World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc Biography

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc

. (WWE) is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major

revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. Founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1952,

it is currently the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world, reaching 13 million viewers in the U.S. and broadcasting its shows

to more than 145 countries.17. Like other professional wrestling promotions, WWE's shows do not feature legitimate sporting contests.

Instead, its programs feature storyline-driven combat sport matches with predetermined outcomes and fighting maneuvers that are worked, all

promoted as legitimate bouts.18.
Vince McMahon is the majority owner, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Together with his wife Linda McMahon, and

their children Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon, the McMahons hold approximately 70% of WWE's economic interest and 96% of the voting

power in the company. The company's headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, London,

Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, and Mumbai.19.110. The company previously bore the names, World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), World Wrestling

Federation (WWF) and World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. Since 2002, the company has been recognised as World Wrestling Entertainment.

This was later simplified to WWE in 2011.

Capitol Wrestling Corporation (1952-1963)

Roderick James "Jess" McMahon was a successful boxing promoter who began working with Tex Rickard in 1926. With the help of Rickard, he began

promoting boxing at the third Madison Square Garden. A few years prior, professional wrestler Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt had created a new

challenge of professional wrestling that he called “Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling”. He convinced wrestler Ed Lewis and his manager Billy

Sandow to implement this new solution into the wrestling industry. Following this, he formed a promotion with both men and persuaded many

wrestlers to sign contracts with their Gold Dust Trio. After much success, a disagreement over power caused the trio to dissolve and, with

it, their promotion. Mondt later formed partnerships with several other promoters, including Jack Curley in New York City. Mondt eventually

took over the New York wrestling scene, due to the fact Curley was dying, with the aid of several bookers, one of whom was Jess McMahon.
Together, McMahon and Mondt created the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. (CWC), which later joined the National Wrestling Alliance in 1953.

In November 1954, Jess McMahon died and Ray Fabiani, one of Mondt's associates, brought in Vincent James McMahon.112. McMahon and Mondt were

very successful and soon controlled approximately 70% of the NWA's booking, largely due to their dominance in the heavily populated Northeast

region. In 1963, McMahon and Mondt left the NWA and created the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).

World Wide Wrestling Federation (1963-1979)

In early 1963, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was formed by McMahon and Mondt, following a dispute with the NWA over "Nature Boy"

Buddy Rogers being booked to hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.113. Both men left the company in protest following the incident and

formed the WWWF in the process, awarding Rogers the new WWWF World Championship in April of that year. He lost the title to Bruno Sammartino

a month later on May 17, 1963, after suffering a heart attack shortly before the match.
The WWWF operated in a conservative manner compared to other pro wrestling territories;114. it ran its major arenas monthly rather than

weekly or bi-weekly, usually featuring a babyface champion wrestling various heels in programs consisting of one to three matches.115.

Although business was initially rather strong, crowds in Madison Square Garden fell off due to a lack of television exposure. After gaining a

television program deal and turning preliminary wrestler Lou Albano as a manager for Sammartino’s heel opponents, the WWWF was doing sell out

business by 1970.
Mondt left the company in the late sixties and although the WWWF had withdrawn from the NWA, Vince McMahon, Sr. quietly re-joined in 1971. At

the annual meeting of the NWA in 1983, the McMahons and WWF employee Jim Barnett all withdrew from the organization.113. In March 1979, for

marketing purposes, the World Wide Wrestling Federation was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).116.

Current champions

Main article: List of current champions in WWE

Championship	Current champion(s)	Date won	Event	Previous champion(s)
WWE Championship	John Cena	April 7, 2013	WrestleMania 29	The Rock
World Heavyweight Championship	Alberto Del Rio	June 16, 2013	Payback	Dolph Ziggler
Intercontinental Championship	Curtis Axel	June 16, 2013	Payback	Wade Barrett
United States Championship	Dean Ambrose	May 19, 2013	Extreme Rules	Kofi Kingston
Tag Team Championship	The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins)	May 19, 2013	Extreme Rules	Team Hell No
Divas Championship	AJ Lee	June 16, 2013	Payback	Kaitlyn

Other accomplishments

Accomplishment	Latest winner	Date won
Royal Rumble	John Cena	January 27, 2013
Money in the Bank (WWE Championship)	John Cena	July 15, 2012
Money in the Bank (World Heavyweight Championship)	Dolph Ziggler	July 15, 2012

Developmental territory champions

Championship	Current champion(s)	Date won	Event	Previous champion(s)
NXT Wrestling
NXT Championship	Bo Dallas	May 23, 2013	NXT	Big E Langston
NXT Tag Team Championship	The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper)	May 2, 2013	NXT	British Ambition[citation needed] (Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey)