SUMMARY
- If there's one promotion every pro wrestling enthusiast will most probably be aware of it's WWE.
- Ever since its inception, WWE has been the fan-favorite promotion for lovers of professional wrestling.
WWE is considered to be at the absolute peak in terms of companies in the pro wrestling industry. Due to the kind of consistency the promotion has maintained for decades, it truly deserves it. In fact, this commitment to work is probably the biggest reason behind the success of this organization.
The Stamford-based promotion has achieved a lot of success, and it is only growing with the passage of time. But despite all this popularity, fans always remain doubtful about the meaning of the company’s name, WWE.
Even though some fans remain confused about WWE’s meaning, it’s not that difficult to understand. The word by which the promotion is globally- known stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. In fact, their product also stands true to this, as they entertain the enthusiasts of professional wrestling.
WWE was previously known as WWF
WWE is currently in one of its best times in terms of fanbase and business, and it’s true that the promotion’s present name has played a major role in it. But World Wrestling Entertainment wasn’t the first name of this company, as the promotion was previously known as the WWF.
Its full form was the World Wrestling Federation, and the company was known by this name ever since Vince McMahon took over the organization in 1979. After this, the promotion continued to grow under this name, and it was in 1993 that Kennedy introduced Monday Night RAW.
Following the success RAW obtained, Vince launched the Attitude Era, which saw the rise of a lot of legendary pro wrestlers. The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and Kurt Angle were some of the biggest stars to come out of that golden period of time.
Due to continuous efforts by Mr. McMahon, and his vision of making it an entertainment-based thing, the company got mainstream attention. But after making such a name for the promotion as WWF, the veteran had to change the name of his organization to WWE, which was surely a tough pill to take for Vince.
What was the reason behind the company’s name change?
A lot of people already know that WWE was previously named WWF, but not many are aware of the reason behind this name. So let’s take a deep look into the circumstances that forced Vince and the Stamford-based promotion for this move.
It all started in 1994, when Titan Sports was the parent company of the World Wrestling Federation. The company had an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund for the usage of the term WWF, as both of them had been using it since 1979. Under that deal, it was decided that the pro wrestling organization would minimize the name’s usage in broadcasts and promotions, but things got worse.
In 1999, Titan Sports was renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc., and it went public with an initial public offering of $172.5 million. Due to this, in 2000, The World Wildlife Fund filed an appeal in the United Kingdom, citing violations of the agreement they signed.
The UK court agreed that the WWF violated the agreement, and it eventually led to the change of name for the Stamford-based promotion. On May 5, 2002, it was announced that the company was taking ‘F’ out of their name and changing all their products to WWE. (Via: ATLETIFO)
Since that day, the organization has been run under the same name, and Vince McMahon was the supreme leader of the company. But this changed in September 2023, as WWE and UFC merged into the TKO Group, and with 51% stakes, Endeavor became the major stakeholder of the Triple H-led promotion.
Even after this agreement, Vince was still involved on the TKO board, but the s*x trafficking allegations led to his resignation. In fact, now is the first time in decades that no-one from the McMahon’s is a part of the promotion.