Showing posts with label Timelines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Timelines. Show all posts

Thursday, March 21, 2024

The Ressurection,Near-Death,and Revival of WWE!

The Following is a conclusion of My Rise and Fall of The WWE Timeline post.

Found Here: https://retro-rebellion.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-rise-and-fall-of-wwe-timeline.html?m=0 and here https://retro-rebellion.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-death-of-wwe-complete-timeline.html

Due to recent events,I thought I'd do this. Anyway,here we go.

2022 - The Post-Doomsday Era Continues, WWE is an undead company at this point. But...there will be some hope for a Resurrection in the coming months.

In June, amidst an investigation by WWE's Board of Directors into reported hush money paid to a former employee by Vince McMahon following an affair, Mr. McMahon stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE, but he was Still in charge of creative. Stephanie McMahon,would become the interim chairwoman of WWE. 

A short time later, Vince McMaon officially retired, Following Vince's retirement, Stephanie McMahon was officially named chairwoman while she and Nick Khan were named co-CEOs of WWE. Triple H would take over as head of creative, while resuming his position as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and later being promoted to Chief Content Officer. 

With Vince retired,and with Triple H fully in charge of the creative,WWE's would experience a revival. This was the beginning of a New Era - The Ressurection Era!!

SummerSlam was the first WWE pay-per-view event to be held under the leadership of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. In August ,Shawn Michaels was promoted to WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative And eventually Boss of NXT. In September,,WWE made Triple H,Chief Content Officer. 

Sometime in the year,NXT 2.0 would be gone forever and turn back into the NXT that we all knew and loved.
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2023 - In January,Vince McMahon stated his intention to return to the company ahead of media rights negotiations. WWE's previous media rights deals with Fox and USA Network expire in 2024. On Later that month,Stephanie McMahon resigned as Chairwoman and co-CEO, also on the same day Vince McMahon re-assumed the role of executive Chairman of WWE,while Nick Khan became the sole CEO. That same month.

JPMorgan were hired to handle a possible sale of the company, with rumored suitors being various media companies

With McMahon back,the WWE would begin to suffer once more.  

In April, WWE and Endeavor reached a deal for the WWE to merge with UFC parent company, Zuffa ,to form a new company, TKO Group Holdings. 

Shane McMahon had attempted to purchase the UFC multiple times during the 2000s, but Vince talked him out of doing so. Endeavor would receive a 51% stake in "TKO", while WWE's shareholders would get a 49% stake.  This would mark the first time that WWE would not be majority-controlled by the McMahon family.

Vince McMahon would serve as executive chairman,with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel becoming CEO, and Mark Shapiro as president and chief operating officer.

Triple H would remain in his role as Head of Creative, And Nick Khan would become president of WWE post-merger, similar to Dana White's role as president of UFC.

The deal additionally granted McMahon life tenure as executive chairman, the right to nominate five WWE representatives on the 11 member board, as well as veto rights over certain actions by the new company; eventually, the TKO board of directors would increase from 11 members to 13 members.

In addition, McMahon will own 34% of the new company, with a 16% voting interest. Despite the merger, the two promotions, WWE and the UFC, would continue to run as separate divisions of the newly merged company

With Vince McMahon back in control, a New Dark Era was forming, and WWE,despite a recent revival,looked like it was going to die once again. The WWE's Ressurection was becoming short lived.

The merger was finalized in September. The first television show produced under the TKO banner was WWE NXT.  Emanuel has also held influence over the company, including with the company's broadcast deals which occurred since the TKO Holdings merger. 

Things were slowly turning into a Landfill and it seemed like Vince McMahon's Twisted Reign would continue until the day he was sent to Hell.

But then...a miracle happened the following year

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2024 - In January 2024, a lawsuit was filed by a woman named Janel Grant,who accused Vince McMahon,along with John Laurinaitis and a WWE wrestler who was also a former UFC fighter of sexually trafficking her and repeatedly sexually assaulted her during 2020–2021. Grant alleged that she was subjected to "extreme cruelty and degradation" by McMahon, including being defecated upon during a sexual encounter.

One day after the report of the claims, Vince McMahon resigned from TKO. In a statement, McMahon said the decision was made "out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees"

With Vince (hopefully) Gone from WWE forever,the Ball is Entirely in Triple H's court. With Triple H in charge,WWE was slowly reviving. The Revival Era had Begun. Though just a transitional era,The Revival Era will prove to be an important one.

In February,WWE and Netflix made a multi-year deal to air WWE RAW. The week after,the USA Network would secure the rights to Smackdown. NXT would gain a new home on The CW.

RAW's move to Netflix and Smackdown's move back to the USA Network would begin in January of 2025 and the Fall of 2024 respectively. NXT's move to The CW would also take place in the Fall of 2024.

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And thus ends the WWE Timeline (for now). I don't intend on continuing this, so don't bother looking for a continuation. Cut-Off Point!!   

Speaking of Cut-Off Points,When RAW moves to Netflix next year,I'm gonna stop watching, not just WWE,but Modern Wrestling in General. I'm gonna stick with either the Old School Stuff or Playthroughs of the Video Games.

And, That's all I have to say about this. So until next time,Space Cowboys,Stay Gold and Resist Modern Attitudes! 

The Retro King Has Spoken!

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

History of WCW - The Timeline

I did one for WWE,so,now it's time I do one for the WCW. As you know,WCW was one of my favorite Wrestling promotions and I've been eager to talk about it some more. Now. The following list will be an incomplete Timeline,but will cover most of the more important moments in the Company's history.

Well,let's get to it.

1944 - Georgia Championship Wrestling,the WCW's predecessor is formed. 

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19XX - GCW joins the National Wrestling Alliance aka The NWA. 

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1971 - In December GCW begins it's first TV Show on the network that would eventually be known as Turner Broadcasting System aka TBS aka The Superstation.  

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1973 - GCW's secondary TV Show,World Wide Wrestling,debuts.

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1982 - GCW renames it's Main TV Program,to World Championship Wrestling,in an effort to compete with the WWWF. It helped.

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1983 - GCW is bought by Jerry and Jack Brisco. Starrcade,makes it's debut as a TV Special in November,under Jim Crockett Productions and the NWA. 

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1984 - The Brisco Bros sell their shares in GCW to Vince McMahon...and along with it,the Show's Timeslot. Soon,the infamous "Black Saturday" incident happens. Many GCW fans hated McMahon's style of Wrestling. Ole Anderson and 2 other guys refused to sell their shares to Vince McMahon and started their own promotion,Championship Wrestling from Georgia. 

TBS would acquire the rights to this Promotion,as well as Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. 

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1985 - After failing to gather strong ratings,Vince McMahon sells his shares of WCW and it's name to Jim Crockett Productions,owned and operated by Jim Crockett Jr. Jim Crockett Jr. later fuses GCW,Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling,and Championship Wrestling from Georgia into the New WCW. The Promotion's 3rd TV show,WCW Pro Wrestling,debuts in January. And The Great American Bash debuts as a TV Special. 

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1986 - Jim Crockett Promotions held the first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup, which showcased talent from various NWA territories. Bob Geigel would later become the NWA President once again,and would purchase Geigel's Heart of America Sports Attractions,promoters of the Central States territory, which owned the rights to promote wrestling shows through the states of Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. 

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1987 - JCP would enter into an agreement to control Championship Wrestling from Florida and Universal Wrestling Federation (which covered Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The Florida and Mid-South territories (including titles and wrestlers)were absorbed into WCW. 

Jim Crockett Promotions now owned NWA St. Louis, the Universal Wrestling Federation, Mid-Atlantic, Central States Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Georgia and Championship Wrestling from Florida as well.

Later in the year,JCP became the last NWA member with a Nationwide TV Show. And though JCP and the NWA were still two separate legal entities,Jimmy Crockett was NWA President,so Jim Crockett Promotions was allowed to use the NWA brand for promoting.

The War Games Match is created by Dusty Rhodes. And In November,Starrcade debuts as a PPV. WWF would answer that with the Survivor Series.   

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1988 - The next TV Show,NWA/WCW Main Event made it's debut in January. The Clash of the Champions Yearly TV Special would debut in March (and against WrestleMania 4). The Great American Bash debuts as a PPV. Jim Crockett Promotions was purchased outright by Ted Turner in October. Originally incorporated by TBS as the Universal Wrestling Corporation, Turner promised fans that WCW would maintain the athlete-oriented style of the NWA.

The sale was completed in November,and the Flagship Show (nwa wcw) aired the very same evening in WCW's hometown of Atlanta. Starrcade airs for the first time under the NWA/WCW and moves back to December. 

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1989 - WCW PPV,WrestleWar debuts. And The PPV,Halloween Havoc debuts in October. 

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1990 - Starrcade '90 is the Final WCW PPV under the NWA.

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1991 - Both WCW and the NWA recognized Ric Flair as their World Heavyweight Champion throughout most of the first half of 1991.However,the recently installed WCW president Jim Herd,turned against Flair for various reasons. Flair would be fired before The Great American Bash in July,after failed contract negotiations.

In the process, they officially stripped him of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The NWA/WCW refused to return the $25,000 deposit,The Nature Boy had put down on the physical belt, so he kept it and brought it with him when he was hired by the WWF at the request of Vince McMahon. 

WCW later renegotiated the use of the NWA name as a co-promotional gimmick with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and sued the WWF to stop showing Flair with the old NWA World Title belt on its programs, claiming a trademark on the physical design of the belt.

The belt was returned to WCW by Flair when Jim Herd was let go. Flair eventually received his deposit which with interest was over $38,000. It was brought back as the revived NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

The Superbrawl PPV debuts. And WrestleWar '91 became the first PPV solely under WCW alone.  

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1992 - Herd was fired in January 1992 and was succeeded by Kip Allen Frey. Frey's tenure running WCW was brief, and he would be replaced later in the year by "Cowboy" Bill Watts, who had formerly been the promoter for Mid-South Wrestling (later known as the Universal Wrestling Federation) and was the first head executive of WCW to have prior experience in the wrestling business since Jim Crockett left. Watts would controversially make top rope moves llegal during wrestling matches among other changes.

After clashes with management over a number of issues (both major and minor),He was subsequently replaced by Eric Bischoff.  WCW's TV show is renamed to WCW Saturday Night in April. Beach Blast,the next WCW PPV,debuts in July.

And NWA/WCW WorldWide Wrestling is renamed to WCW WorldWide.

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1993 - After many failed Presidents,Commentator Eric Bischoff was promoted to the Vice-Presidency of WCW. The Slamberee,Fall Brawl War Games,and BattleBowl PPV's would debut in May,September,and November respectively.

Due to a dispute,the WCW and NWA would part ways in September. WCW still legally owned and used the actual belt which represented the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, however,they could no longer use the NWA name.

The title thus became known as the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship,sanctioned by fictitious subsidiary WCW International.  WCW claimed that WCW International still recognized the belt as a legitimate World Championship.

For a short while, there were essentially two world titles up for competition in the organization, with Sting winning the WCW International title, while Flair captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Big Van Vader.

Later in the year,Paul E. Dangerously would leave WCW to form ECW (extreme championship wrestling).

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1994 - The Spring Stampede PPV debuts. 

In June,The WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Championship would be Unified,after Ric Flair (the wcw world champion) defeated Sting (the wcw international champion) in a Title Unification Match. 

In the Early Summer,WCW would acquire the Biggest Name in Wrestling - Hulk Hogan.

Beach Blast is renamed to Bash at the Beach. WCW/NWA Pro Wrestling becomes WCW Pro later in the year.

In December,WCW would acquire the 2nd Biggest Name in Wrestling - "Macho Man" Randy Savage. 

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1995 - WCW Prime debuts in January.

The Next WCW PPV,Uncensored,would debut in February. 

To combat the WWF's Monday Night Raw,WCW unleashed WCW Monday Nitro in September on TNT (turner network television). The Opening Salvo has been fired! The Monday Night War would officially begin. 

Not too long after the debut of Nitro,WCW would introduce the Cruiserweight Division. This division would properly introduce American Wrestling Fans to Lucha Libre (mexican wrestling) and Puroresu (japanese wrestling).

The Next New PPV,World War 3,would make it's debut November,replacing BattleBowl. 

On a Nitro in December,Medusa Macelli aka Alundra Blayze,would make her return to WCW and infamously dump the WWF Women's Championship in a trash pail.

WCW would soon launch it's Women's division.

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1996 - WCW Prime ends in January.  

In Late May,things would begin to change forever. Scott Hall,who worked as Razor Ramon in the WWF just a week prior,appeared on Nitro to declare War on WCW and Ted Turner. Weeks later,he would bring in Kevin "Diesel" Nash,and the The 2 would issue a challenge to WCW. 

The Outsider invasion begins and it would help the WCW gain momentum against the WWF.

Weeks later,Lex Luger,Sting,and the "Macho Man" Randy Savage were chosen to battle the 2 Outsiders and their surprise partner at Bash at the Beach.  

WWF and Vince McMahon would Sue Turner and WCW for Copyright infringement,due to Scott Hall sometimes using his Razor Ramon gimmick,which was owned by the WWF. The 2 sides came to an out of court settlement and Scott Hall never used his Razor Ramon persona again. As part of the settlement,WWF would be allowed to buy WCW,should the promotion be up for sale.

At Bash at the Beach,Hulk Hogan shocked the World by revealing himself to be the Outsiders Mystery Partner. The nWo was formed that night. Thanks to Bash at the Beach '96 and it's build,for the first time,WCW would Beat the WWF in the Pay-Per-View War. This trend would continue,until January of '98.

Thanks to the nWo Saga,the WCW would dominate in ratings and became the #1 Wrestling Promotion in the World....until 1998,that is. 

In August,WCW would create a Pay-Per-View themed around a Motorcycle Rally. This show would be called Hog Wild.

The nWo gains more members,Including WCW VP Eric Bischoff. Sting would begin to undergo a transformation..from a Colorful Superhero to a Dark Avenger. 

Plus,later in the year,Time Warner buys out Turner Broadcasting.

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1997 - In January,the nWo would introduce their own Pay-Per-View,nWo Souled Out.

The nWo adds even more new members. By Early 1998,it gets bloated. 

Later in the year,Bill Goldberg debuts and would go undefeated until Starrcade '98

Sting would make his presence noted and begins antagonizing the nWo. He would eventually gets his Title shot against WCW World Heavyweight Champion,Hollywood Hulk Hogan,at Starrcade. 

The August Pay-Per-View,Hog Wild,is renamed to Road Wild. All thanks to a dispute with the Harley Davidson company,who owned the term "Hog".

Also in August,the WCW would air the Final Clash of the Champions TV Special.

After the Montreal Screwjob,Bret "Hit Man" Hart,Wrestling's #3 Guy would join WCW in December. 

Due to RAW being taped a week in advance and Nitro remaining Live,Ravishing Rick Rude was able to appear on Both RAW and Nitro on the same night. Rude departed the WWF,due to a Contract dispute,and signed with WCW a few days later.

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1998 - Thunder debuts in January on TBS and becomes the new B-Show. Also in January,WCW Main Event would end its run.

nWo Souled Out becomes WCW/nWo Souled Out and would be the first in the (stupidly) duel-branded Pay-Per-View's. This theme is extended to the TV Shows too.

So from January of '98 to Early '99,every WCW Show and Event would be titled WCW/nWo (show/event name).

For the first time since '96,the WCW would be crushed in the Pay-Per-View War by WWF's Royal Rumble '98. Souled Out was Played Out and the Royal Rumble was really good..especially the Royal Rumble Match itself.

And,per the norm,the nWo would continue to add members to its ranks. Something people got sick of. 

Due to an internal conflict between Kevin Nash and Hollywood Hogan,the nWo would break off into 2 Factions - nWo Hollywood (lead by Hogan) and nWo Wolfpac (lead by Nash). This did Not help WCW against the WWF,as many were sick of the nWo and wanted the company to move on.

The 3-way war between the WCW,nWo Hollywood,and the nWo Wolfpac would begin. But would be all in vain thanks to the Austin v. McMahon Saga that was going on in the WWF.

Sometime in the year,WCW would end it's Womens Division.

WCW Pro ended in September.

Goldberg's winning streak would come to a (questionable) end at the hands of Kevin Nash at Sttarcade '98 in December.

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1999 - In January,the infamous Nitro where things started going south for the company. Tony Schiavone's WWF Raw spoiler backfires and over half the fans watching at home tuned into Raw to see Mick Foley win the WWF Championship from the Rock. And to make matters worse for WCW,when the fans tuned back to Nitro,they were greeted by Nash v. Hogan and the Infamous 'Fingerpoke of Doom' The nWo reunited after the match and were whole again and the Fans Hated it. 

Thanks to that episode of Nitro,most Wrestling fans have lost faith in WCW's product and migrated to the WWF full time. Soon,the Monday Night War would become completely one-sided in WWF's favor.

Souled Out '99 would be the Final PPV with the WCW/nWo branding. 

The nWo would dissolve in the spring. 

Sometime in the Year,WCW would create a Hardcore Division,in an attempt to lure ECW fans to WCW.

In September, Turner Sports fired Eric Bischoff and replaced him with,WCW Vice President of Strategic Planning,Bill Busch. Busch was named Senior Vice President (handling the creative and day-to-day operations with Brad Siegel).  

Later in September, WCW would hire former WWF Creative Head,Vince Russo,in an attempt to save themselves. Unfortunately for them,the Opposite effect happened and Russo ended up making things worse.

Fall Brawl '99 would be the penultimate edition of the Event. And it was without the traditional War Games Match,which had been a staple for the event since 1993.

Novembers Event,World War 3,is replaced by Mayhem. 

In late December,nWo 2000 would form under Kevin Nash. Thankfully,it was short lived.

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2000 - WCW would experience it's Absolute Worst Year Ever! Mostly thanks to Vince Russo's garbage booking and creative decisions.

In Feburary,AOL announced that it would be purchasing Time Warner and the sale would be complete the following year. Later,Time Warner decided that WCW was a liability and wanted to get rid of it.

In April, Eric Bischoff was rehired and reluctantly worked with Vince Russo to save WCW. They never even came close to.

After getting rehired and finding out about Time Warner's intentions to get rid of WCW, Eric Bischoff stepped in and offered to buy the company,if he could find a group of good investors. After some back and forth,Time Warner decided to let Bischoff buy WCW,provided he got some good investors. It took months,but Easy E found his investors - Fusient Media Ventures. 

To gather more support and win back the fans,WCW began a new Saga - The New Blood Saga. In this Saga,the hungry Young Talent,known as the New Blood,would face off against the Evil Millionaires Club,made up of a group of Wrestling Veterans.

It backfired. The New Blood acted like the Heels and were booed,while the Millionaires Club,who were supposed to be the Heels,were cheered. The Saga ended as quickly as it began.

In July 2000,Eric Bischoff would make his Last On-Air appearance at Bash at the Beach.

August's Road Wild Event was replaced by New Blood Rising. Also in August,WCW Saturday Night ended its run.

Like with the previous year, Fall Brawl went without a War Games match.

Later in the year,Vince Russo would depart from WCW,but the damage had already been done.

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2001 - In January,Souled Out is replaced by Sin. 

Also in January,Eric Bischoff and his new partners,Fusient Media Ventures, placed a conference call announcing their purchase of WCW. A few days later,AOL and Time Warner merged. The Higher-Ups were still unimpressed by WCW.

In February,Superbrawl is replaced by Revenge. And in March,Unsensored is replaced by Greed.

In Early March,WCW magazine announced a New WCW event that would relaunch the Company under Eric Bischoff and Fusient Media Ventures. It was called WCW Big Bang and it would've been the birth of a New WCW. The event would've been held in May.

After some convincing from outside sources,AOL/Time Warner decided to can all WCW Shows. With no Network to air WCW,Fusient decided to pull out of the deal and Vince McMahon swooped in and bought the company.

In Late March,WCW was bought by Vince McMahon and held it's final Nitro in Panama City Beach,FL. The Monday Night War was over, The World Wrestling Federation had won. 

In Early April,WCW WorldWide would air for the final time and would be the last of the WCW programs.   

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And soon after,WWF would showcase WCW Wrestling on RAW and Smackdown. But,thanks to a few factors,WCWWF was a flop.

I'll talk more about That another day and time.

Until Next Time,Stay Gold,Space Cowboys!

Always Resist Modern Attitudes!!

Friday, November 5, 2021

The Death of The WWE (Complete Timeline)

The Following is a continuation of My Rise and Fall of The WWE Timeline post.

Found Here: https://retro-rebellion.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-rise-and-fall-of-wwe-timeline.html?m=0

Due to recent events,I thought I'd do this. Anyway,here we go.

2021 (continued) - In September,Vince McMahon takes over NXT and things only go downhill from there. NXT is rebranded as NXT 2.0 and is given a new look. This re-imagining turns NXT into just another carbon copy of RAW and Smackdown (i.e. mediocre). So in a matter of weeks,Vince McMahon turned the Best Wrestling Show on TV into a Mediocre Mess.

NXT no longer felt like the Reincarnation of the WWF. Vince McMahon is to Blame for All Of This. And as usual,WWE continued their mistreatment of talent,as well as the Fans. In October,NXT got worse and the Spirit of the WWF departed for the Great Beyond. In November,18 great Superstars were unfairly fired. The Fans have had enough and the Reaper had seen enough.

The release of 18 great talents coupled with the mistreatment and mismanagement of Superstars,the terrible direction of the Main Roster,and the complete bastardization of NXT was enough to kill the WWE. WWE Is Dead! Gone,But Never Forgotten! 

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And thus completes the Timeline of the WWF/WWE. One day I'll do another for WCW. I intend on giving WWE a small tribute post and eulogy soon.

Until Then,

Stay Gold,Space Cowboys and Resist Modern Attitudes!

R.I.P WWE

1953 - 2021.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

The Rise and Fall of the WWE - A Timeline.

The World Wrestling Federation (now know as World Wrestling Entertainment) is my All-time favorite Wrestling company. Sadly,in recent years,the company has faced a Bunch of near-death experiences,all thanks to the Idiocy of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Yes,the man who Saved the WWE,is also the one destroying it.

Retro Rebellion proudly presents,The Semi-Complete Timeline History of the WWE.

1953 - The WWE begins life as Capitol Wrestling Corperation,under the leadership of  Jess McMahon and his Son,Vincent J. McMahon. Their 1st event is held.

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1954 - Upon His father's death,Vincent J. McMahon takes over the CWC.

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195X - CWC joins the National Wrestling Allience (NWA). 

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1963 - The CWC flrms the World Wide Wrestling Federation (the wwwf) after a despute with the NWA. "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers becomes the 1st WWWF Champion after leaving the NWA. Bruno Samartino becomes Champion after defeating Rogers soon after - And The Face of the Company.

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196X - Vince J. McMahon exits the NWA. WWWF slowly finds success.

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1970 - The WWWF sells out every show,especially at Madison Square Garden,which would be tbe company main venue until the late 80's.

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1971 - Vince J. McMahon quietly rejoins the NWA. Vince J. McMahon's Son,Vincent K. McMahon joins the company as a color commentator.

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1978 - Bob Backlund becomes the face of the company after defeating "Superstar" Billy Graham for the WWWF World Title.

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1979 - The WWWF is shortened to the WWF,dropping the 'Wide' from their name. The World Wrestling Federation slowly became the most popular Wrestling Company in Northern America.

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1980 - Vincent K. McMahon,forms Titan Sports.

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1982 - Vince McMahon Sr. sells the WWF and the CWC to His Son and Titan Sports. The Main Headquarters is moved to Stanford,Connecticut. The Legendary Gorilla Monsoon debuts as a color commentator.

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1983 - WWF leaves the NWA,permanently this time. The WWF soon starts airing wrestling shows in syndication all over the U.S.,angering other promotions. 

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1984 - Hulk Hogan becomes WWF Champion in January,beating the Iron Sheik for the Belt. The Hulkamania Era begins. In May,to gain a stronger foothold in the South,Vince McMahon buys out most of Georgia Championship Wrestling. This event would be known as "Black Saturday". Due to low ratings,and upset fans,Vince McMahon sells his portion of GCW to Jim Crockett Productions.

Also in May,WWF's Talk Show,Tuesday Night Titans debuts. Late in the year,WWF would team up with the Entertainment industry. 

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1985 - The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection begins and so does the 80's Wrestling Boom. In January,WWF creates 'PrimeTime Wrestling' as their new Main Show. The show would eventually be hosted long-term by Gorrilla Monsoon and Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. In March,WWF's very first Pay-Per-View,WrestleMania,is born.

Soon after,WWF PPV's would become the norm and WrestleMania would become a yearly event.

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1986 - WWF did some experimentation with WrestleMania 2 by splitting it into 3 parts,each part being held at different venues (new york,chicago,and los angeles). In March,the WWF Slammy Awards show is created. The Slammys would become the most sparatic show in WWF History. In September,Tuesday Night Titans ends its run. 

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1987 - WrestleMania 3 becomes the WWF's biggest PPV yet,with Hulk Hogan defending his Title against Andre the Giant in the Main Event. Later in November,WWF introduces it's 2nd annual PPV,Survivor Series. 

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1988 - Even though it wasn't a PPV,The WWF created the 1st Ever Royal Rumble in January. In August,WWF would deliver it's 3rd Main PPV,SummerSlam. 

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1989 - The 2nd Annual Royal Rumble aired on PPV and would become a PPV exclusive,becoming the 4th and final part of WWF's "Big 4" PPV's. Hulk Hogan became the 1st WWF Superstar to become a Hollywood Celeb.

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1990 - At WrestleMania 6 in April,The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan to become the WWF Champion,making him the New Face of the Company. The Hulkamania Era was officially over and the Post-Hulkamania Era begins. WrestleMania 6 was also the 1st WWF PPV to be held in Canada. 

Sometime after WrestleMania,WWE would officially retire it's Women's Division,with Rockin' Robin being the last known champion. In September,Vince McMahon would establish The World Bodybuilding Federation and expand his empire. 

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1991 - In January,Primetime Wrestling took on a new look and format,it was now a live show in front of a studio audience. Unfortunatly,Gorrilla Monsoon was no longer hosting,but would serve in a backstage role.

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1992 - In January,Primetime Wrestling changes,yet again,by becoming a Round Table Discussion Show. The World Bodybuilding Federation shuts down,due to a Steroid Scandal that the WWE and Vince McMahon was allegedly involved in. Mostly thanks to this,many fans decided to abandon the WWF for,Rival Promotion,WCW.

In August,WWF takes SummerSlam to the U.K. In October,Bret "Hitman" Hart becomes tbe WWF Champion - and the Face of the Company.

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1993 - In January,Primetime Wrestling is replaced with Monday Night RAW,which becomes the WWF's new flagship show. WrestleMania 9 was the 1st WWE PPV event to take place in an outdoor arena. The WWF creates a 5th annual PPV,The King of the Ring,in June.

In honor of Andre tne Giant,who recently passed away,the WWF creates The WWF Hall of Fame and makes the lovable French Giant its First Inductee. The WWF forms a short-term partnership with the USWA. Vince McMahon is indicted by the FBI for alleged steroid distribution and was forced to stand trial a year later. (I'll talk more about this another time).

In July,the WWF enters the Post-Hogan Era,when the Hulk Hogan leaves the company. WWE revives it's Women's Division,with Alundra Blaze becoming the New Champion.

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1994 - After WrestleMania 10,the WWF enters The New Generation Era. In July,The McMahon/WWF Steroid Trial Begins. One Month Later,Vince McMahon is acquitted of all charges,but the damage to his company had already been done. Despite all this,WWF remained strong in '94.

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1995 - In May,WWE creates In Your House,a PPV that would air in the months that the "Big 4" and the King of the Ring didn't air. In July Jack Tunney,President of the WWF,stepped down from his position. Gorilla Monsoon was made Interm-President.

In September,WWF's rival,WCW would debut It's Own Monday Night Show,called Monday Nitro. And since WWF was pre-empted,Nitro went unopposed for it's first episode. But,the very next week RAW returned and the Monday Night War officially began.

Due to Alundra Blaze jumping ship to WCW in December,the WWF retired it's Women's Division,once again. WWF and WCW would trade wins each week and even tie on a few occasions. WWF would either win against or tie with WCW in the PPV War.

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1996 - In March,Gorilla Monsoon officially becomes the President of the WWF. In Late-April,the Infamous 'Curtain Call' at MSG happened. In May,thanks to the 'Outsider Invasion' storyline,WCW,for the first time,defeated the WWF in ratings and would continue to win the Monday Night War until 1998.

In July,WWF is decimated in the PPV buyouts by WCW's Bash at the Beach - Again,thanks to the WCW's 'Outsider Invasion' storyline,which would evolve into the nWo Storyline. WCW would continue to beat the WWF in PPV buyouts ,until January of '98. 

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1997 - In February,The WWF introduces the European Championship,which the British Bulldog wins. WWF was getting beat in the Monday Night Wars and needed an edge. So The Night After WrestleMania 13,The New Generation Era ended and a Transitional Era would begin. It was The Road To The Attitude Era or the Pre-Attitude Era.

In April,"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was gaining popularity and would be set up for the next few Months to be the Face of the Next Big Era. After SummerSlam in August,The Attitude Era Began. In the Late Spring,WWF RAW would gain a 2nd Hour,called RAW is WAR,a nod to their war with WCW. 

In September,Gorilla Monsoon steps down as President of the WWF and the position is abandoned in favor of having a Commissioner instead. Sgt.Slaughter becomes that Commissioner. In October,WWF held their 1st Hell in a Cell Match,featuring Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker. The biggest game changer was at the Survivor Series in November,where the Montreal Screwjob took place.

McMahon screwed Bret Hart out of his title and would become one of the most hated men in Wrestling after playing victim. Fans and Wrestlers alike hated him and Needed to see him get his ass kicked Hard!

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1998 - In what seems like an eternity,The WWF Finally defeats WCW in the PPV War. This victory would lead the WWF to a comback trail. In Febuary,WWF brings in Mike Tyson to help promote WrestleMania 14.

At WrestleMania 14,"Stone Cold" Steve Austin officially becomes the New Face of the company by winning the WWF Championship. Vince McMahon begins to embrace the hate he has and becomes the Evil Mr.McMahon. This leads to 'Austin v McMahon',the biggest fued of the Era.

The WWF would resurrect the Womens Division with Ms. Jaqueline becoming the new WWF Womens Champion. WWF creates the Hardcore Championchip,with Mick Foley being the first Champion.

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1999 - Thanks to WCW playing Stupidly and the super popular Mick Foley winning the World Title,the WWF gains a Permanant Upperhand against WCW,in the Monday Night War. (I'll talk more about This another day).

In May,Owen Hart was tragicly killed in an accident at Over The Edge. This would lead into a multi-year legal fight with Owen's Widow,Martha Hart. (I'll talk more about this more in depth another time).

WWE retired the Over the Edge PPV soon after Owen's death. In August,WWF debut it's B-Show,Smackdown! on Thursday Nights. Titan Sports is renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. In October,the WWF would become a publicly traded company.

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2000 - Vince McMahon would branch out from Wrestling once again with a Football League,the XFL. That falls quickly. At SummerSlam,WWF debut the Tables,Ladders,and Chairs (TLC) Match,with Edge and Christian,The Hardy's,and the Dudley Boyz taking part.

In September,thanks to a falling out with the USA Network earlier in the Year,The WWF would move RAW to Viacom's TNN (later spike tv).

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2001 - XFL shuts down,due to extremely low ratings. In March,WWF buys WCW,Officially ending the Monday Night War. The Attitude Era ends after WrestleMania. In April,WWF buys ECW. The Post-Attitude Era,another transitional era,begins in the late-spring. This Era was all about WWF v WCW,and then WWF v WCW and ECW.

The Invasion fell short,due to WWF failing to secure the contracts of most of WCW's biggest names. WWF won in the end.  At the WWF PPV,Vengeance,The WCW and WWF titles were unified. Chris Jericho became the first Unified Champion. 

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2002 - In April,the very first Brand Split happens. In May,thanks to losing a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Fund,the World Wrestling Federation was forced to changed their name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

In June,The Ruthless Aggression Era was born. Later in the year,the WCW World Championship (aka the Big Gold Belt) returned as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H became the 1st holder of this Rebranded Title.

In August,tne WWF Hardcore Championship is retired. John Cena becomes the Face of the WWE throughout the Ruthless Aggression Era. The Elimination Chamber match debuts.

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2003 - WWE would revive WCW's United States Championship the WWE United States Championship.

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2004 - WWE launches WWE Classics on Demand aka WWE 24/7,an on Demand Network.

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2005 - The Money in the Bank Ladder Match is introduced in March. In September,the WWE and the USA Network make amends and a new TV Deal is signed. In October,WWE programming returns to the USA Network. 

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2006 - In Febuary,due to the death of Eddie Guererro months prior,WWE reboots it's Wellness Program and goes all in on it. In May,WWE would resurrect ECW as a 3rd Brand. 

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2007 - WWE's Wellness Policy is called in to question once again with the Death of Chris Benoi (which was a double murder-suicide). Because of the Double Murder Suicide by Benoit,the WWE decided to stupidly erase The Canadian Crippler from Everything WWE related - both Past And Present. 

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2008 - In June,WWE ends the Ruthless Aggression Era and begins the so called "PG" Era. The Divas Championship is introduced in July,with Michelle McCool becoming the inaugural champion.

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2010 - In Febuary,WWE's ECW ends And NXT begins...but not as a full-on wrestling show. (I'll talk more about NXT another day and time). In September, The Divas Championship would be unified with the Women's Championship,and renamed tne Unified Divas Title,with the "Unified" being dropped soon after the unification.

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2012 - In Febuary,WWE launched their Youtube Channel. NXT becomes a Wrestling Show. In July,RAW became a 3-Hour Show.

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2013 - Daniel Bryan starts to gain popularity,and by tne summer,becomes tne most popular Babyface in WWE. In December,The WWE unifies both the WWE and World Heavyweight Titles,with Randy Orton defeating John Cena for the Gold.

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2014 - In Febuary,The WWE Network,WWE's first official streaming service,is created. WWE 24/7 shuts down. In March,WWE Enters the Reality Era aka the Universe Era. WWE soon gets official accounts on various social platforms,such as Facebook and Twitter.

At Wrestle Manis 30,Daniel Brian becomes the New WWE Unified World Champion,beating both Batista and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat Match. The Unified WWE World Championship would get a new (and inferior) design after SummerSlam. The,then,2 Belts were now 1.

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2015 - In January,Roman Reigns was being primed to be the New Face of tne Company,much to the anoyance of the fans,who still considered Daniel Brian to be tne Face of tne Company. Thanks to the Hashtag 'Give Diva's A Chance' WWE creates The Women's Revolution Revolution.with A.J. Lee as it's leader.

Due to a series of terrible booking and creative decisions,the WWE would face some disarray. These issues would continue to today. In November,Roman Reigns officially became the Face of tne WWE by Winning the WWE World Title.  

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2016 - In May,A New,Unnamed,Era begins and things would only get worse for the WWE from here on in.. At WrestleMania 32,The Divas is retired infavor of a Brand New (and dumb looking) Women's Championship. Sometime during the year,The spirit of the WWF quietly infused itself within NXT,turning the brand into the reincarnation of the WWF. In July,WWE extends it's brand split with a new RAW exclusive title - The Universal Title.

In August the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships and the Smackdown Womens Championship are introduced. Smackdow would be renamed to Smackdown! Live and would be moved to Tuesday Nights.

And in October,Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair did battle in tbe 1st Ever Womens Hell in a Cell Match. In November,WWE creates its own Cruiserweight show,202 Live. And in December,NXT UK was created. Despite all this,the bad booking on the Main Roster got worse and worse.

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2017 - WWE's Woes would continue with the crowning of Part-Timers as Champions,first with Goldburg,then with Brock Lesnar. It was even Worse with Lesnar,as he wasn't required to defend his title often,only on the Big 4 PPVs.

In June,WWE introduces it's very first Womens Money in the Bank. The bad booking continued throught the year and recovery seemed like a fantasy. As usual,NXT was the Only positive.

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2018 - In January,WWE introduces it's very first Womens Royal Rumble,which was won by Asuka. In March,NXT introduced its North American Championship,first held by Adam Cole (Bay-Bay!) In April,The WWE forges a (Horrible!) Multi-Year deal with Saudi Arabia,resulting in bi-yearly PPVs held in that country.

In October,WWE aired it's first ever (and only ever) All-Womens PPV,WWE Evolution. In December,WWE introduced the Women's Tag Team Championships,with Sasha and Bayley becoming the 1st Title Holders.

Despite all of these milestones,there was no escaping the sence of Doom. NXT,on the other hand,continued to be great.

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2019 - In January,Kofi Kingston gains great favor from the fans,and soon,KofiMania is born. At WrestleMania 35,Kofi Kingston wins the thIn May,WWE introduces the 24/7 championship,with R-Truth winning it first.

In August,NXT became a 2-hour show. In October,Smackdown Live! moved to Fox and became a Friday Night show. The most devistating event,however,came when Part-Timer Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston for his WWE Championship in mere seconds.

This prompted the (proverbial) Hand Of Destruction to appear,stalking the WWE wherever they go,waiting to deliver it's 'Fingerpoke of Doom'. Vince McMahon had damned this Company. NXT,however,didn't have this problem.

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2020 - WrestleMania 36 became the 1st 2-Night Event in WWE history and,thanks to Covid-CCP,was also the first WWE show with no fans. The WWE continue to hold Empty Arena events until August,when the Thunderdome was introduced. 

The Thunderdome was a bio-secure arena with a virtual crowd. Fans would attend virtually from home and provide a weak substitute for Fans in the Arena. NXT would move to the Capital Wrestling Center later in the Year,and would continue to thrive.

Thought the year,Vince McMahon would either fire Wrestlers (many of them good ones) or force them to quit the company. Because of these unfair firings and mistreatment of talent,as well as the constant crap booking on the Main Roster,The Hand of Destruction would strike with its 'Fingerpoke of Doom' in November.

Thanks to the 'Fingerpoke of Doom',WWE would enter another new era,The Doomsday Era. The countdown to WWE's destruction begins,with NXT keeping the count slow. Without NXT,the Countdown would be much faster

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2021 - In March,the NXT Womens Tag Team Championships are introduced,with Dakoda Kai and Raquel Gonzales as the inaugural title holders. Also in March,the WWE would make Another stupid mistake by selling their U.S. Streaming Rights to Peacock,a Comcast-owned Streaming Service. Peacock would censor a lot of WWE's archived content.

More unfair firings would occur thought the year. NXT moves to Tuesday Nights from Wednesday Nights. Meanwhile,the countdown to WWE's end continues. 

And Thus concludes my brief and mostly complete history of the WWE. As you could tell,the company is in dire trouble,with only NXT keeping it alive. But for how long? NXT is only slowing down that ever ticking Doomsday Clock,not stopping it all together. Our only hope is that if Triple H and Stephanie McMahon buy the company from their Senile Patriarch. Let's hope that happens soon,because WWE doesn't have much time left.

Until After the 4th,

Stay Gold,Space Cowboys