadriceps tear that put him out of action for nearly a year, after which the group was officially disbanded in July. After Hogan returned to WWE in 2014, the original trio would make sporadic appearances (in a non-match capacity), and in December 2019, it was announced that the nWo would be inducted into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame, with Hogan, Hall, Nash, and Sean Waltman as the inducted members.

The nWo should not be confused with the infamous conspiracy theory, the comic book Squadron Supreme: New World Order, or the music that plays in Danganronpa upon hearing an important revelation.

World Wrestling History

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NWA World Champions in WWE | How It Fared For 13 Former Champs

Winning the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship often cemented legacies in the annals of professional wrestling history. But what happened once former NWA World Champions jumped ship to the WWWF, WWF, or WWE? We examine just how much success these past champions had up north, compared to their successes found in the NWA. As you’ll find, many of these legends never saw the same height of success once under the thumb of Vince McMahon.

Map showing the location of many NWA wrestling territories. [Photo: March 1984 edition of the “Wrestling: King of Sports” newsletter, published by Joseph Shedlock out of Greensburgh, PA]

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1. Buddy Rogers

In 1961, Buddy Rogers won the NWA World Title from Pat O’Connor, ending a near 3-year reign for O’Connor.

Buddy Rogers as NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Although Rogers is recognized as a 500+ day champion, he lost the title to Killer Kowalski a few times in Montreal. Despite this, Northeast promoters refuse to acknowledge these title losses.

“Officially,” Buddy Rogers lost the belt to Lou Thesz in January of ’63.

After Thesz defeated Rogers for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, Northeast promoters Toots Mondt and Vince McMahon, Sr. withdrew their membership from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). Mondt and McMahon, Sr. felt Thesz wasn’t a strong draw in their territory. Therefore the WWWF billed ‘The Nature Boy’ Buddy Rogers as their first world champion after Buddy defeated Antonio Rocca in a fictional tournament in Rio De Janeiro.

Due to purported health issues, Buddy Rogers lost the WWWF title after 22 days, dropping the strap to Bruno Sammartino in a controversial 48-second match.

Bruno Sammartino wins the WWWF Championship for the first time after defeating Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds at Madison Square Garden on May 17, 1963. [Photo: Pro Wrestling Illustrated] His time in the WWWF may have been short, but Buddy Rogers will always be a part of wrestling history and recognized as the first-ever world champion in WWE history. He is also one of only three wrestlers in history to have won both the NWA and the WWE title. We will get to the other two later in this list.

2. Dory Funk Jr.

A one-time NWA World Champion, Dory Funk Jr. held the NWA title for well over four years, making Funk’s reign the second-longest in NWA history.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Dory Funk Jr.

After leaving the NWA, he spent the next decade and a half in All Japan Pro Wrestling.

In 1986, Dory moved over to the WWF to work alongside brother Terry and manager Jimmy Hart. Now going by the name “Hoss” Funk, his run in the WWF is largely forgettable.

Terry and Hoss Funk with manager Jimmy Hart.

At WrestleMania 2, the Funks teamed up to beat the Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana in one of the better matches that night.

Dory started teaming with kayfabe brother Jimmy Jack Funk soon after, feuding with the British Bulldogs. Dory had his final WWF match in August of ’87 – about half a year after his debut.

In the modern-day, he is mostly overshadowed by his younger brother Terry Funk, yet, Dory Jr. should be remembered for having a huge legacy of his own.

3. Terry Funk

The Funks are still, to date, the only brothers to hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Terry Funk.

These days, Terry Funk is regarded as a hardcore legend who sacrificed his body for pro wrestling. However, in 1975, outside of his father’s Western States Sports promotion in Amarillo, Texas, he was much less well-known, so putting the title on Funk would cement a new star.

Funk was champion for 14 months, defending the title across the United States, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Japan, and more – facing off against the likes of Giant Baba, Pat O’Connor, and Jack Brisco.

Like Dory Jr., he lost the belt to Harley Race in Toronto in February 1977.

Terry Funk first wrestled for the WWF in 1985 and ‘86, often teaming with the other Funks, Jimmy Jack and “Hoss.” Terry was a solid performer who feuded with JYD, competed in the Wrestling Classic tournament, and even had some WWF title matches against Hulk Hogan.

After having memorable runs in WCW, Japan, and NWA Eastern/ECW, Funk returned to the WWF in 1998 as Chainsaw Charlie. Here, he teamed with Cactus Jack to memorably be pushed off the stage whilst inside a dumpster. They also beat the New Age Outlaws at WrestleMania 14 for the WWF Tag Team titles.

Chainsaw Charlie and Cactus Jack.

Terry Funk talks about the inspiration behind his Chainsaw Charlie persona in his book, More Than Just Hardcore:

“I got ready for my big debut on Raw that Monday night in December,” Funk began. “The plan was for me to come out of a box. Bruce Prichard, one of the backstage guys, was describing to me what they wanted me to do.

“I said, ‘That’s it? You just want me to come out of the box?’

“‘Well, yeah,’ he said. ‘Just come out of the box. Do you want to come out as anything?’

“Before my brain could fully process the question, my lips blurted out, ‘Chainsaw Charlie! Get me a chainsaw, so I can go out there!’

“I can’t explain it. It just popped into my mind.

“They asked me what I wanted to wear and then got me some Levi jeans and a pair of suspenders. I already had a red shirt, so I kept that. Then, they got me a woman’s pantyhose stocking and some baby powder to put on my head, all at my request (what an idiot). I guess I could have just gone out there without anything over my head, but I wouldn’t have been Chainsaw Charlie with Terry Funk’s head, would I? I’d have been Chainsaw Terry!

“I came out of that box with my chainsaw and my stocking over my head, and the crowd, expecting some great surprise, let out a sound that seemed strangely reminiscent of escaping gas. I had visions of coming out to a tremendous roar, but that wasn’t exactly the reaction I got.”

Ultimately, Terry did not do a whole lot while with the WWF. He’d soon be off to spend the majority of the rest of his career on the independent circuit.

Along with his brother Dory Jr., Terry was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by his longtime friend, Dusty Rhodes. In 2013, Terry inducted Mick Foley into the WWE Hall of Fame.

4. Harley Race

Harley Race has his own special reserve in NWA history. The first recognized 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- and 8-time title-holder, Race was the first owner of the “10 Pounds of Gold” incarnation of the title belt. With all this, it is fair to say that Race carved out a huge legacy.

Holding the belt for a combined total of 1,801 days, simply put – Race was an icon of the National Wrestling Alliance.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race.

Coming off his revolutionary run in the NWA and a stint in the AWA, Race landed in the WWF in 1986.

In this era, the company generally did not acknowledge other companies’ existence, so it had to find another way of instantly getting Race over – the King of The Ring tournament.

After being crowned “King Harley” at the second-ever King of the Ring in 1986, he donned a cape and crown and entered the ring to the sound of “The Great Gates of Kiev.”

WWF Entrance Video for King Harley Race Featuring the Song, “The Great Gates of Kiev”:

Harley Race was now established as a threat to the top tier of babyfaces, forcing his opponents to bow to him or kiss his feet. With Bobby Heenan at his side, Race beat JYD at the historic WrestleMania 3 before moving on to rivaling with Hulk Hogan.

Unfortunately, Race received an injury when hitting a table during a brawl with Hogan. A visible scar on his chest appeared after the metal edge forced itself into the abdomen of the former ‘Handsome’ one. This hernia put Harley out of action for nearly a year, with Haku taking over as the WWF’s resident king.

Race fought the future Meng upon his return for the royal honor but lost. This was the end of Harley Race in the WWF as the pioneer of the diving headbutt moved to WCW soon after.

Fans look back and remember his tremendous body of work in the ring, his legendary backstage stories, and his managerial roles in WCW with the likes of Vader and Lex Luger.

5. Dusty Rhodes

The NWA’s biggest babyface Dusty Rhodes was a multi-time NWA World Champion, facing the top villains and fighting for justice. The ‘Common Man’ was just a blue-collar working Joe like the viewers, so Dusty endeared himself to the fans massively.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Dusty Rhodes. [Photo: f4wonline.com] As one of the hottest prospects of the ’70s and ’80s, Rhodes made himself a household name for his memorable ‘Hard Times’ promo, determined-spirit, and matches against the likes of Harley Race, Ric Flair, and Nikita Koloff.

Watch Dusty Rhodes Deliver His Famous “Hard Times” Promo:

A three-time NWA Champion (four including a run as the Midnight Rider), The American Dream was still hot when the WWF snatched him up in 1989.

Rhodes had previously worked in the WWF as a top challenger to then-WWF World Champion Billy Graham, but in 1989, he was portrayed very differently.

Seemingly as a punishment for becoming a top star everywhere else, Dusty was now a dancing goof, donned with polka dots for the kids. This rib from Vince McMahon did not let Dusty reach the top of the WWF, and he was used mainly as a mid-card talent.

Dusty Rhodes wearing polka dots while in the WWF.

After finishing a feud with the Honky Tonk Man, Dusty gained a manager in that of Sapphire. Rhodes and Sapphire teamed up to defeat Randy Savage and Sherri Martel at WrestleMania 6 in a mixed tag match.

Eventually, the Savage/Rhodes rivalry wrapped up (with Savage having won most of the matches), and the American Dream lost ‘Sweet’ Sapphire as the Million Dollar Man bought her out.

Dusty brought his son in afterward as he and a young Dustin Rhodes battled rivals Ted DiBiase and Virgil, culminating at the 1991 Royal Rumble before Dusty moved to WCW.

Whilst he was certainly popular, the WWF audience never truly got to see what could be achieved by 289-Pounds of Blue-Eyed Soul. Completely revamping Dusty into a comedic relief due to petty resentment, rather than making him a top star like he had been prior, was a missed opportunity. A certified main eventer in the NWA, a booker in WCW, and a legend in TNA and ECW – he never quite made it in WWE. However, he is rightfully treated like a deity in the years since being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, having an annual NXT tag tournament named after him, and having a gold statue created in his image.

6. Ric Flair

Ric Flair is the biggest star to ever come out of the NWA. With 14 documented title wins, Flair was the foil to almost every babyface that passed through.

14-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair. [Photo: f4wonline.com] Drawing wherever he went, Flair had a larger-than-life personality, astounding promo skills, and brilliant in-ring work. Whether he was main- eventing the first-ever wrestling pay-per-view (Starrcade), battling Ricky Steamboat in their epic trilogy, or dictating over the company in the Four Horsemen – Flair was the man; and in the NWA, to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.

After a disagreement with WCW booker Jim Herd, Flair jumped to the WWF in 1991, memorably bringing the Big Gold Belt NWA title along with him. He was immediately established as a top guy in the company.

Before 1992’s Royal Rumble, it was announced that the winner would win the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship. After entering at #3, the “Real World’s Champion” Ric Flair lasted just over an hour to become crowned the WWF World Champion.

In his book, To Be The Man, Flair mentioned that he didn’t know he would win the title until arriving at the arena the day of the event. He felt that he was brought in at #3 in a bid to showcase his skills and endurance to the WWF audience, who may not have watched his work in Jim Crocket Promotions/WCW.

Watch Ric Flair Celebrate his 1992 Royal Rumble WWF Championship Victory:

Flair would return to WCW in 1993 for eight years and later come back to the WWF on November 19, 2001, after an eight-month hiatus from the ring.

During this stretch, he was a member of Evolution and a constant presence until his «retirement» from wrestling in 2008.

Ric Flair as part of the WWE stable “Evolution” with Randy Orton, Triple H, and Batista. [Photo: The Sportster] By the end of his WWE run, Ric Flair was a two-time WWF/E Champion, a Royal Rumble winner, a three-time Tag Team Champion, an Intercontinental Champion, a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, the 13 th Triple Crown champion, as well as being honored with a bronze statue.

Flair’s legacy has since grown to celebrity status in a way that would not have been possible had it not been for his time in the WWF/WWE.

7. Kerry Von Erich

When one mentions wrestling families, the Von Erichs are sure to be high on that list. The Von Erichs became one of the most respected, beloved, and high-profile acts of the NWA, largely due to their rivalry with the Fabulous Freebirds.

One of the most popular and successful members of the family was Kerry Von Erich. The fans so revered the honorable Kerry that he instantly made whoever he was feuding with the company’s most hated wrestler.

Kerry’s biggest career highlight was on May 6th, 1984, when he defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a historic match in front of over 45,000 fans at Texas Stadium. Kerry’s victory was a tribute to his brother David, who had tragically died three months earlier. The arena erupted when Von Erich got the win, proving just how revered and respected the brother was.

Kerry Von Erich holds up a jacket honoring his brother David’s memory after becoming NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Kerry would drop the title back to Flair 18 days later in Yokosuka, Japan. This match had a controversial finish as Von Erich’s feet were on the bottom rope following a reversed roll-up, but the referee ignored this and made the count in Flair’s favor. Kerry has the 12th shortest NWA World Championship reign in history.

After finishing up his multi-company feud with Jerry Lawler, Von Erich moved on to the WWF, being redubbed “The Texas Tornado.”

Almost immediately, he won the Intercontinental Championship, defeating Mr. Perfect at SummerSlam 1990.

WWF Intercontinental Champion, Kerry Von Erich.

Holding the workhorse belt for three months, he eventually dropped it back to Perfect.

The ‘Modern Day Warrior’ had great performances at the next big four pay-per-views, but afterward, he began to freefall down the card.

After facing Ric Flair on UK house shows, Kerry had his first lopsided loss when squashed by the Undertaker in a sub-four-minute match. In little time, Kerry was put on the same card placement as the likes of Skinner, The Berzerker, and Colonel Mustafa before having his last pay-per-view match at 1992’s Royal Rumble. Von Erich was soon facing, and often losing to, low-card performers before exiting the company in 1992.

The former NWA Champion was originally pushed strong in the WWF before his personal demons led to them losing interest in him. Other factors working against Kerry include the stripping of his name (the very thing that made him famous) as well as a previous motorcycle incident that led to the amputation of his right foot in 1986. He was secretly working his entire WWF run with a prosthetic leg. Tragically, Von Erich would take his life only a year after his exit from the WWF – leaving behind a massive legacy as the face of WCCW but never reaching his full potential up north.

8. Ronnie Garvin

Ronnie Garvin is quite the oddity in terms of NWA World Heavyweight Champions. ‘Hands of Stone’ was a one-off transitional NWA champion in 1987.

Ronnie Garvin with the coveted “Ten Pounds of Gold” NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. [Photo: The Wrestling Insomniac] With that year’s Starrcade going up against Survivor Series, the NWA wanted to have Ric Flair win the world’s title at the company’s biggest event of the year, but the issue was that the ‘Nature Boy’ was already the champion. Nobody wanted to be the transitional champion at this time, so Garvin stepped in. Ronnie was 42 at the time and saw this as perhaps his final opportunity at a major title.

Ronnie would lose the strap two months later to Flair.

‘Rugged’ Ronnie Garvin debuted in the WWF in 1988 but was not used as if he was a world champion elsewhere. He would last less than three minutes in the 1989 Royal Rumble and would lose to Dino Bravo at WrestleMania 5 in just over 3 minutes. Afterward, Garvin moved onto the biggest feud of his WWF run against Greg Valentine.

“Rugged” Ronnie Garvin and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine had a fun feud in the WWF in 1989.

‘The Hammer’ would eventually defeat ‘Rugged’ Ronnie in a retirement match in April 1989, forcing Garvin into a role as a referee.

Ronnie Garvin would eventually be fired from his role as referee due to his physicality on the wrestlers.

Garvin returned to action at that year’s Survivor Series in a losing effort with his team.

At the 1990 Royal Rumble, Garvin emerged victorious over Greg Valentine in a submission match, thus putting an end to this feud. Garvin would leave the WWF in November 1990, amidst a feud with Rick Martel.

9. Barry Windham

Although he had previously wrestled in the WWF, it was the NWA where Barry Windham really made his name. As an integral member of the Four Horsemen, he is one of the most memorable wrestlers of that faction’s eclectic talent pool.

When Ric Flair left for the WWF, Barry became a solo star.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Barry Windham. [Photo: Scotts Blog of Doom!] At SuperBrawl III in 1993, Windham defeated The Great Muta to win the NWA World Title before losing it to a returning ‘Nature Boy’ five months later.

A few years later, Windham returned to the WWF for a third run.

Watch a WWF Debut Vignette for “The Stalker” Barry Windham:

Surprisingly depicted as a fan favorite, Windham only had a single pay-per-view appearance under this gimmick at Survivor Series 1996.

Goldust eliminated him in a match most memorable for the debut of Rocky Maivia (later known, of course, as The Rock).

After “The Stalker” experiment failed, Windham teamed up with Bradshaw to form the New Blackjacks to honor Barry’s father, Blackjack Mulligan.

In this role, the former Horsemen dyed his hair and mustache black. The duo had multiple tag title opportunities but to no avail. Eventually, Barry turned on JBL to join the short-lived Jim Cornette NWA faction before Windham left WWF months later.

Barry Windham and JBL (then known as Blackjack Bradshaw) as The New Blackjacks.

Barry Windham managed to stand out amongst some of the biggest wrestlers of the era in the NWA. However, the WWF just never seemed to know what to do with him.

10. Shane Douglas

Shane Douglas may be the shortest reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion, holding it for only a matter of minutes, but he is one of the most memorable and significant ones.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas. [Photo: WWE] Winning the vacant belt in a title tournament on August 27th, 1994, Douglas defeated Taz, Dean Malenko, and finally 2 Cold Scorpio to earn the strap before grabbing a microphone.

Douglas named former NWA Champions such as Ricky Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes, and Harley Race before claiming they can all kiss his ass and throwing down the belt. Stating he did not want to be the world champion of a «dead promotion,» he held up the ECW belt, declaring it a world title. The newly named Extreme Championship Wrestling became its own entity, breaking off from the National Wrestling Alliance.

Landing in the WWF in 1995, the mega-popular ECW star was now repackaged as Dean Douglas with a paddle-wielding teacher’s gimmick.

The former Dynamic Dude had actually wrestled for the WWF in 1990-1991 as Shane Douglas – a lower card babyface. The college dean was quickly placed in a feud with Razor Ramon, whom Dean beat at In Your House 3.

Likely the most memorable moment of Douglas’s WWF run, he was supposed to face Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 4. However, due to the Syracuse incident where several marines allegedly assaulted HBK, Michaels had to relinquish the belt to Douglas.

WWF Intercontinental Champion, Dean Douglas.

Dean lost it after 14 minutes after a controversial finish. Nonetheless, it was a win for Razor Ramon.

He was the first eliminated in his match at Survivor Series before slipping down the card. Eventually, a serious muscle spasm in his back was discovered, and despite doctors telling Vince McMahon of its severity, Vince tried to intimidate Douglas into denial. He would soon later be fired and has claimed he will never work with McMahon ever again. Douglas has often sighted The Kliq’s backstage politicking as something that hindered him and kept him down.

Today, Douglas is seen as one of the most integral wrestlers in ECW history and has had a popular run in WCW and later in TNA. His run in the Federation is generally regarded as one of the biggest wasted opportunities of a hot prospect elsewhere. Douglas proved you could be successful outside of WWE. He may not have been the greatest NWA champion, but he is certainly one of its historically significant titleholders.

11. Dan Severn

One of the most legit and toughest wrestlers of all time, Dan Severn was one of the first to cross over from the UFC, jumping between the octagon and the squared circle.

In 1995, Dan Severn won the NWA World Title, defeating Chris Candido in Smokey Mountain Wrestling.

Watch Dan Severn Become NWA World Heavyweight Champion Against Chris Candido on February 24th, 1995:

Holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for over four years, Severn had his own customized design. He fought in the UFC and WWF during this reign. He again won the belt in 2002, holding it for 80 days before being stripped of the title due to no-showing the inaugural NWA: TNA pay-per-view. Severn is significant for being the last pre-TNA NWA Champion.

Flanked by Jim Cornette, Dan ‘The Man’ Severn had a distinctive look and believably shoot-style. With a plain grey shirt, heavy theme song, and a plethora of titles (including the NWA title), he was presented as a huge deal with a huge impression.

Multi-World Champ, Dan Severn.

Debuting during the NWA invasion of WWF, he competed in WWE’s shoot-fight competition Brawl for All, disposing of The Godfather in the first round before withdrawing from the bracket to avoid ruining his reputation. Dan also competed in the King of the Ring tournament in 1998 (eventually won by arch-rival Ken Shamrock), losing to The Rock in the semi-finals.

During this time, he was unhappy with his booking, so ‘The Man’ threatened to shoot-win the Royal Rumble in 1999 (in other words, legitimately fight his way to a Royal Rumble win despite Vince McMahon being booked to win it).

This never happened, and Dan wasn’t around long after this. After being asked to get a 666 tattoo across his forehead as part of a pitch to join the Ministry of Darkness, Severn left after making only a small splash in the company.

A 1,479-day NWA World Champion, Severn was given very little to do in the WWF. As one of the first crossover stars from the shoot-fighting world to wrestling, he was utilized and portrayed as a legitimate badass in the NWA and SMW. Despite his success elsewhere, he never reached the same success in the WWF as shoot-fighters Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman.

12. Ron Killings

At NWA-TNA 8 on August 7th, 2002, Ron Killings defeated Ken Shamrock, thus becoming the first-ever, and to date, only recognized African-American NWA World Heavyweight Champion in history.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Ron “The Truth” Killings (R-Truth).

Having previously worked in the WWF as K-Kwik, Truth added some name value to the newly-founded company.

Aligned with Jeff Jarrett and Brian Christopher, ‘The Truth’ cut a savage heel promo on July 17, 2002 ‘s pay-per-view event, claiming he had been kept down due to his race.

Defeating Ken Shamrock at TNA’s 8 th weekly pay-per-view event, Truth went on to hold the belt for over 100 days, successfully defending the belt against Jerry Lynne, Scott Hall, and Curt Hennig. He would eventually lose the belt to Jeff Jarrett.

In 2004, Killings had another run with the strap, lasting 14 days, winning it from AJ Styles before dropping it again to Jarrett.

Killings returned to WWE in 2008 and was immediately placed into a lower card position, often contending for the United States, Intercontinental, or Tag Team titles.

As R-Truth, he had some big matches but never truly had a break until having a main event run in 2011 alongside The Miz, main- eventing for the WWE World Championship at Capitol Punishment, and main- eventing Survivor Series against John Cena and The Rock.

R-Truth stands tall over John Cena with the WWE Championship in 2011.

R-Truth became comedic fodder from then on, occasionally competing in significant multi-man matches and winning a few titles along the way – always staying a constant presence.

Having recently reinvented his character in the WWE 24/7 Championship scene, R-Truth has won the strap (as of writing) nearly 50 times. Despite his lack of serious gold, Truth has become a staple of the lower and mid-card and seems to have a job for life in the WWE.

Whilst he has never sustained a position as high up the card in the WWE, he has had a successful run, staying with the company for over ten years, and in that time, gaining a reputation as a reliable favorite of Vince McMahon’s.

13. AJ Styles

One of the biggest talents to come out of TNA/Impact Wrestling, AJ Styles made a huge impact (pun intended) on the wrestling world due to his fast-paced action and athleticism.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, AJ Styles.

With only three NWA Championship reigns, totaling over six months, he easily revolutionized wrestling – a large reason for a wrestling revolution in the 2000s.

Whether world champion or not, his clashes with Jerry Lynne, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels made AJ one of the biggest wrestlers on the planet, as well as firmly putting TNA on the map, and for a short period, a variable competitor to the WWE.

Shockingly debuting in WWE’s 2016 Royal Rumble, Styles went on to have one of the greatest debut years of any wrestler in the WWE – forming The Club, cleanly defeating John Cena, and winning the WWE Championship.

AJ Styles makes his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble.

After 140 days, Styles dropped the company’s top title but still stayed prominent on the card.

After two short reigns with the United States Championship, he won the WWE title again from Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown in the only recognized WWE Championship change outside North America.

AJ held this title for over a year, turning back challenges from Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Kevin Owens. Styles lost it after 371 days and has since gone on to hold the United States and Intercontinental titles and being trusted enough by Vince McMahon to end the Undertaker’s in-ring career.

A reliable performer, Styles may be the most successful indie darling to move over to the WWE.

‘The Phenomenal One’ has proved that it is possible in the modern era to crossover from enemy lines to WWE, opening the door for those who followed. Styles has overcome possible doubt or resentment to become one of the WWE’s biggest and most dependable wrestlers. He may not be the tallest or largest wrestler, but he has managed to keep himself important in the eyes of fans. It seems he is satisfied with his success in the WWE, soon planning to retire there, which would be a fitting end to the career of AJ Styles.

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New World Wrestling Federation Order

New World Order/New World Wrestling Federation Order

Statistics

Members

Name(s)

New World Wrestling Federation order

Debut

Years active

Promotions

The stable originated in the WWF with the gimmick of a group of unsanctioned wrestlers aiming to «take over» and control the WWF in the manner of a street gang. The nWo angle became one of the most influential forces in the mid-to-late 1990s success of the WWF and was instrumental in turning mainstream North American professional wrestling back into a more mature, adult-oriented product. Based on the Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi) invasion angle in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and fueled initially by the unexpected heel turn of Hulk Hogan, the nWo storyline is generally considered one of the most successful angles in the history of modern-day professional wrestling, spawning several imitations and parodies, including groups such as the bWo, lWo and jWo. The group dominated WWF programming throughout the late-1990s and continued its domination until the dissolution of the group in 2002, during which time there were several, sometimes rival incarnations of the group.

Contents

Concept

WWF Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff

The nWo storyline was an idea created by WWF Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff, whose inspiration for the angle came after attending New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Battle Formation show at the Tokyo Dome on April 29, 1996. The show was headlined by a NJPW vs. UWFi match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, as New Japan’s Shinya Hashimoto defeated UWFi’s Nobuhiko Takada. Bischoff wanted to do an invasion-type angle where WWF was being sabotaged by another wrestling group, initially insinuated as being the old guard of the WWF since it’s members were originally supposed to be WWF legends Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and King Kong Bundy. The nWo was originally portrayed as a separate entity from WWF. Often, propaganda-style vignettes and product commercials concerning the nWo were presented in the style of a broadcast signal intrusion, with a voice proclaiming, «The following announcement has been paid for by the New World Order». Others, such as Kevin Nash, chief WWF booker Vince Russo, head of talent relations «JR» Jim Ross, and even WWF owner Vince McMahon himself, all contributed their own ideas to the nWo concept.

History

Hulkamania returns to the WWF:’93,’96

On February 22, 1993, Hulk Hogan returned to the WWF after leaving due to intense public scrutiny in 1992.

Hogan Returns to WWF Raw in 1993

Hogan’s return to the WWF and debut on Monday Night Raw.

Hogan with a black eye.

Hogan went into the match sporting a cut above a black eye. The WWF used Hogan’s injury in a storyline that had DiBiase allegedly paying a group of thugs in a failed attempt to take Hogan out before WrestleMania.

A salty misfire by Mr Fuji. Fuji at WrestleMania IX

Later that night, Hogan won his fifth WWF Championship by pinning Yokozuna only moments after Yokozuna had defeated Bret Hart.

Hogan reacting to Bret’s King of the Ring victory.

It all culminated at Summerslam where the two would finally do battle. In a match that, to this day, is proclaimed to be the best match ever in pro wrestling history. Bret Hart delivered an amazing piledriver to Hogan and pinned him to become WWF champion.

Hulk Hogan returning at Wrestlemania XII

After Hogan’s return at Wrestlemania, WWF started to gain back some of their viewship from WCW. But eventually viewers were getting tired of Hogan and his gimmick as an real American that he had been doing for 13 years. Eric Bishoff would often sight this as for the reason for the formation of the nWo. «Since 1983 Hogan had been doing the same shtick for 13 years and fans were starting to get tired of it.» «I noticed a lot of the WWE fans were starting to boo me more and more as the months went on» Hogan said during a interview for a WWE produced documentary nWo: the revolution.

Meanwhile Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and Diesel’s (Kevin Nash) contract with the WWF were starting to end. Eric Bishoff after returning from the trip that would inspire the nWo, got wind of Hall and Nash’s contract ending and managed to convince Hall and Nash to stay with the WWF. «Bishoff told us about this idea for a new stable he had been dreaming of with both me and Kev(in Nash). I decided to stay cause of Bishoff’s idea.» Hall would tell during a interview for the WWE produced documentary nWo: the revolution.

Scott Hall as Razor Ramon

The only problem was too convince Hogan to turn heel for the very first time since 1983, but while Bishoff was trying to sway Hogan on the idea Scott Hall and Kevin Nash wrestled their final matches for the WWF as Diesel and Razor Ramon, After what seemed to be their final matches in the WWF Hall and Nash would stay off WWF tv for 4 months.

Kevin Nash as Diesel

Hostile takeover

_{Main Article: Summerslam}

The match McMahon promised, a six-man tag team match billed as the «Hostile Takeover match», was scheduled as the main event of Summerslam at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohioon August 18, 1996. Hall and Nash came to the ring by themselves, leaving speculation open as to who the third man was. Team WWF then entered with two members wearing WWF shirts. (Steve Austin wouldn’t wear his cause he ripped his on the Raw before Summerslam reasoning that «I don’t need no stupid shirt to wear for the crowd to know I’m apart of the WWF!»). Roberts was injured (kayfabe) shortly after the match began and had to be removed on a stretcher. The match reached its climax at approximately the sixteen-minute mark, shortly after a late tag from Austin to Hart. Hart went on the attack, nailing both Outsiders with repeated suplexes. However, while refereeEarl Hebnerchecked on a downed Hall, Hall grabbed his shirt while Nash nailed Hart with a low blow which knocked both men to the mat. With all four men down, Hebner had no choice but to begin counting them out as he did not see the low blow. As he began his count, the fans’ attention turned to the entrance area as Hulk Hogan entered and began walking to the ring to a loud roar from the crowd. Hall spotted him and immediately fled the ring. Hogan, who had not been seen on WWF television for some time, climbed into the ring to chase away Nash. Hogan walked to the nearest corner and performed his leg drop finisher on the fallen Hart. The Outsiders returned to the ring as Hogan hit another leg drop on his long-time ally and friend for a second time, then high-fived Hall and Nash, officially revealing himself to be their third team member. The official match result was a no contest.

The formation of the nWo.

After the match, «JR» Jim Ross, interviewed Hogan. During the interview, Hogan exclaimed, «Well, the first thing you gotta realize, brother, is this right here is the future of the World Wrestling Federation! You can call this the new world order of the WWF, brother!». Hogan’s statement gave the group its name – the New World Wrestling Federation Order.

Jim Ross: Hulk Hogan, excuse me! Excuse me. What in God’s name are you thinking?

Hulk Hogan: JR,the first thing you need to do is to tell these people to shut up if you wanna hear what I gotta say!

Ross: Now I haven’t been around much in your career but I do know that to join up with the likes of these two men absolutely makes me sick to my stomach! And I think that these people here (points to the crowd) and a lot of other people around the world have had just about enough of this man (pointing at Nash), this man (pointing at Hall), and you want to put yourself in this group? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

Hogan: Well, the first thing you gotta realize, brother, is this right here is the future of the World Wrestling Federation! You can call this the new world order of the WWF, brother!

Ross: (pointing at the debris on the mat):Look at all of this crap in this ring! This is what’s in the future for you Hogan, if you wanna join the likes of Raz- (Hall grabs Ross by the collar) Sc. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash!

Hogan: As far as I’m concerned, all this crap in the ring represents these fans out here! For two years, brother! For years, I held my head high! I did everything for the charities! I did everything for the kids! And the reception I got when I came out here, you fans can stick it, brother! Because, if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, you people wouldn’t be here! If it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon would be still selling meat from a truck in Connecticut! And, if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, all these johnny-come-latelies that you see out here, wrestling wouldn’t be here! I was selling out the world, brother, while they were bumming gas to put in their car to get to high school! So the way it is now, brother, with Hulk Hogan, and the new world organization of wrestling, brother, me and the new blood by my side. whatcha gonna do, brother, when the new world organization runs wild on you?

Hogan, Hall, and Nash then attacked Jim Ross while Vince McMahon and Jerry the king Lawler watched from their commentary table at ringside. The show closed with the three wrestlers continuing to taunt the fans, who booed and pelted them with garbage. Wrapping up the event on pay-per-view, a still-stunned and battered Jim Ross said: «Hulk Hogan, you can go to hell. Straight to hell»! The night after Summerslam, Hall and Nash appeared on Monday Night Raw without Hogan, attempting to attack Steve Austin, Jake Roberts, and the Undertaker, but were held back by WWF security. Hogan returned the next week on Raw and assisted Hall and Nash in beating up Manknid and WWF champion Shawn Micheals during Raws main event. He then made a challenge to then reigning WWF champion and recent victim of his attack, Shawn Michaels for In Your House.

WWF champion Shawn Michaels

The Beginning: ’96-98

The Winged Eagle belt spray painted with the nWo logo.

Within two days of Hollywood Rules, Ted DiBiase made his second WWF return, declared himself the financier of the nWo, and was given the nickname «Trillionaire Ted». On the September 2 episode of Raw, the nWo got its first defection from WWF as Mark Henry attacked Marty Jannette and Mankind. As In Your House 11: Buried Alive was drawing closer, WWF was preparing for another battle against the nWo. On the September 9 episode of Raw, the nWo tricked fans and wrestlers into thinking that the Undertaker had had joined the nWo by putting wrestler Brian Lee into the group as a Taker clone, complete with the Undertaker’s attire. This point was furthered when Lee, as the fake Undertaker attacked a fan (actually just an actor in the crowd) and ring announcer Howard Finkel. Going into the match, only three wrestlers on each side had been officially named: Hogan and The Outsiders for the nWo, with Shawn Micheals, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Owen Hart for Team WWF. Undertaker had originally been named the fourth man for WWF, but his participation was in doubt. The fourth man for the nWo was indeed the fake Undertaker, who convinced everyone (including the broadcast team) that the real Undertaker was nWo. However during a Buried Alive match between the real Undertaker and Mankind, the nWo Undertaker came out and attacked the Undertaker costing him the match by throwing him into a grave located near the entrance way. It seemed the real Undertaker was defeated but as both nWo Undertaker and Mankind were leaving lighting struck the grave, and the real Undertaker’s hand busted through the dirt and reached out seemingly to the fans.

Undertaker’s hand busting through the dirt covering the Undertaker

Undertaker’s hand busting through the dirt covering the Undertaker

Having now been revealed as a fake, the nWo Undertaker would later help the nWo beat Team WWF. With that, The Undertaker would later «return from the grave» following the supposed burial at In Your House, and continue his storyline against Mankind and Paul Bearer, including a match at the subsequent In Your House show where he defeated the Executioner in a Armageddon Rules match. The nWo stepped up its efforts to try and recruit Sting, yet never removed the fake Undertaker from the group. As Undertaker’s character and look evolved, so too did Lee’s nWo Undertaker character. On the Raw after In Your House the nWo inducted its fifth official member into the group, announcer Jerry «the king» Lawler joined the group for protection against Jake «the snake» Roberts and Mark Henry who Lawler had been in a rivalry with at the time.

Jerry Lawler was the fifth person to join the nWo.

In October, the nWo debuted a returning Ted DiBiase as the financier of the nWo. Sunny turned against The Smokin’ Gunns and joined the group as Hogan’s valet. In the storyline, WWF only recognized Hogan, Nash, and Hall as WWF employees due to their holding WWF championships, and the other nWo members went unrecognized as WWF employees; because of this, they were unable to wrestle other WWF wrestlers. This led to the nWo starting a segment on WWF Superstars, called nWo Superstars where nWo stable members wrestled local jobbers. The nWo also used their «financing» to purchase ad time during WWF programming, which amounted to low budget anti-WWF propaganda, or «hijack» the broadcast signal.

World Championship Wrestling

Тед Тёрнер (1988-2001)
Макмэн, Винс (2001-наст. время)

Turner Broadcasting System (1988-1996)
Time Warner (1996-2001)
WWE (2001-наст. время)

Чемпионат мира по рестлингу (англ. World Championship Wrestling ) — профессиональный рестлинг-промоушен в США, существовавший c 1988 по 2001 год. Базировалась в Атланте, штат Джорджия. Истоки федерации исходят от компании Jim Crockett Promotions, владелец которой, Джим Крокетт скупивший ряд региональных рестлинг-промоушенов и насобирав долг в более чем десяти миллионов долларов, продал активы своей компании Теду Тернеру, владельцу компании TBS. После чего была переименована в World Championship Wrestling.

Содержание

Организация

Штаб-квартира WCW находилась в городе Атланта, штат Джорджия. С момент основания до продажи компании в 2001 году ею руководил Тед Тёрнер.

Мероприятия проходили несколько раз в неделю: по понедельниками они именовались как Monday Nitro, по четвергам — Thunder, по субботам — Saturday Night.

История

WCW была основана в 1991 году на базе одного из отделений федерации NWA. До 1993 года её рестлеры ещё выступали в боях против бывших «коллег» из NWA, но с августа 1993 года WCW окончательно стала независимой организацией. Её популярность держалась на борцах, пришедших из федераций ECW, WWF и NWA, а также своих звездах — Стинге, Голдберге, и др.

Почти все топ-бойцы были разделены по группировкам: NWO (New World Order — «Новый мировой порядок»), Wolfpack («Волчья стая»), LWO (Latin World Order — «Латиноамериканский мировой порядок»), «The New Blood» («Новая кровь»), «Filthy Animals» и т. д. [1]

На протяжении всего времени своего существования WCW пыталась абстрагироваться от своих конкурентов — NWA и WWF. Федерации постоянно искала деньги на погашение долгов перед телевидением, и для привлечения новых зрителей сталкивала «плохих» (NWO Hollywood) и «хороших» (nWo Wolfpack) рестлеров в боях и всевозможных стычках за рингом. Однако, федерация совершила ошибку, увольняя проигравших рестлеров, а на освободившиеся деньги нанимая новых — молодых и недорогих. Самые рейтинговые бойцы начали покидать WCW, и доходы компании падали. Владельцы промоушена продали WCW хозяину WWF Винсу МакМэну. Сама же WCW прекратила свое существование в ноябре 2001 года.

Ранняя История

Руководство

Эрик Бишофф и Винс Русо

WCW в других СМИ

Приобретение WWF

Разыгрываемые титулы

В федерации разыгрывались титулы чемпионов мира в тяжёлом, среднем и лёгком весе, а также пояса чемпионов в командном бое, интерконтинентального и телевизионного чемпионов, чемпионов США.

Известные бойцы

В боях под эгидой федерации неоднократно принимали такие известные рестлеры как Халк Хоган, Кевин Нэш, Скотт Холл, Стинг, Брет Харт, Крис Бенуа, Даймонд Даллас Пейдж, Билл Голдберг, Гигант, Крис Джерико, Рей Мистерио, Сид Вишес, Эдди Герреро, Билли Кидман, Скот Штайнер, Стив Остин, Ренди Севедж, Скотт Нортон, Лекс Люгер, Бам Бам Бигелоу, Рик Флэр.

World Championship Wrestling

Тед Тёрнер (1988-2001)
Макмэн, Винс (2001-наст. время)

Turner Broadcasting System (1988-1996)
Time Warner (1996-2001)
WWE (2001-наст. время)

Чемпионат мира по рестлингу (англ. World Championship Wrestling ) — профессиональный рестлинг-промоушен в США, существовавший c 1988 по 2001 год. Базировалась в Атланте, штат Джорджия. Истоки федерации исходят от компании Jim Crockett Promotions, владелец которой, Джим Крокетт скупивший ряд региональных рестлинг-промоушенов и насобирав долг в более чем десяти миллионов долларов, продал активы своей компании Теду Тернеру, владельцу компании TBS. После чего была переименована в World Championship Wrestling.

Содержание

Организация

Штаб-квартира WCW находилась в городе Атланта, штат Джорджия. С момент основания до продажи компании в 2001 году ею руководил Тед Тёрнер.

Мероприятия проходили несколько раз в неделю: по понедельниками они именовались как Monday Nitro, по четвергам — Thunder, по субботам — Saturday Night.

История

WCW была основана в 1991 году на базе одного из отделений федерации NWA. До 1993 года её рестлеры ещё выступали в боях против бывших «коллег» из NWA, но с августа 1993 года WCW окончательно стала независимой организацией. Её популярность держалась на борцах, пришедших из федераций ECW, WWF и NWA, а также своих звездах — Стинге, Голдберге, и др.

Почти все топ-бойцы были разделены по группировкам: NWO (New World Order — «Новый мировой порядок»), Wolfpack («Волчья стая»), LWO (Latin World Order — «Латиноамериканский мировой порядок»), «The New Blood» («Новая кровь»), «Filthy Animals» и т. д. [1]

На протяжении всего времени своего существования WCW пыталась абстрагироваться от своих конкурентов — NWA и WWF. Федерации постоянно искала деньги на погашение долгов перед телевидением, и для привлечения новых зрителей сталкивала «плохих» (NWO Hollywood) и «хороших» (nWo Wolfpack) рестлеров в боях и всевозможных стычках за рингом. Однако, федерация совершила ошибку, увольняя проигравших рестлеров, а на освободившиеся деньги нанимая новых — молодых и недорогих. Самые рейтинговые бойцы начали покидать WCW, и доходы компании падали. Владельцы промоушена продали WCW хозяину WWF Винсу МакМэну. Сама же WCW прекратила свое существование в ноябре 2001 года.

Ранняя История

Руководство

Эрик Бишофф и Винс Русо

WCW в других СМИ

Приобретение WWF

Разыгрываемые титулы

В федерации разыгрывались титулы чемпионов мира в тяжёлом, среднем и лёгком весе, а также пояса чемпионов в командном бое, интерконтинентального и телевизионного чемпионов, чемпионов США.

Известные бойцы

В боях под эгидой федерации неоднократно принимали такие известные рестлеры как Халк Хоган, Кевин Нэш, Скотт Холл, Стинг, Брет Харт, Крис Бенуа, Даймонд Даллас Пейдж, Билл Голдберг, Гигант, Крис Джерико, Рей Мистерио, Сид Вишес, Эдди Герреро, Билли Кидман, Скот Штайнер, Стив Остин, Ренди Севедж, Скотт Нортон, Лекс Люгер, Бам Бам Бигелоу, Рик Флэр.

World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)

World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)

Promotion:

Brand:

Date created:

Date retired:

Most reigns:

First champion(s):

Contents

History

In August 2002, after Brock Lesnar won the WWE Undisputed Championship (the main championship in World Wrestling Entertainment, defended on the RAW and SmackDown! brands), he signed an exclusive contract to appear and defend the Undisputed Championship on the SmackDown! brand only, thus leaving the RAW brand without a major championship. Following Lesnar’s actions, RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff introduced the World Heavyweight Championship and commissioned it to be the main title for the RAW brand. This new championship was represented by the Big Gold Belt, an iconic wrestling belt that previously represented the NWA Championship, and later the WCW Championship. He awarded the championship to Triple H citing the fact that he was «the last man to wear the belt,» in reference to Triple H being the last person to physically hold the Big Gold Belt during his reign as Undisputed Champion while it was still represented by two belts. Months later, the Big Gold Belt was replaced with a new similar belt that features the WWE logo at the top of the front plate.

Following the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship and the creation of a new separate set of tag-team belts for SmackDown!, the two sets of tag-team titles were renamed to mirror those of the top titles. The original WWE World Tag Team Championship for RAW simply became known as the World Tag Team Championship, while the new tag-team titles for SmackDown! became known as the WWE Tag Team Championship. When the two top titles switched shows, neither of the tag-team belts were renamed.

With the WWE 2005 Draft, the two top belts effectively switched shows, with WWE Champion John Cena, moving to RAW as the first pick in the draft and World Heavyweight Champion Batista moving to SmackDown!. In the four-week interim period between the first and last draft picks, RAW had both of the top belts while SmackDown! had neither, prompting SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long to attempt to introduce a third top belt, the «SmackDown! Championship», only for it to be deemed unnecessary when Batista was drafted to SmackDown!.

After the WWE 2008 Draft, the WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown, returning the WWE Championship to the SmackDown brand. On June 30, 2008, CM Punk used his Money in the Bank contract for a World Heavyweight Championship match against the World Heavyweight Champion Edge. This was done after Punk was drafted to Raw from the ECW brand. Punk defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship, moving the title to the Raw brand. The title remained on Raw until February 15, 2009 at No Way Out, when Edge won an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship. However, with Edge being a member of the SmackDown brand at the time, the title was moved to SmackDown. On April 5 at WrestleMania XXV, the title returned to Raw after John Cena, a member of the Raw brand, defeated Edge and The Big Show in a Triple Threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship. However, less than a month later at Backlash, Edge defeated Cena, bringing the title back to SmackDown. When Jack Swagger, who was at the time a member of the Raw roster, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho on the April 2, 2010 episode of SmackDown, the belt remained exclusive to the SmackDown brand, and Swagger was transferred to the SmackDown roster.

On August 29, 2011, the brand extension was effectively ended, and all WWE programming became «Supershows» featuring the entire roster. With that, the World Heavyweight title (along with every other championship in WWE) became available for all wrestlers to compete for, and was defended on all shows.

On December 15, 2013, WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion John Cena at the TLC PPV in a TLC match to unify the titles. With that Orton was recognized the final World Heavyweight Champion, and the next day title was officially retired by WWE. The championship belt was still in use as a component of the newly renamed WWE World Heavyweight Championship until it was retired on the August 18, 2014 edition of RAW.

Lineage and terminology

Officially, according to World Wrestling Entertainment’s website, WWE’s position regarding the history of the belt is that the World Heavyweight Championship is a new title and not the same championship as the WCW or NWA titles before it, and that the championship does not inherit the title history of the two belts. However, it has been made clear that it is the successor to both titles.

Despite this position, WWE announcers occasionally make allusions to the World Heavyweight Championship’s history as far back as 1904, a reference to Georg Hackenschmidt’s World Title reign, as well as that of the NWA and WCW titles.

For instance, on January 13, 2006, Batista was forced to drop the World Heavyweight Championship due to legitimate injury. In his speech, he included Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes in his short list of previous holders of the belt. However, while Flair and Rhodes are former WCW and NWA champions, Flair has never held WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship and Rhodes has never won a singles title in WWE at all.

Then on December 6, 2006, WWE.com announced the temporary retirement of The Big Show. In the statement it said that The Big Show is the only wrestler to hold the WWE Championship, ECW Championship and World Heavyweight Championship.

Perhaps adding to the confusion is due to the fact that WWE often uses the term «world championship» or «world heavyweight champion» in general for all acknowledged World Championships rather than WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship in particular. Ric Flair, for instance, is touted as a 16-time world champion, referring to him winning the respective World Titles in the NWA, WCW, and WWE. Similar title count amalgamations have been made for other wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, and Triple H. In WWE’s tribute to Triple H’s ten reigns, he is listed as the first World Heavyweight Champion.

On September 19, 2010, Kane became the first person to hold the WWE Championship, ECW Championship and World Heavyweight Championship.

Reigns

The inaugural champion was Triple H, and there have been 25 different official champions overall. The longest reigning champion was Batista who held the title from April 3, 2005 to January 13, 2006 for a total of 282 days. Triple H holds the record for longest combined reigns at 617 days. The shortest reigning champion was Big Show who officially held the title for 45 seconds. The youngest champion was Randy Orton, who won the title of the age of 24. The oldest champion is The Undertaker who won at the age of 44. Edge has held the title the most times with seven championship reigns.

Randy Orton was the final champion in his fourth reign. He defeated John Cena in a TLC match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2013 on December 15, 2013 in Houston, Texas to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships.

World Championship Wrestling

Тед Тёрнер (1988-2001)
Макмэн, Винс (2001-наст. время)

Turner Broadcasting System (1988-1996)
Time Warner (1996-2001)
WWE (2001-наст. время)

Чемпионат мира по рестлингу (англ. World Championship Wrestling ) — профессиональный рестлинг-промоушен в США, существовавший c 1988 по 2001 год. Базировалась в Атланте, штат Джорджия. Истоки федерации исходят от компании Jim Crockett Promotions, владелец которой, Джим Крокетт скупивший ряд региональных рестлинг-промоушенов и насобирав долг в более чем десяти миллионов долларов, продал активы своей компании Теду Тернеру, владельцу компании TBS. После чего была переименована в World Championship Wrestling.

Содержание

Организация

Штаб-квартира WCW находилась в городе Атланта, штат Джорджия. С момент основания до продажи компании в 2001 году ею руководил Тед Тёрнер.

Мероприятия проходили несколько раз в неделю: по понедельниками они именовались как Monday Nitro, по четвергам — Thunder, по субботам — Saturday Night.

История

WCW была основана в 1991 году на базе одного из отделений федерации NWA. До 1993 года её рестлеры ещё выступали в боях против бывших «коллег» из NWA, но с августа 1993 года WCW окончательно стала независимой организацией. Её популярность держалась на борцах, пришедших из федераций ECW, WWF и NWA, а также своих звездах — Стинге, Голдберге, и др.

Почти все топ-бойцы были разделены по группировкам: NWO (New World Order — «Новый мировой порядок»), Wolfpack («Волчья стая»), LWO (Latin World Order — «Латиноамериканский мировой порядок»), «The New Blood» («Новая кровь»), «Filthy Animals» и т. д. [1]

На протяжении всего времени своего существования WCW пыталась абстрагироваться от своих конкурентов — NWA и WWF. Федерации постоянно искала деньги на погашение долгов перед телевидением, и для привлечения новых зрителей сталкивала «плохих» (NWO Hollywood) и «хороших» (nWo Wolfpack) рестлеров в боях и всевозможных стычках за рингом. Однако, федерация совершила ошибку, увольняя проигравших рестлеров, а на освободившиеся деньги нанимая новых — молодых и недорогих. Самые рейтинговые бойцы начали покидать WCW, и доходы компании падали. Владельцы промоушена продали WCW хозяину WWF Винсу МакМэну. Сама же WCW прекратила свое существование в ноябре 2001 года.

Ранняя История

Руководство

Эрик Бишофф и Винс Русо

WCW в других СМИ

Приобретение WWF

Разыгрываемые титулы

В федерации разыгрывались титулы чемпионов мира в тяжёлом, среднем и лёгком весе, а также пояса чемпионов в командном бое, интерконтинентального и телевизионного чемпионов, чемпионов США.

Известные бойцы

В боях под эгидой федерации неоднократно принимали такие известные рестлеры как Халк Хоган, Кевин Нэш, Скотт Холл, Стинг, Брет Харт, Крис Бенуа, Даймонд Даллас Пейдж, Билл Голдберг, Гигант, Крис Джерико, Рей Мистерио, Сид Вишес, Эдди Герреро, Билли Кидман, Скот Штайнер, Стив Остин, Ренди Севедж, Скотт Нортон, Лекс Люгер, Бам Бам Бигелоу, Рик Флэр.

World Wrestling History

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