Popularity Of World Wrestling Entertainment and It's Status
| Type | Public (NYSE: WWE) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional wrestling, sports entertainment |
| Founded | 1952 (as CWC), incorporated in 1980 (as Titan Sports) |
| Founder(s) | Roderick McMahon Toots Mondt |
| Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Vince McMahon (Chairman & CEO) George Barrios (CFO) Donna Goldsmith (COO) John Laurinaitis (Executive Vice President, Talent Relations) Stephanie McMahon-Levesque (Executive Vice President, Creative Development & Operations) |
| Revenue |  $109.6 million (Q3/2010) |
| Operating income |  $20.3 million (Q3/2010) |
| Profit | $14.3 million (Q3/2010) |
| Total assets | $422.7 million (Q3/2010) |
| Total equity | $328.3 million (Q3/2010) |
| Employees | 585 (as of February 2010, excluding wrestlers) |
| Website | Official Site Corporate WWE Web Site |
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) (NYSE: WWE) (previously known as Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd, Titan Sports Inc. and World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.) is a publicly traded, privately controlled sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. It is currently the largest professional wrestling company in the world, reaching 14.4 million viewers in the U.S. and broadcasting its shows in 30 languages to more than 145 countries. It promotes under two brands, known as Raw and SmackDown.
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 Executive Vice President of Talent and Creative Writing, Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, 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 Los Angeles, New York City, London, Tokyo, Toronto, and Sydney. WWE holds an extensive library of videos, representing a significant portion of the visual history of professional wrestling.
The company began as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd in 1953, which promoted under the banner of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In 1982 it was sold to the same family's Titan Sports Inc. company, which later changed its name to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc., before finally becoming World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. in 2002.
Brand Extension-
In March 2002, roughly two months before the name change, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, Raw and SmackDown! due to the overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline. This is known as the WWE Brand Extension. Despite much of the originally drafted talent departing by 2004, WWE has continued to separate the shows, taking on more younger talent, and holds a Draft Lottery every year. On May 26, 2006, WWE announced the relaunch of Extreme Championship Wrestling as a WWE brand. The new ECW program aired internationally and on Tuesday nights on Syfy in the United States until February 16, 2010.
Wellness Program-
Following the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit, Congress began a federal investigation into steroid use in the wrestling industry.
The Talent Wellness Program is a comprehensive drug, alcohol, and cardiac screening program initiated in February 2006, shortly after the sudden death of one of their highest profile talents, thirty-eight year old Eddie Guerrero. The policy tests for recreational drug use and abuse of prescription medication, including anabolic steroids. Under the guidelines of the policy, talent is also tested annually for pre-existing or developing cardiac issues. The drug testing is handled by Aegis Sciences Corporation. The cardiac evaluations are handled by New York Cardiology Associates P.C.
After the double murder and suicide committed by one of its performers, Chris Benoit, with a possible link to steroid abuse given by WWE, the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform requested that WWE turn over any material regarding its talent wellness policy.
In August 2007, the program was defended by WWE and its employees in the wake of several illegal pharmacy busts that linked WWE performers to steroid purchases even after the policy was put into place. Ten professional wrestlers were suspended for violating the Wellness Policy after reports emerged they were all customers of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida. According to a statement attributed to WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt, an eleventh wrestler was later added to the suspension list.
On the other hand, because of the Wellness Policy, physicians were able to diagnose one of its performers with a heart ailment that otherwise would have likely gone unnoticed until it was too late. In August 2007, then-reigning United States Champion Alvin Burke, Jr. (better known under his ring name Montel Vontavious Porter) was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which if gone undiagnosed can be potentially fatal. The ailment was discovered while MVP was going through a routine Wellness Policy checkup.
On September 13, 2010, WWE updated their list of banned substances to include muscle relaxers.
List of current champions in World Wrestling Entertainment-
The Miz is in his first reign as WWE Champion.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut. Title reigns are either determined by professional wrestling matches or are awarded to a wrestler, as a result of the culmination of various scripted story lines. WWE assigns its employees onto two programs or divisions known as WWE Brands. The two brands and programs are Raw and SmackDown. Every month there is one pay-per-view produced by WWE. Currently there are four active singles championships, one active tag team championship, and a championship for the female wrestlers. Seven wrestlers currently hold the championships. The list includes the number of times the wrestler has held the title, the date and location of the win, and a description of the winning bout. The following is correct as of November 27, 2010.
At the top of WWE's championship hierarchy, the WWE Championship is currently held by The Miz while Kane is the current holder of the World Heavyweight Championship. The Miz is in his first reign as WWE Champion, having defeated the former champion Randy Orton after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on the November 22 episode Raw. Kane, who is in his first reign as World Heavyweight Champion, won the championship on July 18, 2010, defeating the former champion Rey Mysterio after cashing in his Money in the Bank Briefcase.
Champions-
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw brand | |||||||
| WWE Championship |  | The Miz | 1 | November 22, 2010 | 5 | Orlando, Florida | Defeated Randy Orton after cashing in his "Money in the Bank" briefcase on the November 22 episode of Raw. |
| WWE United States Championship |  | Daniel Bryan | 1 | September 19, 2010 | 69 | Rosemont, Illinois | Defeated The Miz at Night of Champions. |
| SmackDown brand | |||||||
| World Heavyweight Championship |  | Kane | 1 | July 18, 2010 | 132 | Kansas City, Missouri | Defeated Rey Mysterio at Money in the Bank after cashing in the briefcase, which he won previously that night. |
| WWE Intercontinental Championship |  | Dolph Ziggler | 1 | July 28, 2010 | 122 | Laredo, Texas | Defeated Kofi Kingston on SmackDown. Aired on tape delay on August 6, 2010. |
| Dual-branded | |||||||
| WWE Tag Team Championship |   | The Nexus (Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel) | 1 | October 25, 2010 | 33 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | "Defeated" fellow Nexus members John Cena and David Otunga on Raw. |
| WWE Divas Championship | |||||||
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Natalya 1 November 21, 2010 6 Miami, Florida Defeated Team Lay-Cool (Michelle McCool and Layla) in a 2-on-1 handicap match at Survivor Series.
The two secondary titles in WWE are the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE United States Championship. The WWE Intercontinental Championship is currently held by Dolph Ziggler who is in his first reign after defeating Kofi Kingston on July 28, 2010, at the tapings of the August 6 edition of SmackDown. Daniel Bryan is the reigning WWE United States Champion, and is in his first reign after defeating The Miz at Night of Champions. Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel of The Nexus are the current holders of the WWE Tag Team Championship. They are in their first reign after "defeating" the former champions John Cena and David Otunga at Raw in Green Bay, WI on October 25, 2010.
There is one championship that is challenged by WWE Divas. Natalya is presently in her first reign as WWE Divas Champion as a result of defeating Michelle McCool and Layla in a 2-on-1 handicap match at Survivor Series.
Wrestling merchandise from WWEShop.com includes a huge variety of WWE DVDs, action figures, accessories & more at everyday low discounted prices.
New Generation-
The logo used from 1994 to 1998, during the "New Generation" era.
The WWF hit a low point in the wake of allegations of steroid abuse and distribution made against it in 1994; there were also allegations of sexual harassment made by WWF employees. McMahon was eventually exonerated, but it was a public relations nightmare for the WWF. The steroid trial cost the WWF an estimated $5 million at a time when revenues were at an all-time low. To compensate, McMahon cut the pay of both wrestlers and front office personnel – close to 40% in the latter case (and about 50% for top level managers such as Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart, who both left). This helped drive many WWF wrestlers to its only major competition, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), between 1994 and 1997. During this period, the WWF promoted itself under the banner of "The New WWF Generation," featuring Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker. In an effort to promote them and other young talent as the new superstars of the ring, the WWF began to play on the age restrictions which former WWF wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage (who by now were working for WCW) now faced. This is best seen in the "Billionaire Ted" parodies of early 1996 (a reference to WCW's owner and patron, media mogul Ted Turner) which culminated in a "rasslin'" match during the warm-up to WrestleMania XII.
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