Have you ever thought about how WWE was started?
Like?
WWE History: The beginning of WWE, when did the first fight happen in the history of WWE? Who founded WWE in the beginning. Whether the fights are real or fake that you watch on your TV?
If not, then by the end of this post you will have all the info about the WWE’s epic History.
We have also made a detailed video on “WWE History“. You can watch video episode below:
- How WWE was started?
- Different Eras of WWE.
- How you can join WWE- Qualifications and other requirements to join WWE
And also the most commonly asked question, i.e. Is WWE scripted or real?
WWE History: How WWE Started?
Let’s begin with WWE history, how WWE gradually evolved with time, what were its earlier names, which was the first fight, and more.
The Background Behind WWE Evolution
WWE has its existence since 1952, and Jess McMahon initially founded it. It was formed as CWF, i.e., Capitol Wrestling Corporation (Yes, that was the initial name of WWE). Later, it was renamed WWWF, i.e., World Wide Wrestling Federation; This was when J McMahon inherited his father’s business. In 1979 it was again renamed as WWF, i.e., World Wrestling Federation by Vincent J. McMahon.
The name WWE evolved as the company lost a lawsuit brought over the initials by World Wildlife Foundation in 2002. The name WWE (i.e. World Wrestling Entertainment) was made official on 6th May 2002.
Undoubtedly WWE is the most successful professional wrestling promotion.
Over the past several years, WWE has promoted prominent wrestlers like the great Undertaker, Randy Orton, John Cena, and much more and gave wrestling fans the best experience of watching iconic matches and exciting moments. WWE offers its fans with weekly events like SmackDown, RAW, and NXT across 150+ countries. It organizes several PPVs in a year, including popular ones like WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, etc..
WWE introduced its first-ever 24/7 streaming network in 2014, which will showcase the complete WWE video library.
Era’s Of Wrestling World
Now let’s know about different Era’s in the WWE history.
Ruthless Aggression Era
The Ruthless Aggression Era ended in 2008 as WWE stopped focusing on edgier content and started showing family-friendly content. For WWE fans, it was known as the PG era.
In the Ruthless Aggression Era, World Champions were Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, The Undertaker, John Cena, Rob Van Dam, and King Booker.
Some other superstars of this Era were Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Kane, and The Miz.
Talking about the PG Era, World Champions in this Era were: John Cena, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and The Undertaker.
Some other superstars of this era were Kofi Kingston, Jhon Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin.
The Reality Era
In 2011 the Reality Era marked its beginnings. In this era, the company focused on real-life events changing things and forming a storyline. Superstars who emerged as the face of this era were Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. World Champions of this Era were John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio.
In 2016 the New Era began as women were pushed to the forefront for the first time in the history of WWE.
RAW and SmackDown had their own championships and became two different brands in 2016.
Transition Era
This Era began in 1979 and ended up in 1982. Son of Vincent J. Mcmahon formed Titan Sports Inc, and he also looked to get trademarks for WWF initials.
The Golden Era
The Golden Era existed from 1982 to1993. After losing the lawsuit in May 2002, the company realized that they now have the opportunity to shift their focus to entertainment. The company announced that the company name and wrestling promotion name will now be known as WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment.
WWE History: First Brand Split
WWE witnessed its first brand split in 2002 and it lasted till 2011. Here you can read about the brand split in detail.
WWE History: First Brand Split 2002-2011
WWE decided in March 2002 that they will be forming two different rosters now. Each group will have wrestlers coming in one of the programs, i.e., either RAW or SmackDown. For setting the rosters, every year draft lottery was conducted. The first draft was used to figure out the initial opening roster and the subsequent drafts for the rosters of the main show.
The brand split ended in 2011. In Aug 2011, in the episode of Monday Night RAW, it was announced that it would be featuring wrestlers from both SmackDown and RAW, and the show will be known as RAW Supershow.
Championships were earlier exclusive to the one show, but it was available for wrestlers of any show to fight for it after the end of the brand extension.
The company builds WWE Performance Center, a sports medicine and training facility, in 2013.
Talking about NXT, Full Sail is its home base. In the past years, it has grown, and in 2019 it was made official that NXT will have a weekly two-hour live show on Wednesday.
The second brand split took place in 2016, which is continued to date.
WWE officially announced in 2016 that brand extension got relaunched and termed it as New Era. With this extension, RAW and SmackDown started featuring their rosters, commentators, ropes, and championships. A draft was conducted in which it was finalized which wrestler will get to appear at what event.
WWE introduced one more exciting program in 2016. This program was specially designed for the cruiserweight division of WWE.
Which Is The First Fight Of WWE?
As we know WWE has its origins since the 1950s. The first-ever show, which was held under Capitol Wrestling Centre, was in Jan 1953. Talking about the first wrestler of the wrestling world, it was Vincent J. McMahon. However, there are Some other sources claim that it was Jess McMahon.
On March 24th, 1953, a singles match between Buddy Rogers vs. Johnny Valentine at Madison Square Garden, New York, was held.
Is WWE Real Or Fake?
It’s true that the fights we see between the superstars are not real, and sometimes the outcomes of the fight are pre-determined.
Also, this is the fact that WWE is an athletic form of entertainment, and all your favorite wrestlers are trained like athletes.
In WWE, there are wrestlers and they play the role of a fictional character on screen. Their rivalries are scripted, and the matches too. WWE has never failed in maintaining the perfect balance between reality and fiction. For more than 50 years, WWE has its existence. People question, is WWE fake? To be honest, nowadays, it is all about entertainment, and wrestling is becoming more and more natural.
In WWE’s PPV, most of the matches are some submission types matches, so it can not be said that nothing is honest in WWE.
Wrestlers fighting in regular matches might be fake. But then why are there security guards? The fights accidentally get converted to a real fight; then, wrestlers are at risk, and security is needed. We can say it’s a mixture of both because the athletic part is genuine.
WWE superstars often get asked by people for being fake or playing fake sport. However, people fail to understand that wrestlers face risk every night as they are prone to get injured. To entertain all of us, they work hard and follow the hectic schedules of their training, so yes, they truly deserve our respect.
Is Every WWE Match Scripted?
WWE superstars do rehearse their matches inside the ring but not every move is pre-decided though it is scripted.
Wrestlers usually talk to their opponents about what they are thinking to do. The moves that wrestlers perform in the ring are not decided in advance; they are trained athletes and have learned the moves in their training and act accordingly.
Who Decides That Who Will Be The Winner Of The Match?
It is believed that writers of the company finalize who will win depending on storylines, predictions, odds, fans’ beliefs, wrestler talent, and more.
Earlier in WWF and WWWF, they already planned every match result. In WWE, winners and losers are planned as matches are scripted, and most of the time, wrestlers are aware of who will win the match.
How Can You Join WWE?
If you wish to join WWE, you can visit their website.
There you will find apply tab; click on it and follow the simple steps like filling and submitting your application form. You will have to accept the invitation and then attempt the try-out.
Can Anyone Become A Wrestler?
Well, direct recruitment usually takes place from wrestling programs of colleges or other athletics. Otherwise, you need a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in PRO wrestling if you wish to join WWE.
Some other eligibility criteria are:
You should be 18+ and must be graduated from high school. It would be best to enroll in a wrestling school once you have decided to join WWE.
Okay Did we miss anything that you want to know about WWE?
Do let us know in the comment section below. We will surely answer you back. For now, this is it. We hope you guys enjoyed reading the post on WWE History.
