Embedded Files
Capitol Wrestling (1953-1963)
Toots Mondt and Vincent J. McMahon established the first NWA affiliate in New York City in 1953 when Capitol Wrestling was formed. Their promotion also included the Washington D.C. and Baltimore markets, which remained their three main cities for the next two decades. In 1956, McMahon secured a deal for a weekly television show that he steered. Mondt, who was leary of the new approach, managed the talent. Together, they developed early TV stars, including their golden boy, NWA World Champion Buddy Rogers. Mondt managed Rogers and he was a star of their region and they began to direct his attention more toward Capitol Wrestling than the other NWA affiliates. A falling out between the two entities led to a parting of ways and the formation of the World Wide Wrestling Federation.
Bobo Brazil
Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello and Roy Heffernan)
Graham Brothers (Dr. Jerry & Eddie)
Killer Kowalski
Miguel Perez (Sr.)
Antonino "Argentina" Rocca
"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers
Bruno Sammartino
Johnny Valentine
WWWF - World Wide Wrestling Federation (1963-1983)
The WWWF was born in the 1963 when Vincent J. McMahon and Toots Mondt paired up and took over the largest city in the United States - New York City. With that large population and significant cities nearby, the WWWF had the potential to be a powerhouse promotion. After a controversial NWA World Championship defense by Lou Thesz in Toronto, long-time New York City superstar Buddy Rogers was named the first WWWF World Champion and just like that they split from the National Wrestling Alliance. After a heart attack, Rogers was in no position to be their champion, so he dropped the title to up-and-comer Bruno Sammartino in under a minute. The unbelievable nature of the match made Bruno an overnight sensation and their champion for the next seven and half years! Sammartino traveled the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia, defending the new WWWF World title and giving it clout and building the WWWF into one of the strongest regional promotions not affiliated with the NWA. In the early 1970s, the WWWF saw some great threats to their success. Sammartino wanted out of his non-stop schedule and Boston promoter Tony Santos was a growing threat. McMahon returned to the NWA in hopes of securing his area and pushing his way into new markets. First, he took over Boston. Second, he took Philadelphia. Next, he pushed into the Steel Belt cities of Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo. These cities were great additions to their current strongholds of New York City, Baltimore and Washington D.C. By the end of 1975, the WWWF had done all this expansion, Sammartino was back on top and the company was utilizing their NWA connections without compromising their own prestige. The WWWF in the last half of the 1970s had settled into its power position in the Northeast. In addition to big shows in the aforementioned large cities, they had numerous regular towns in the Northeast like Allentown, PA; Uniondale, NY, New Haven, CT; East Rutherford, NJ; Hamburg, PA; Poughkeepsie, NY; Largo, MD and others where they drew successfully from densely-populated areas and taped television shows and built up their big shows in the big cities. By September of 1979, Vincent K. McMahon (sometimes called "Vince McMahon Jr.") began taking over the business from his father, Vincent J. McMahon. Vince had been promoting spot shows, doing TV announcing and now he was inheriting one of the major regions of the pro-wrestling world. One of his first major changes was dropping "Wide" from the WWWF. The formulaic nature of the WWF had many upsides and several drawbacks. There had not been a star quite like Bruno Sammartino, though they had tried with Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund. The latter was not as the champion they needed, so they began using stronger supportive characters and as the 1980s rolled in they had a large variety of stars, but did not have that one superstar that could transcend being just a "world champion." The WWWF of 1963 with its knowledgable and innovative promoters produced a shining star that took them to a new level of success, twenty years later, this cycle would be repeated and the consequences would be far greater.
Captian Lou Albano [Manager]
Mitsu Arakawa
Spiros Arion
"Mr. USA" Tony Atlas
Bepo Mongol (Nikolai Volkoff)
"Wild" Red Berry
Black Tiger (Mark Rocco)
Crusher Blackwell
"Classy" Freddie Blassie [Manager]
Bolo Mongol (Bill Eadie)
Dino Bravo
Gino Brito
Haystacks Calhoun
Louis Cerdan (Gino Brito)
"Bad News" Allen Coage
Ted Dibiase
Bobby Duncum
Executioner #1 (Killer Kowalski)
Executioner #2 (Big John Studd)
Executioner #3 (Nikolai Volkoff)
Tatsumi Fujinami
"Superstar" Billy Graham
The Great Hussein (Iron Shiek)
Grand Wizard
The Great Yatsu (Yoshiaki Yatsu)
Stan Hansen
Swede Hanson
Bobby Heenan [Manager]
"Incredible" Hulk Hogan
Hussein Arab (Iron Shiek)
Antonio Inoki
Iron Shiek
Rocky Johnson
Tor Kamata
Killer Khan
Gene Kiniski
Killer Kowalski
Ernie Ladd
Rick Martel
Mil Mascaras
Masked Superstar
Dr. Bill Miller
Gorilla Monsoon
The Moondogs (Rex and King)
Pedro Morales
Blackjack Mulligan
Magnificent Muraco
Dick Murdoch
Bull Ortega
Tony Parisi
Ken Patera
Pat Patterson
Roddy Piper
Antonio Pugliese (Tony Parisi)
"Polish Power" Ivan Putski
Harley Race
Dusty Rhodes
"Wildfire" Tommy Rich
"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers
Bruno Sammartino
Tito Santana
Baron Mikel Scicluna
Sgt. Slaughter
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
Stan Stasiak
Ricky Steamboat
Ray "The Crippler" Stevens
Big John Studd
Texas Red (Red Bastien)
Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama)
Tarzan Tyler
Greg Valentine
Valiant Brothers ("Handsome" Jimmy & "Luscious" Johnny)
Bill Watts
Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika)
Billy White Wolf (Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey)
Larry Zbyzsko
WWF - World Wrestling Federation (1983-2002)
It is perhaps impossible to succinctly summarize the accomplishments and impact of Vincent Kennedy McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. I would recommend Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation by Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham, but there is a slew that has been written in books, newsletters and on the internet about this amazing shift in the pro-wrestling world. To oversimplify it all, Vince McMahon bought “Capital Sports” from his dying father and merged it with his “Titan Sports” and took his company national by buying acquiring local markets and local talent, McMahon largely took over the United States. It is important to also say, that McMahon transitioned to an even showier product than his father and began calling his wrestlers “supertars” and his product “sports entertainment.” McMahon innovated many things, utilized many preexisting things and essential recreated pro-wrestling in the United States and has influenced every corner of the global with his product. Due to the diversity of talent and products, I am going to use these three categories: "Rock-n-Wrestling" (`83-`93), "New Generation" (`93-`96) and "WWF Attitude" (`97-`01).
"Rock-n-Wrestling Connection" (1983-1995)
The WWF had always been a big money territory and in 1983, Vincent K. McMahon began building the strongest roster by actively raiding talent from regional promotions. He signed Hulk Hogan away from the AWA and made him the WWF’s main star for the next decade and arguably the biggest pro-wrestler of all-time. In 1983, there were many regional companies and when the 1990s started, there were realistically only two major promotions - the WWF and the WCW backed by Turner Broadcasting. The WWF hit hard times in the early 1990s with a steroid trial and sex scandals as well as the decline of the talent that McMahon had raided.
General Adnan [Manager]
"Adorable" Adrian Adonis
Akeem
Captian Lou Albano [Manager]
Andre the Giant
Tony Atlas
"Outlaw" Ron Bass
"Beast from the East" Bam Bam Bigelow
Big Bossman
"Classy" Freddie Blassie [Manager]
Blue Blazer
Nick Bockwinkel [Road Agent]
Brainbusters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard)
"Canada's Strongest Man" Dino Bravo
Gerald Brisco [Wrestler/Road Agent]
Jack Brisco
British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith)
Bad News Brown
King Kong Bundy
The Bushwackers (Butch & Luke)
Can-Am Connection (Tom Zenk & Rick Martel)
Demolition (Ax & Smash)
Doink the Clown (Matt Borne)
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Earthquake (John Tenta)
The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques & Raymond)
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Mr. Fuji [Wrestler/Manager]
Hoss Funk (Dory Funk Jr.)
"Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
The Genius (Lanny Poffo)
Eddie Gilbert
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Bret "Hitman" Hart
Jimmy Hart [Manager]
Lord Alfred Hayes [Personality]
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan [Manager]
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
Hercules
Hulk Hogan
Honky Tonk Man
Sam Houston
Iron Shiek
Rocky Johnson
Junkyard Dog
Kamala
Killer Khan
Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair & "Jumping" Jim Brunzell)
Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal)
Shawn Michaels
Mil Mascaras
Masked Superstar
Gorilla Monsoon
Pedro Morales
The Mountie
Blackjack Mulligan
Magnificent Muraco
Dick Murdoch
Col. Mustafa (Iron Sheik)
Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)
One Man Gang
"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff
Ken Patera
Mr. Perfect
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Leapin' Lanny Poffo
"Polish Power" Ivan Putski
"The King" Harley Race
The Red Rooster
"The Natural" Butch Reed
"The Common Man" Dusty Rhodes
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Buddy Rogers [Manager]
Buddy Rose
Mike Rotundo
"Ravishing" Rick Rude
"The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino
Tito Santana
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
"Bulldog" Buzz Sawyer
Sensational Sherri [Wrestler/Manager]
Skinner
Sgt. Slaughter
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
Strike Force (Tito Santana & Rick Martel)
Big John Studd
Ultimate Warrior
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
"Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich
Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika)
Barry Windham
WWF - World Wrestling Federation (1983-2002)
"New Generation" (1995-1998)
The territorial system had crumbled and the pro-wrestling talent pool had declined sharply. WCW began signing away stars the WWF had established and the challenging more than they ever had before. The WWF combated this by pushing their “New Generation” of stars. This new crop was perhaps more talented in the ring, but lacked the personalities and drawing power the WWF needed. The cartoon characters of the 1980s did not have the appeal they once did and pro-wrestling around the world was becoming edgier. This period of the WWF is also remembered for the political influence of “the Kliq” as well as the near death of the WWF due to financial woes. WCW was gaining momentum with their flagship show “Monday Nitro” in direct opposition to WWF’s “Monday Night RAW” and after signing away key talent, shooting an invasion angle and recruiting the best junior heavyweights from around the world, they were able to take over the top spot in the pro-wrestling world. The WWF's answer was to create an edgier product that the Turner Broadcasting backed WCW could not emulate.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Bob Backlund
Paul Bearer [Manager]
Bam Bam Bigelow
Bodydonnas (Skip & Zip)
Gerald Brisco
King Kong Bundy
The Coach (John Tolos) [Manager]
Jim Cornette [Manager]
Doink the Clown (#2) (Steve Keirn)
Dean Douglas
Executioner (Terry Gordy)
Freddie Joe Floyd (Tracy Smothers)
Bret "Hitman" Hart
Owen Hart
Dok Hendrix (Michael Hayes) [Announcer/Manager]
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
TL Hopper (Tony Anthony)
Jerry "the King" Lawler
Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal)
Mankind
Rick "The Model" Martel
"Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels
Gorilla Monsoon [Announcer/"President"]
Rad Radford (Louie Spicolli)
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
"IRS" Irwin R. Schyster
Davey Boy Smith
Sgt. Slaughter
Al Snow
Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott)
Ultimate Warrior
Uncle Zebekiah (Dutch Mantel) [Manager]
The Undertaker
Vader
Yokozuna
WWF - World Wrestling Federation (1983-2002)
"WWF Attitude" (1998-2002)
In the late 1990s, WWF was the #2 pro-wrestling company for the first time and they began going in a radically new direction to attract casual fans. "WWF Attitude" took the product to a new level with colorful language, risqué content, controversial storylines and the central story of Vince McMahon himself as the heel boss against their charismatic anti-hero stars. The WWF went to war with WCW and produced some tremendous television and pay-per-views. Even more significant, they became a publicly traded company, which generated new revenue. They also expanded their media direction, which has been successful as well. WCW eventually lost their momentum, tried to create a wild product, but instead fell hard. This allowed Vince McMahon to buy them out in 2001, ending the "Monday Night Wars" and changing American pro-wrestling for the foreseeable future. That same year, ECW, whose innovative product had great influenced "WWF Attitude" also folded and eventually McMahon bought their assets. Since that time, McMahon has essential been pro-wrestling in the United States.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Paul Bearer
Big Bossman
Gerald Brisco
Cactus Jack
Tommy Dreamer
Dude Love
Mick Foley
Terry Funk
Doug Furnas
Golga (John Tenta)
Bret "Hitman" Hart
Owen Hart
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
Paul Heyman [Announcer/Manager]
Blackjack Lanza [Agent]
Phil Lafon
Jerry "the King" Lawler
Tennessee Lee (Robert Fuller)
Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal)
Dean Malenko
Mankind
"Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels
Diamond Dallas Page
Pat Patterson [Agent]
"Loose Cannon" Brian Pillman
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
"Ravishing" Rick Rude [Manager]
Sgt. Slaughter
Davey Boy Smith
Al Snow
Tazz
Vader
Blackjack Windham
WWE - World Wrestling Entertainment (2002-2011)
In 2002, “World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.” headed by Vincent K. McMahon and Linda McMahon changed the banner name of their company by changing “Federation” to “Entertainment”. After several legal problems with the “World Wildlife Fund,” which predated them, they were forced to make the change. Though their promotional practices did not change with the name change, since that time, the WWE has certainly employed some creative strategies. They began aggressively buying up territorial libraries for historical programming, DVDs and video packages. They also continued to put out biographies of current and past stars with varying degrees of success. The WWE also split itself into two brands (“Raw” and “Smackdown”) to produce the illusion of competition and later an “ECW” brand in 2006. As the second decade of the new millennium began, the WWE made some sweeping changes to alter and clean up their image. From the adoption of a Wellness Policy and attempts at developing a social network (WWE Fan Nation, later WWE Universe) to moving to a "PG" rating for their TV shows and branching into other entertainment avenues, the WWE juggernaut underwent a definitive comprehensive and family-friendly facelift. The most notable of these was perhaps changing their name to simply "WWE" in another paradoxical attempt to continue removing "wrestling" from their product image.
Arn Anderson [Agent]
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Chris Benoit
Jerry Brisco [Agent]
Jim Cornette [Developmental Territory]
"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase [Agent]
Tommy Dreamer
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
The Fabulous Moolah
Finlay
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Mick Foley
Terry Funk
Greg Gagne [Developmental Terriotory]
Chavo "Classic" Guerrero
Eddy Guerrero
Scott Hall
Jody Hamilton [Developmental Territory]
Michael Hayes [Agent]
Paul Heyman [Manager/Personality]
Tim Horner [Road Agent]
Rocky Johnson [Developmental Territory]
Kamala
Steve Keirn [Agent]
John Laurainitis [Talent Relations]
Jerry "the King" Lawler [Announcer]
Dean Malenko [Agent]
"Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels
Bob Orton Jr.
Diamond Dallas Page
Pat Patterson
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Tom Prichard [Road Agent]
Road Warrior Animal
The Rock
The Sandman
Al Snow [Developmental Territory]
Lance Storm
Tazz [Announcer]
The Undertaker
Vader
Koko B. Ware
WWE (2011-)
In 2011, “World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.” changed the banner name of their company to "WWE, Inc." in a further push in distancing themselves from wrestling. The company has dramatically altered their product and while they regularly offer "old-school professional wrestling" up in the form of books, videos and features on their WWE 24/7 channel, they've modified their lexicon and have attempted to project an image that they are not simply a pro-wrestling company. They have changed radically in the quarter century that Vince McMahon has been at the helm and many are curious to see how they will change when his daughter, son-in-law and others take over for him.
Arn Anderson [Producer]
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Bob Backlund
Batista
Big Show
Matt Bloom [Head Trainer]
Booker T [Announcer]
Gerald Brisco [Producer]
Robbie Brookside [Trainer]
Steve Corino [Producer]
D-Von Dudley [Producer]
Edge [Ambassador]
Howard Finkel
Michael Hayes [Writer]
Hideo Itami (KENTA)
Jeff Jarrett [Producer]
Steve Keirn [FCW President]
Blackjack Lanza [Producer]
John Laurainitis [Talent Relations]
Jerry "The King" Lawler [Announcer]
"JBL" John Bradshaw Layfield [Announcer]
Lex Luger [Wellness Coordinator]
Dean Malenko [Producer]
Shawn Michaels [Trainer / Ambassador]
Nigel McGuinness [Announcer]
Tom Prichard [Trainer]
Dusty Rhodes [Creative]
Road Dogg [Writer / Producer]
Mike Rotunda [Producer]
Raymond Rougeau [Announcer]
Johnny Saint [NXT UK General Manager]
Sgt. Slaughter [Ambassador]
Norman Smiley [Trainer]
Ricky Steamboat [Trainer]
Trish Stratus [Trainer]
Jim Ross [Ambassador]
Terry Taylor [Trainer]
Harvey Whippleman [Producer]
X-Pac [Ambassador]
Mae Young [Ambassador]
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse