WWE & Cfo$
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is the largest and most valuable wrestling promotion in the world and has expanded beyond professional wrestling into film, football, and other business ventures, including the licensing of its intellectual property to other companies to produce video games and action figures. WWE is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of The WME Group.
As in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE does not promote a legitimate sporting contest but rather entertainment-based, athletic mock combat performance theater, featuring storyline-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches. However, matches often include moves that put performers at risk of serious injury or death if not performed correctly. The predetermined nature of professional wrestling was publicly acknowledged by WWE in 1989 to avoid regulation by athletic commissions. WWE markets its product as "sports entertainment", acknowledging professional wrestling's roots in competitive sport and dramatic theater.
The promotion traces its origins to the formation of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), founded in 1953 by Jess McMahon or Vincent J. McMahon as a Northeastern territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Following a booking dispute, CWC left the NWA and rebranded to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in April 1963. The promotion shortened its name to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. In 1982, Titan Sports, founded by Vincent K. McMahon (commonly known as Vince McMahon) and Linda McMahon, acquired the company from Vincent J. McMahon. Under Vince's leadership, the WWF expanded from a regional promotion into the dominant force in professional wrestling and a global entertainment company. The company played a major role in bringing professional wrestling into mainstream popular culture through periods such as the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection, the Attitude Era, and the development of WrestleMania into the world's largest annual professional wrestling event. Following a trademark dispute with the World Wildlife Fund, the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002, and adopted the initials WWE as its primary branding in 2011.
WWE's main roster is divided into two touring brands, Raw and SmackDown. Its developmental brands, NXT and Evolve, are based at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The promotion's programming is available in more than one billion homes worldwide in 30 languages and its global headquarters is located in Stamford, Connecticut, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, and Munich.
In January 2023, WWE began to explore a sale of the company, amid allegations of misconduct involving Vince McMahon, which had previously led to his resignation as chairman and CEO. In September 2023, WWE merged with Zuffa, the parent company of mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to form TKO Group Holdings, publicly traded company majority-owned by Endeavor Group Holdings. McMahon initially served as executive chairman of TKO, and WWE's legal name was changed to World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC. In 2024, McMahon resigned from TKO amid a sex trafficking scandal and was replaced as executive chairman by Ari Emanuel.
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