Who Owns WWE?

WWE's history traces back to 1953 when Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt founded the Capitol Wrestling Corporation in Washington, D.C. The organization grew throughout the 1960s and 1970s as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), becoming a significant regional professional wrestling promotion in the northeastern United States.

In 1982, Vince McMahon Jr. purchased the company from his father and began an aggressive national expansion strategy, breaking the traditional territorial system that had governed professional wrestling in North America. McMahon signed talent from regional promotions across the country, secured national television deals, and launched WrestleMania in 1985, creating professional wrestling's premier annual event. The first WrestleMania, headlined by Hulk Hogan and featuring celebrity appearances by Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper, was a cultural phenomenon that established WWE (then WWF) as mainstream entertainment.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the WWF produced iconic wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1999. The late 1990s "Attitude Era," featuring Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mick Foley, represented the peak of WWE's cultural relevance, with Raw regularly drawing over 6 million viewers.

In 2002, the company rebranded from WWF to WWE following a legal dispute with the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF initials. WWE continued to grow globally, expanding into international markets and developing new stars including John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton. The company launched the WWE Network streaming service in 2014, a pioneering move in sports streaming.

In September 2023, WWE merged with Endeavor's UFC to form TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), ending the McMahon family's control of the company. Endeavor was subsequently taken private by Silver Lake in March 2025.