History of WWE
Founded | January 7, 1953 |
---|---|
Style | Professional wrestling Sports entertainment |
Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut |
Founder(s) | Jess McMahon or Vincent J. McMahon |
Parent | Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. (1953–1982) Titan Sports, Inc. (1982–1999) World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (1999–2002) World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (2002–2023) TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (2023–present) |
Formerly | Capitol Wrestling Corporation World Wide Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment |
The history of American
WWE is the largest pro wrestling promotion 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 sports entertainment. WWE airs several high-profile programs, such as Raw and SmackDown, in more than 150 countries, hosts at least 12 pay-per-view events a year including its flagship event "WrestleMania", and holds approximately 320 live events a year throughout the world. In 2014, WWE launched the first 24/7 streaming network which would eventually showcase the entire WWE video library.[1]
In 2023, Endeavor, the parent company of mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship, and WWE merged the two companies into a new parent company, TKO Group Holdings. WWE and UFC continue to operate as separate divisions of the company with WWE focusing on professional wrestling and UFC focusing on mixed martial arts.
Capitol Wrestling Corporation
Early years (1953–1963)
WWE's origins can be traced back as far as the 1950s when on January 7, 1953, the first show under the
The rest of the NWA was unhappy with McMahon and Toots Mondt because he rarely allowed Rogers to wrestle outside of the Northeast. Mondt and McMahon wanted Rogers to keep the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but Rogers was unwilling to sacrifice his $25,000 deposit on the championship belt (championship holders at the time had to pay a deposit to insure they honored their commitments as champion). Rogers lost the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Lou Thesz in a one-fall match in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on January 24, 1963, which led to Mondt, McMahon, and the CWC leaving the NWA in protest, creating the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the process.[9][10]
World Wide Wrestling Federation
Rise of Bruno Sammartino (1963–1980)
The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was formed on January 24, 1963. On April 25, 1963, Buddy Rogers was awarded the new WWWF World Heavyweight 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.[11]
Sammartino would retain the title for seven years, eight months and one day (2,803 days), making his the longest continuous
The WWWF was relatively conservative for promotions of its day; running its major arenas monthly rather than weekly or bi-weekly.
WWWF held their then-major event
Toots Mondt left the WWWF in the late sixties, and Vincent J. McMahon assumed complete control of the organization in 1971.
World Wrestling Federation
Golden Era (1980–1993)
In 1980, Vincent K. McMahon, the son of Vincent J. McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc. and applied trademarks for the initials "WWF". Two years later in 1982, McMahon purchased Capitol Sports, the parent company of the WWF, from his father and associates Gorilla Monsoon and Arnold Skaaland.[23] Seeking to make the WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the world, he began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the industry.[24] In an interview with Sports Illustrated, McMahon noted:
In the old days, there were wrestling fiefdoms all over the country, each with its own little lord in charge. Each little lord respected the rights of his neighboring little lord. No takeovers or raids were allowed. There were maybe 30 of these tiny kingdoms in the U.S. and if I hadn't bought out my dad, there would still be 30 of them, fragmented and struggling. I, of course, had no allegiance to those little lords.[24]
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 the WWF to be a national wrestling promotion, something the NWA did not approve of. He withdrew his promotion from the NWA, much like the American Wrestling Association, which controlled the upper Midwest. To become a national promotion, the WWF would have to become bigger than the 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.[25] McMahon signed Rowdy Roddy Piper as Hogan's rival, and shortly afterward signed Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Other significant wrestlers who were part of the roster included: Big John Studd, André the Giant, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "The Magnificent" Don Muraco, Junkyard Dog, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and Nikolai Volkoff. In 1984, Hogan was pushed to main event status. He defeated WWF World Heavyweight 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 professional wrestling.[26]
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 engage in direct competition with the WWF.[citation needed] The increased revenue allowed McMahon to sign more talent, such as Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Butch Reed, and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.
However, for McMahon to truly turn WWF into a national promotion, he needed to have WWF touring the entire United States.[
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 inside 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 almost 20 different languages.[citation needed]
Perhaps the peak of the 1980s wrestling boom was
Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior on 7 March 1989 at the El Paso Civic Center for a video-taping of a WWF "Superstars of Wrestling" event. McMahon's focus on entertainment rather than giving his product a legitimate sports feel, the policy that became the concept of
New Generation Era (1993–1997)
In 1991, it was reported that
With business down in 1992 because of bad press from the steroid scandal, Vince McMahon began pushing younger talents into the spotlight over the next several years. By mid-1993, Bret "Hit Man" Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Lex Luger, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Crush, Tatanka and others all became the stars of what the WWF eventually branded as the "New Generation".[citation needed] Hulk Hogan would leave the company in the summer of 1993 and Hart would become one of the most popular stars of this period until his departure in 1997.[citation needed]
Meanwhile, competition between the major wrestling companies increased. In January 1993, WWF created their prime time cable TV program
By mid-1996, with the introduction of the
Attitude Era (1997–2002)
In 1997, Vince McMahon responded to WCW's big success by taking the WWF in a different direction with more realistic characters and edgier storylines. Rising stars included the
In 1997, McMahon also informed Bret Hart that he could no 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 the WWF World Heavyweight 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 a promoter.[citation needed]
Following Hart's departure, the company implemented a heavy push of popular anti-hero character Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose popularity was rising and was similar to Hulk Hogan's popularity in the 1980s. During an angle involving Mike Tyson at WrestleMania XIV in March 1998, Austin became WWF Champion by beating Shawn Michaels, giving rise to the Austin era and the despotic Mr. McMahon character, which began a long-lasting feud with Austin; this feud would be very important in the WWF turning the tides in the ratings war with rival company WCW. Later in the year, new talent began to emerge for WWF: The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley, and Kane strengthened WWF's singles division, while stables such as D-Generation X and the Nation of Domination helped the fight against rival company WCW.
WWF head writer
WWF rebounded in its ratings and popularity, with Raw Is War finally beating Nitro for the first time in 84 weeks on April 13, 1998. Ratings would continue to rise through 1998 and 1999; a 12-minute match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker drew a 9.5 rating on June 28, 1999. It currently stands as the highest-rated segment in Raw history.[43]
The Attitude Era saw WWF expand its television coverage and its business structure, as well. During the summer of 1999, 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 $17 each,[44] and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2000.[45]
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 was a failure, having only lasted a single year before closing its doors.[citation needed]
Head writer
Prior to WrestleMania 2000, the McMahon family had gone into an on-screen rivalry with each other for the first time, setting up the "McMahon in Every Corner" four-way elimination main event between Big Show (managed by Shane McMahon), The Rock (managed by Mr. McMahon), Triple H (managed by Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley), and future WWF Commissioner Mick Foley (managed by Linda McMahon). Triple H won after Mr. McMahon turned on The Rock and thus retained the WWF Championship.[47] This was historically significant as the first time a heel wrestler had won the main event of Wrestlemania.
Stone Cold Steve Austin would make his return to the company at
The Invasion and the nWo (2001–2002)
In the Invasion storyline,
On July 9, 2001, the stars of WCW and
Eventually, Vince McMahon brought back Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall to reunite the
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
Ruthless Aggression Era (2002–2008)
In 2002, the World Wrestling Federation lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF trademark.[51] The World Wrestling Federation was forced to rebrand itself and changed its business name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on May 6, 2002.[52] The company also dropped its "WWF Attitude" moniker that same day and shortly thereafter, it eliminated all elements that used the Federation; this affected licensed merchandise such as action figures, video games, and home video releases with its previous logo, which was replaced by a new "scratch" logo with only the two letters W and a red scar at the bottom of the logo. However, the older “Block” logo, which the company was no longer using at the time of the legal dispute and the full-length "World Wrestling Federation" name can be used by WWE when referencing history.[53] During this time, the company launched WWE Studios, which was originally formed as WWE Films.[54]
On June 24, 2002, episode of Raw, Vince McMahon officially named the new era "Ruthless Aggression".
After the company transitioned into its Ruthless Aggression era, this period still featured many elements of its predecessor the
In August 2002,
Triple H, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista were part of the villainous stable Evolution, who were prominently featured between 2003 and 2005 until their eventual break-up.[64] Beginning in early 2005, the popularity of Batista would soar much like Cena's, winning the 2005 Royal Rumble and the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21 from Triple H. Later in 2005, Batista would go on to defeat Triple H in a highly acclaimed Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance.[65] Although Batista would have major success in the months following his championship win, he would suffer an injury in early 2006 and miss that year's WrestleMania. After returning and eventually winning another world championship, at WrestleMania 23 in 2007, Batista would defend the title against The Undertaker in a classic encounter, though he lost the match.[66] However, Batista defeated The Undertaker at Cyber Sunday. Cena and Batista would not face each other for the first time until SummerSlam in 2008, with Batista winning.
Rising star
Money in the Bank (2005)
The concept for the Money in the Bank match was introduced in March 2005 by
Return of ECW (2006–2010)
By 2004, WWE began reintroducing
On June 13,
PG Era (2008–2014)
In the summer of 2008, WWE began distancing itself from the edgier content of years past, going with a more conservative approach. On July 22, 2008, all WWE programming transitioned to a PG television rating, with the 2008
Also in 2009, D-Generation X reunited to feud with the villainous stable The Legacy a group consisting of Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr. and their leader Randy Orton.[79] D-Generation X would later win the unified WWE tag team titles from Chris Jericho and The Big Show in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.[80] A rivalry between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy in 2009 over Hardy's real-life drug addiction issues received critical acclaim, and after Punk forced Hardy to storyline quit the WWE, Punk would form the villainous stable Straight Edge Society that would feud with fan-favorite Rey Mysterio throughout 2010.[81]
At WrestleMania XXVI in 2010, veteran wrestler Shawn Michaels retired following a loss to The Undertaker. 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.[82]
The year 2011 saw a highly acclaimed feud between the company's two most high-profile superstars at that point, John Cena and CM Punk. Their match at Money in the Bank on July 17, 2011, was named one of the greatest matches in WWE history. Punk, who had become a top star during the summer of 2011 due to his infamous "pipe bomb" promo, would hold the WWE Championship for 434 days before losing to The Rock in 2013 at the 2013 Royal Rumble, a reign recognized by WWE as the sixth-longest championship reign of all time and the longest in 25 years.[83]
The Rock defended the championship until he was defeated by John Cena at
Launch of NXT (2010)
On February 23, 2010, WWE launched a new program on Syfy called NXT.
Bryan was later rehired due to fans' outrage over his firing and joined Team WWE against Team Nexus in the
Reality Era (2014–2016)
In 2013, Daniel Bryan became one of the most popular wrestlers in the company. On several occasions, fans would begin hijacking segments in which Bryan was either not involved in, or involved only secondarily, with his "Yes!" chant.
Lesnar would then defeat John Cena at SummerSlam to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[97] This was seen as the end of Cena's position as the face of WWE, a position Cena had held since 2005. Lesnar would go on to be featured as the most dominant wrestler of this era.[98][99] The introduction of the WWE Network and the WWE Performance Center were also major breakthroughs during this period. On a "Stone Cold Podcast" episode that aired on the WWE Network in 2015, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin both stated that "kayfabe has died" in modern WWE. Triple H also acknowledged that fans nowadays are more knowledgeable about the behind-the-scenes workings of WWE, as well as have more influence on the company than ever before.[100][101][102]
The Triple Threat match at the
WCW legend Sting, who had previously been dubbed the "greatest wrestler to never wrestle in WWE",[106] made his debut at the 2014 Survivor Series and had his first-ever match in WWE at WrestleMania 31 against Triple H, a match he would lose. Also at WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins became the first person to cash in a Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania when he did so during the main event match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship, with Rollins successfully winning the title. The event has since then been famously dubbed "the heist of the century" in the WWE.[107][108] WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas (billed as Dallas) garnered the largest crowd to ever attend a WWE event, surpassing a disputed 100,000 attendees. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Triple H to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship despite a segment of the WWE fans pushing back on Reigns' push from the company in the lead-up.[109] The Authority officially disbanded on May 1, 2016.[110]
New Era (2016–2021)
The 2016
The
Women started to participate in matches that, before then, were male-only, like the
At
WWE would go on to establish
WrestleMania 36 became the first WrestleMania to be taped with no attendance, as opposed to airing live, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shown on two nights of April 4 and April 5 respectively. In the main event of Night 1, The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in a Boneyard match, which was well-praised, and later in November 2020 confirmed to be Undertaker's final match.[128][129] In the main event of Night 2, Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship in a match critically panned for its short length.[130] Despite having no attendance due to the circumstances, WrestleMania 36 was the most-viewed event in WWE history, with a record 967 million views combining both nights across the company's digital and social platforms.[131][132]
On July 2, 2020, the WWE purchased rival turned partnered-wrestling promotion Evolve and acquired all their wrestling talents and rights.[133] WWE held the inaugural NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver April 7 and April 8, 2021, as a two-night event.[134]
COVID-19 and the ThunderDome (2020–2021)
In March 2020, WWE began to be impacted by the
Live broadcasts returned on April 13, with the existing arrangements continuing; WWE stated to ESPN.com that "we believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times", and that the company's programming "bring[s] families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance".[138][139] It was subsequently reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had deemed WWE a business critical to the state's economy, and had added an exception under the state's stay-at-home order for employees of a "professional sports and media production" that is closed to the public and has a national audience.[141][142] The decision was met with criticism from media outlets, with several media outlets pointing out that DeSantis' actions happened on the same day a pro-Donald Trump political action committee led Linda McMahon, who was previously a part of Trump's cabinet, pledged to spend $18.5 million in advertising in Florida, and that, also on the same day, Vince McMahon was named part of an advisory group created by Trump to devise a strategy in re-launching US economy.[143][144][145][146]
On April 15, WWE announced a series of cuts and layoffs in response to the pandemic, including releasing a number of personnel. WWE executives also took a pay cut, and the company has also suspended construction on its new headquarters for at least six months.[147] The firings released significant backlash with both fans; with Business Insider calling them "livid." Both fans and several media outlets pointed out that while WWE claimed that these actions were "necessary due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic". The WWE also claimed to have "substantial financial resources. Available cash and debt capacity currently total approximately $0.5 billion". DeSantis' claimed WWE was "essential", which meant that the company's revenues loss would be limited.[143][148] Beginning in August, WWE moved its events to a new virtual crowd and arena staging, a bio-secure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome. The ThunderDome allowed fans to attend events virtually for free and be seen on the nearly 1,000 LED boards within the arena.[149] WrestleMania 37, held in April 2021, would be WWE's first major event to be held outside of the ThunderDome and with live fans allowed back in the arena, though to a limited capacity, with the tagline "Back in Business!", the event being held over two nights with a disputed combined attendance of 51,350 people.[150] The period between the start of the pandemic and before WrestleMania 37 has sometimes been referred as the "ThunderDome Era".[151][152]
Post-COVID-19 period (2021–2023)
With COVID-19 restrictions being gradually lifted during the first half of 2021, WWE returned to having live crowds. For
At Night 1 of
WWE also began heavily pushing
Leadership changes (2022–2023)
On June 17, 2022, amidst an investigation by WWE's Board of Directors into reported "hush money" paid to a former employee by Vince McMahon following an affair, Mr. McMahon stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE and was replaced by his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, as the interim chairwoman and CEO of WWE.[162][163] Despite the change Vince McMahon came out on WWE SmackDown that night opening the show with a brief speech, the highlights of which "then, now, forever and most importantly together" was quoted by various news media as Vince letting people know that he is still in creative control from behind the scenes.[164][165] On July 22, 2022, Vince McMahon officially announced his retirement on Twitter, saying, "At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together."[166] Following Vince's retirement announcement, Stephanie McMahon was officially named chairwoman while she and Nick Khan were named Co-CEO of WWE.[167] Triple H would take over as head of creative, while resuming his position as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.[168] Commentators have highlighted the significance of Vince McMahon's retirement, saying that it marks the start of a new period in WWE's history.[169][170][171][172][173][174][175] The 2022 SummerSlam event held on July 30, 2022, was the first WWE pay-per-view event to be held under the leadership of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.[176][177]
On August 18, 2022; WWE Hall of Famer
Acquisition of WWE by Endeavor (2023)
On April 3, 2023; WWE and Endeavor reached a deal under which WWE would merge with
Emanuel stated that this merger would "bring together two leading pureplay sports and entertainment companies" and provide "significant operating synergies".[187] Vince McMahon stated that "family businesses have to evolve for all the right reasons", and that "given the incredible work that Ari and Endeavor have done to grow the UFC brand — nearly doubling its revenue over the past seven years — and the immense success we've already had in partnering with their team on a number of ventures, I believe that this is without a doubt the best outcome for our shareholders and other stakeholders."[186]
TKO
WWE under Endeavor after the formation of TKO (2023–present)
The merger between WWE and UFC into TKO Group Holdings (TKO) was completed on September 12, 2023.[193] Although the company's legal name remained World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC, it remained united with UFC as part of the new entity "TKO". As part of the deal WWE and UFC remained separate divisions of the new entity featuring Professional Wrestling and Mixed martial arts respectively.[194][195] The first WWE show under the Endeavor regime was the September 12, 2023 episode of NXT which opened with Ilja Dragunov defeating Wes Lee in a singles match, and in the main event Becky Lynch defeated Tiffany Stratton to win the NXT Women's Championship.[196] The first WWE pay per view under TKO was NXT No Mercy on September 30, 2023.[197] Popular wrestler CM Punk returned to WWE in late 2023 and in his first match upon return he defeated Dominik Mysterio at WWE MSG Show on December 26, 2023.[198]
On January 23, 2024 Dwayne Johnson, also known as "The Rock" joined the TKO Group Holdings board of directors.[199][200][201] Three days later on January 26 Vince McMahon once again resigned due to further sexual misconduct allegations, with Ari Emanuel obtaining greater control as the new Chairman of TKO.[202]
On April 1, 2024, Triple H stated that WWE had entered "another era".
Other
Death of Owen Hart
On May 23, 1999, Owen Hart fell to his death in
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.[209]
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.[210]
Hart was transported to
Legends program and the WWE Hall of Fame
The Legends program began informally with the return of the
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:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last night on Monday Night Raw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, now some 26 hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit's name tonight. On the contrary, tonight's show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you.
Following the double-murder suicide committed by Chris Benoit, the
Social media and WWE HD
In January 2008, WWE began broadcasting in high-definition, beginning with the January 21 episode of Raw, while the 2008 Royal Rumble was the first pay-per-view event presented in HD.[213][214]
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.[215][216] Despite a heightened popularity the site was shut down on January 1, 2011, and has since replaced with WWE InterAction.[217] 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".[218]
In July 2012, WWE made an investment of $5 million into Tout,[219] and a month later released an official app.[220] In 2013, WWE's main Twitter account was cited as one of the top 25 most engaged brands on the website.[221] In 2014, WWE launched WWE SuperCard, a trading card app game, which was downloaded 1.5 million times in the first week of its launch.[222]
WWE Network
In September 2011, WWE officially announced plans to launch the WWE Network in time for WrestleMania XXVIII.[223][224] WWE's official website featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1, 2012[225] however, the clock was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised.
At the
Despite #CancelWWENetwork[229] 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 its continued growth, reaching 1 million subscribers the very same week.[230][231]
Move to Peacock
In 2021, WWE announced that
After a transitional period, the standalone WWE Network ceased operations in the United States on April 4, 2021.[233] Not all content was available at launch, as the service's library is being audited to meet NBCUniversal standards and practices[235] Due to Peacock's heavy censorship policy, the company began to achieve much criticism among the fans and critics alike, especially after Peacock's removal of some of the contents that were considered iconic moments of the Attitude Era that were deemed inappropriate by Peacock, these archived contents would no longer be available under any of WWE's authorized platforms.[236][237] Peacock would also gain extensive control over WWE's newer contents making them more family-friendly and politically correct.[238][239] Amdist the criticisms, in April 2021 WWE executive Triple H defended WWE's move to Peacock.[240] After numerous technical difficulties in viewing Money in the Bank via Peacock in July 2021, several fans and critics called for WWE to cancel their partnership with Peacock.[241]
Pink Ribbon campaigning
Starting in October 2012, WWE formed a partnership with
Backstage harassment
Throughout the late 2010s, notably in 2017 WWE became embroiled in scandals concerning the company allowing certain employees to harass others, such as
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