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89-401: WWE Crush Hour features Vince McMahon taking control over every television network, with WWE professional wrestling superstars appearing on every TV show and commercial. His newest project, titled "Crush Hour", is a demolition derby-style show featuring more than thirty WWE superstars in custom cars, outfitted with mounted guns (Primary Weapon), and foreign objects (Optional Weapon) to enhance

178-519: A worked shoot promo during which he ran down McMahon, outing him as chairman and not just a commentator for the first time in WWF storylines. This was followed up on the October 23 Raw with Stone Cold Steve Austin referring to then-WWF President Gorilla Monsoon as "just a puppet" and that it was McMahon "pulling all the strings". The March 17, 1997 WWF Raw Is War is cited by some as the beginning of

267-459: A 21st-century "super agent" by both The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian , as well as an Advertising Age "Influencer." In July 2011, the company and its foundation created Camp Summer Eagle, which provides donations and activities for schoolchildren at Foster Elementary in Compton, California . Shortly after the merger, WME helped launch the investment group Raine, which aligned

356-574: A 51% stake in TKO, with WWE's shareholders having a 49% stake, valuing WWE at $ 9.3 billion. McMahon will serve as the executive chairman of TKO and oversee the new company's WWE and UFC divisions. Upon completion of the deal, McMahon was expected to personally own 34% of TKO Group. The merger between WWE and UFC as TKO was completed on September 12, 2023, with WWE and UFC continuing to operate as separate divisions of TKO by focusing on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts respectively. On October 15, it

445-644: A branding and marketing agency in Philadelphia for about $ 200 million in January 2018. The CEO of 160over90, John Campanella, said that Endeavor took less than two months to complete the purchase. Third Coast Content, a faith and family audiences production and publishing company, was founded in February 2018 by veteran film executive Ben Howard as CEO with Endeavor Content as an investor and as its provider of sales and advisory services. In April 2019, Droga5

534-600: A commentator or host. First, in 1977, when he and Arnold Skaaland were struck from behind by Captain Lou Albano , as part of a kayfabe "Manager Of the Year" storyline, when Albano was disgruntled over losing to Skaaland. In 1985, Andre the Giant grabbed him by the collar during an interview on Tuesday Night Titans . Andre had become irritated at McMahon's questions regarding his feud with Big John Studd and their match at

623-601: A day before it planned to go public, Endeavor Group announced that the IPO had been postponed in order to "evaluate the timing for the proposed offering as market conditions develop." Contributing factors were reported to be the under-performance of the recent IPO for Peloton , and an ongoing lawsuit with several former UFC fighters. On March 30, 2021, Endeavor Group announced a new planned IPO for later in 2021, with Elon Musk and Fawn Weaver nominated to join its board of directors. On April 28, 2021, Endeavor Group went public on

712-672: A filing with the SEC , appointing Vince McMahon by himself, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson back to the WWE Board of Directors. On January 10, McMahon assumed the role of executive Chairman of the WWE. On April 3, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a deal under which WWE would merge with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to form a new publicly traded company trading under the symbol "TKO". Endeavor will hold

801-530: A minority stake in the creative agency Droga5 . The partnership combines the companies’ advertising and entertainment resources. On December 18, 2013, WME and Silver Lake announced the acquisition of IMG for $ 2.4 billion. WME 's Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell took over as co-CEOs. On January 21, 2015, it was announced that WME had acquired Global eSports Management (GEM), an international agency representing various esports and professional video game players and personalities. In April 2015, they bought

890-716: A new direction for WWE where he stated that it would "be a bit edgier, but still remain in the PG environment". In another conference call on July 29, 2021, McMahon stated that he doesn't consider AEW competition and that he was "not so sure what their investments are as far as their talent is concerned". WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite competed in the Wednesday Night Wars , from October 2, 2019, to April 7, 2021, which ended with AEW Dynamite emerging victorious and NXT moving to Tuesday nights. This eventually led WWE to revamp NXT with major changes to "NXT 2.0" starting from

979-458: A new franchising deal with the WGA, under which it must cease the use of packaging deals, and not hold more than a 20% stake in production companies affiliated with the agency, thus necessitating that it divest at least 80% of Endeavor Content. On June 8, 2021, Endeavor began to seek a partner for the division in compliance with the agreement, with the whole sales team returning to the company to start

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1068-450: A pay dispute with McMahon's father, Vincent J. McMahon , shortly before a scheduled television taping. The elder McMahon let Morgan walk instead of giving in to his demands and needed a replacement on the spot, offering it to his son. For the younger McMahon, it was also somewhat of a compromise, as it allowed him to appear on television. McMahon wanted to be a wrestler but his father did not let him, explaining that promoters did not appear on

1157-507: A result, the WWF was able to expand its fanbase into a national mainstream audience as the promotion was featured heavily on MTV programming. On March 31, 1985, he ran the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden , available on closed-circuit television in various markets throughout the United States. McMahon's success of birthing WrestleMania in the 1980s had a significant impact on the 1980s professional wrestling boom during

1246-576: A ring announcer for the WWWF's All-Star Wrestling . In 1971, he was assigned to a small territory in Maine, where he promoted his first card. He later became the play-by-play commentator for television matches after replacing Ray Morgan in 1971, a role he regularly maintained until November 1997. In the 1970s, McMahon became a prominent force in his father's company and, over the next decade, assisted his father in tripling TV syndication. The younger McMahon

1335-477: A strategic partnership between WME and creative music agency Jingle Punks, which creates, publishes and licenses music. WME is also an investor in the e-commerce platform [OpenSky], which was named one of America's "Most Promising Companies" by Forbes . In 2013, Whitesell and Emanuel were profiled in Fast Company , highlighting the company's digital growth. On May 2, 2012, WME and Silver Lake Partners ,

1424-474: A technology-focused private equity firm based in Silicon Valley , signed an agreement for Silver Lake to acquire a 31.25% minority stake in the agency for $ 250 million. A new executive committee , consisting of Co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell and Silver Lake Managing Director Egon Durban, was formed to lead the company's growth strategy and investment activities. In July 2013, WME acquired

1513-587: A tennis facility in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania . The McMahons have supported the Special Olympics since 1986, first developing an interest through their friendship with NBC producer Dick Ebersol and Susan Saint James , who encouraged them to participate. Before the evolution of the Mr. McMahon character, McMahon appeared as a commentator on television. His executive role was not publicized to maintain

1602-421: A wrestler, but his father did not allow him, explaining that promoters did not appear on the show and should stay apart from their wrestlers. In 1968, McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a business degree and after a nondescript career as a traveling salesman, he was eager to assume a managerial role in his father's World Wide Wrestling Federation promotion. In 1969, McMahon made his debut as

1691-713: Is CJ ENM's largest acquisition to-date. The $ 785 million purchase was completed in January 2022. In September 2022, the company was renamed Fifth Season ; the name stems from Eastern medicine, which recognizes the so-called "fifth season" as a celebratory time of harvest in late summer, thus representing the company's focus on global ideas and content. On October 26, 2022, JKN Global Group acquired Miss Universe Organization (MUO) from Endeavor for $ 14 million. On March 7, 2023, Endeavor acquired unscripted production company Asylum Entertainment Group . On June 2, 2023, Endeavor acquired literary agency Ross Yoon Agency. In January 2023, professional wrestling promotion WWE stated it

1780-507: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( / m ə k ˈ m æ n / ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda , is a co-founder of the modern WWE , the world's largest professional wrestling promotion . Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included

1869-683: Is an American holding company for talent and media agencies with its primary offices in Beverly Hills , California . The company was founded in April 2009 after the merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor Talent Agency . Endeavor represents artists in film, television, music, theater, digital media, and publishing. It also represents the NFL and NHL . Endeavor is majority owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and

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1958-442: Is feuding with at that particular time, and was included on the 2006 McMahon DVD. As a commentator, McMahon was a babyface "voice of the fans", a contrast to the heel color commentator , usually Jesse Ventura , Bobby Heenan or Jerry Lawler . While most of McMahon's on-screen physicality took place under his "Mr. McMahon" persona later in his career, he was involved in physical altercations on WWF television several times as

2047-615: Is headed by CEO Ari Emanuel and executive chairman Patrick Whitesell . The Endeavor Talent Agency launched in 1995. By 2009, it was one of the fastest-growing Hollywood talent agencies, with The New York Times singling out its reputation for "quick thinking, ferocity and barely bridled ambition". On April 27, 2009, William Morris Agency (WMA) and the Endeavor Talent Agency announced that they were forming William Morris Endeavor, or "WME". Endeavor executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell were widely seen as

2136-520: The American Wrestling Association (AWA). In 1984, he recruited Hulk Hogan to be the WWF's charismatic new megastar, and the two quickly drew the ire of industry peers as the promotion began traveling and broadcasting into rival territories. McMahon, who still also fronted as the WWF's squeaky clean babyface announcer, created The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection by incorporating pop music stars into wrestling storylines. As

2225-658: The McMahon family . Vince McMahon will serve as executive chairman of the new entity, Emanuel as CEO, and Mark Shapiro as president and chief operating officer. As with Endeavor's ownership of UFC, Emanuel will not take on any creative roles, with current WWE CEO Nick Khan being named president of WWE (in a similar capacity to Dana White 's role in UFC). Emanuel said that the merger would "bring together two leading pureplay sports and entertainment companies" and provide "significant operating synergies", while McMahon stated that "given

2314-496: The New York Stock Exchange . Endeavor subsequently used some of the proceeds from the IPO to buy out Zuffa's other shareholders at a value of $ 1.7 billion, making Zuffa a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endeavor. On July 19, 2021, Ursula Burns joined the board of directors. On September 27, 2021, Endeavor announced that it would acquire OpenBet for $ 1.2 billion in cash and stock. In March 2022, Musk resigned from

2403-711: The Professional Bull Riders (PBR). On September 23, 2015, it was announced that WME-IMG would be partnering with Turner Broadcasting to create a televised esports league, the ELeague . On September 14, 2015, WME-IMG acquired from Donald Trump the Miss Universe Organization , which produces the Miss Universe , Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants and related content. The organization sells television rights to

2492-460: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) through TKO Group . In collegiate athletics Endeavor- Learfield IMG represents The American , A10 , Big 12 , Conference USA , Horizon League , MAC , MEAC , OVC , SEC and WCC . The group additionally owns a 20% stake in film and television production company Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content), with the remaining 80% owned by South Korean entertainment and retail company CJ ENM . Endeavor

2581-617: The WWE Network . In 2017, McMahon established Alpha Entertainment, a separate entity from WWE. Vince and Linda McMahon donated over $ 8 million in 2008, giving grants to the Fishburne Military School , Sacred Heart University , and East Carolina University . Nonprofit Quarterly noted the majority of the McMahons' donations were toward capital expenditures . In 2006, they paid $ 2.5 million for construction of

2670-659: The World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL football league. He is the owner of Alpha Entertainment. McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in business in 1968, and began his tenure in professional wrestling as a commentator for WWE (then called the World Wide Wrestling Federation or WWWF) for most of the 1970s. He bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon , in 1982 and almost monopolized

2759-412: The XFL , a professional American football league. The league began in February 2001, with McMahon making an appearance at the first game, but folded after one season due to low television ratings. This wasn't until January 25, 2018, when he announced its resurrection . The league filed for bankruptcy on April 13, 2020. In February 2014, McMahon helped launch an over-the-top streaming service called

WWE Crush Hour - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-426: The evil Mr. McMahon, who began a legendary feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin , who challenged his authority. As a result, the WWF suddenly found itself back in national pop-culture, drawing millions of viewers for its weekly Monday Night Raw broadcasts, which ranked among the highest-rated shows on cable television. In October 1999, McMahon led the WWF in an initial public offering of company stock. Also, during

2937-652: The " Montreal Screwjob "). McMahon announced the beginning of the Attitude Era on the December 15th, 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw, where McMahon stated "This is a conscious effort on our part to 'open the creative envelope', in order to entertain in a more contemporary manner, extends far beyond the strict confines of sports presentation into the wide open environment of broad based entertainment. We borrow from such programs niches like soap-operas and others widely accepted forms of television entertainment and tired of

3026-412: The "Farmhouse" training program. In September 2022, Richard Weitz and Christian Muirhead were named Co-Chairmen of the agency. Endeavor grew to include several subsidiary companies and expanded divisions. Fortune named co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell to their 2010 "Businessperson of the Year" list, acknowledging their corporate growth strategies. Emanuel had previously been recognized as

3115-546: The Attitude Era and "ushered in a new era of refined and compelling storytelling". McMahon also had the most say in the WWE company's creative direction. The move into the PG Era made the promotion more appealing to corporate sponsors . On April 7, 2011, McMahon's company ceased using the full name World Wrestling Entertainment and henceforth referred to itself solely as WWE, making the latter an orphan initialism . This

3204-581: The Attitude Era, the company embraced this period by incorporating foul language, graphic violence, and controversial stipulations such as Bra and Panties matches. On June 24, 1999, McMahon appeared on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show and said he viewed Ted Turner as his rival, stating "All I'll say about Ted is he's a son-of-a-bitch, other than that, he's probably not a bad guy, but I don't like him at all". McMahon later came out victorious against Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in

3293-468: The Golden Age Era. During the late 1980s, McMahon shaped the WWF into a unique sports entertainment brand that reached out to family audiences while attracting fans who hadn't paid attention to pro wrestling before. By directing his storylines toward highly publicized supercards, McMahon capitalized on a fledgling revenue stream by promoting these events live on pay-per-view television. In 1987,

3382-670: The MMA athletes", and "five related class-action lawsuits filed against it alleging that UFC violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 by monopolizing the alleged market for elite professional MMA athletes' services". Also included in the filing was the statement that subsidiary WME Dragon Holdings LLC, which bought 49 percent of advertising agency Droga5 in 2013, agreed to sell its interest in Droga5 to Accenture Interactive for $ 233 million. On September 26, 2019,

3471-556: The May 26, 1990, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling , after Hulk Hogan was attacked by Earthquake during a segment of The Brother Love Show , when Hogan was not moved out of the arena quickly enough. Throughout late 1996 and into 1997, McMahon slowly began to be referred to as the owner on WWF television while remaining as the company's lead play-by-play commentator. On the September 23, 1996 Monday Night Raw , Jim Ross delivered

3560-503: The McMahons to join the International Association of Arena Managers, learning the details of the arena business and networking with other managers through IAAM conferences, which Linda later called a great benefit to WWE's success. In 1990, McMahon founded the World Bodybuilding Federation organization, which folded in 1992. In 2000, McMahon again ventured outside the world of professional wrestling by launching

3649-623: The Mr. McMahon character, as after Bret Hart lost to Sycho Sid in a steel cage match for the WWF Championship , Hart engaged in an expletive -laden rant against McMahon and WWF management. This rant followed Hart shoving McMahon to the ground when he attempted to conduct a post-match interview. McMahon, himself, returned to the commentary position and nearly cursed out Hart before being calmed down by Ross and Lawler. Acquisition of WWE by Endeavor Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (formerly William Morris Endeavor and WME-IMG )

WWE Crush Hour - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-433: The September 14, 2021, episode. McMahon voluntarily stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE on June 17, 2022, pending an internal investigation, with his daughter Stephanie McMahon being named the interim CEO and interim chairwoman of the WWE. McMahon continued to oversee WWE creative and content development. On July 22, Vince McMahon officially announced his retirement from WWE and named his daughter Stephanie McMahon,

3827-741: The TKO board earlier due to a lawsuit alleging abuse and sexual exploitation, owns approximately 15 million shares of TKO Group's Class A shares after the recent transactions. In 1979, Vince and Linda purchased the Cape Cod Coliseum and the Cape Cod Buccaneers of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League . In addition to pro wrestling and hockey, they began selling out rock concerts (including Van Halen and Rush ) in non-summer months, traditionally considered unprofitable due to lack of tourists. This venture led

3916-400: The WGA asserted to be an illegal conflict of interest under state and federal law. As part of agreements which would allow them to resume representing writers, the WGA called for talent agencies to reduce their interest in co-owned production companies, as they considered talent agencies owning their own production companies to be a conflict of interest. In February 2021, Endeavor agreed to

4005-457: The WWF as the preeminent wrestling promotion in the late 1990s when initiating a new brand strategy that eventually returned the WWF to prominence. Sensing a public shift toward a more hardened and cynical fan base, McMahon redirected storylines toward a more adult-oriented model. The concept became known as "WWF Attitude" and McMahon commenced the new era when manipulating the WWF Championship away from Bret Hart at Survivor Series (now known as

4094-645: The WWF reportedly drew 93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome (which was called the "biggest crowd in sports-entertainment history") for WrestleMania III , which featured the main event of Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant . In 1993, the company entered the New Generation Era, one of McMahon's toughest times since taking over the company as business went up and down with various projects in the company. After struggling against Ted Turner 's World Championship Wrestling (WCW), McMahon cemented

4183-500: The age of 12. McMahon's paternal grandfather was the boxing promoter Roderick James "Jess" McMahon , whose parents were Irish immigrants from County Galway . His paternal grandmother, Rose Davis, was also of Irish descent. McMahon was raised under the name Vinnie Lupton and spent the majority of his childhood living with his mother and various stepfathers. He later claimed that one of his stepfathers, Leo Lupton, beat his mother and attacked him when he tried to protect her; he said of

4272-467: The architects of the merger and quickly became the Co-CEOs of WME. After the official announcement of the merger, nearly 100 WMA employees and former board members were let go. One of those leaving was Jim Wiatt, who came to WMA in 1999 from International Creative Management , where he was vice-chairman. He had joined WMA as president and co-chief executive officers, and had risen to board chairman. After

4361-481: The assets of ECW on January 28, 2003. In September 2020, professional wrestling promoter, WWE Hall of Famer , and former WCW president Eric Bischoff revealed that during this period of the Monday Night War in television ratings battles between WWE and WCW "Vince was petitioning a lot for Ted. He was trying to embarrass Ted, trying to create some anxiety with the shareholders of Turner Broadcasting. Vince

4450-478: The board. In 2019, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) filed a lawsuit against the four major Hollywood talent agencies, including WME, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA) and ICM Partners , over their usage of packaging deals (under which a talent agency offers a production utilizing its represented writers, directors, and/or actors as a "package" to prospective studios), which

4539-509: The company and his wife, Linda, became the "co-chief executive". In 1982, Titan acquired control of the CWC from McMahon's ailing father (who died in May 1984) and his partners. When he purchased the WWF in 1982, professional wrestling was a business run by regional promotions. Various promoters understood that they would not invade each other's territories, as this practice had gone on undeterred for decades. The National Wrestling Alliance became

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4628-606: The company had lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF trademark. The name change officially occurred the following day on May 6. Although mainly caused by the ruling in favor of the World Wildlife Fund regarding the "WWF" initialism, the company noted it provided an opportunity to emphasize its focus on entertainment. Shortly after its name change, WWE transitioned into its Ruthless Aggression Era; McMahon officially referred to

4717-572: The company with properties like Vice Media and Zumba Fitness . In 2010, WME partnered with RED Interactive, a digital advertising agency. Two years later, they formed an alliance with the social media management firm TheAudience, partnering with digital entrepreneur Sean Parker and executing social campaigns for properties like the Seth MacFarlane motion picture Ted and the Coachella Music Festival . 2013 brought

4806-410: The company's new permanent chairwoman and co-CEO (alongside Nick Khan ). Triple H then replaced Vince McMahon as Head of WWE creative. It was announced on January 6, 2023 by The Wall Street Journal that McMahon was planning a return to WWE as executive chairman, ahead of upcoming media rights negotiations in 2024 and also to explore a potential sale of the company. On January 6, WWE published

4895-429: The defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 2003. McMahon appeared on-screen for WWE from 1969 until 2022, initially as a personable play-by-play commentator. In 1997, he adopted the character of Mr. McMahon, portrayed as an irascible, villainous, swaggering tyrant who obsessed over maintaining control of his wrestling company and often growled the catchphrase "you're fired!" when dismissing an employee. Under

4984-724: The destruction of the opponent's vehicles, and a "Special Move" which will inflict significantly more damage than the other aforementioned weapons. WWE Crush Hour also features audio commentary by Jim Ross . WWE Crush Hour was officially announced in May 2002 by JAKKS Pacific and THQ . It was released on March 17, 2003 in North America, and on May 15 in Europe. The game was a budget title, and retailed for much less than other licensed games. The game received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic . This vehicle simulation game -related article

5073-702: The experience, "It is unfortunate that [Lupton] died before I could kill him. I would have enjoyed that." He graduated in 1964 from Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia , where he reportedly struggled due to dyslexia . Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s McMahon first met the promoter for Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), his father, Vincent J. McMahon, when 12. At that point, McMahon became interested in following in his father's professional wrestling footsteps and often accompanied him on trips to Madison Square Garden . McMahon wanted to be

5162-550: The first WrestleMania . On the September 28, 1991, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling , when Roddy Piper mistakenly hit him with a folding chair aimed at Ric Flair (requiring McMahon to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher ), and again on the November 8, 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw , when Randy Savage hurled him to the floor in an attempt to attack Crush after McMahon attempted to restrain him. McMahon can be seen screaming at medics and WWF personnel during

5251-480: The governing body for all the regional territories across the country and as far away as Japan. McMahon had a different vision of what the industry could become. In 1983, the WWF split from the NWA again (it had left the NWA in 1963 but rejoined in 1971). He began expanding the company nationally by promoting in areas outside of the company's Northeast U.S. stomping grounds and by signing talent from other companies, such as

5340-493: The illusion of wrestling's staged story lines, or kayfabe . While McMahon did publicly identify himself as the owner of the WWF outside of WWF programming, on television his ownership of the WWF was considered an open secret through the mid-1990s. Jack Tunney was portrayed as the president of WWF instead of McMahon. In 1969, McMahon began appearing on untelevised WWWF events as a ring announcer. McMahon made his commentary debut in 1971 when he replaced Ray Morgan after Morgan had

5429-498: The incredible work that Ari and Endeavor have done to grow the UFC brand—nearly doubling its revenue over the past seven years—and the immense success we’ve already had in partnering with their team on a number of ventures, I believe that this is without a doubt the best outcome for our shareholders and other stakeholders." The deal is expected to be completed on September 12, 2023. WWE and the UFC will continue to run as separate divisions of

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5518-403: The industry , which previously operated as separate entities across the United States. This led to the development of the annual event WrestleMania , which became one of the world's most successful professional wrestling events . WWE then faced industry competition from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s before purchasing and absorbing WCW in 2001. WWE also purchased the assets of

5607-579: The largest-ever acquisition in the sports industry. On August 22, 2016, WME acquired the literary agency Rabineau Wachter Sanford & Gillett (RWSG); its co-founders, Sylvie Rabineau and Jill Holwager Gillett, head a division of WME involved in the coordination of screen adaptations of literature. WME/IMG purchased in August 2017 a majority stake in Bloom, a film finance and sales company led by Ken Kao and Alex Walton. WME-IMG reorganized in October 2017 with

5696-407: The late 1990s and early 2000s was the result of competition from WCW and forced the company to "go for the jugular". Due to WCW's demise in 2001, McMahon says that they "don't have to" appeal to viewers in the same way and that during the "far more scripted" PG Era, WWE could "give the audience what they want in a far more sophisticated way". McMahon also stated that the move to PG cut the "excess" of

5785-413: The launch of the WWE Network (at the time scheduled to launch in 2012; later pushed back to 2014). The legal name of the company remained World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. for the time. In 2019, Tony Khan 's All Elite Wrestling (better known as AEW) emerged as the second largest professional wrestling promotion in the market after WWE, and during a conference call on July 25, 2019, McMahon announced

5874-402: The merger, WME moved its headquarters into the offices of Endeavor at 9601 Wilshire Boulevard in the heart of Beverly Hills. In 2011, Emanuel was quoted in a Financial Times profile about the company saying, "We built a culture where people are rewarded for taking risks." Emanuel and Whitesell implemented several leadership strategies to boost the productivity of their agents, most notably,

5963-401: The new era as "Ruthless Aggression" on June 24, 2002. This period still featured many similar elements of its predecessor the Attitude Era, including the levels of violence, sex, and profanity, but there was less politically incorrect content, and a further emphasis on wrestling was showcased. In July 2008, all WWE programs shifted to TV-PG ratings. McMahon also stated that the Attitude Era of

6052-583: The new merged company, TKO Group Holdings (TKO). McMahon later resigned from TKO in January 2024 after allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault . McMahon is currently under a federal probe. McMahon was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina , on August 24, 1945, to Victoria (née Hanner; 1920–2022) and Vincent James McMahon (1914–1984), who left the family when McMahon was still a baby and took McMahon's older brother Roderick James McMahon III (1943–2021) with him. McMahon did not meet his father until

6141-425: The newly merged company as per statements made by WWE CEO Nick Khan. Hours after the sale, law firm Ademi LLP launched an investigation into the sale, looking for "possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law". WWE's stock price additionally decreased following the announcement of the sale. On May 16, it was reported that the new entity would operate under the name TKO Group Holdings . The merger

6230-429: The next day. On April 3, Endeavor and WWE officially announced the deal, under which WWE will merge with UFC parent company Zuffa to form a new publicly-traded company; the name of the new entity was not announced, but it was stated that it will trade under the symbol " TKO ". Endeavor will hold a 51% stake in "TKO", with WWE's shareholders having a 49% stake, marking the first time that WWE has not been controlled by

6319-597: The pageants in other countries. Financial details were not disclosed. Softbank and Fidelity Investments in early 2016 invested in WME-IMG. The company formed a joint venture in June 2016 for China with Sequoia Capital , Tencent and FountainVest Partners . On July 9, 2016, Zuffa, LLC , the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , was sold to a group led by WME-IMG, its owner Silver Lake Partners , Kohlberg Kravis Roberts , and MSD Capital , for $ 4.025 billion,

6408-1084: The parent company being renamed from WME-IMG to Endeavor. Ari Emanuel became Endeavor CEO and Patrick Whitesell became Endeavor executive chairman. The general talent agency retained the WME name as the sports agency retained the IMG name. In October 2017, Endeavor Content was formed from the WME's and IMG's film financing and scripted TV sales units, WME's advisory group for film financiers and content producers and Bloom, which will continue to operate autonomously. Graham Taylor and Chris Rice were appointed as co-presidents and additional hires were Negeen Yazdi as senior vice president of film and Joe Hipps as senior vice president of television. On November 15, 2017, actor Terry Crews said on Good Morning America that Adam Venit, head of WME's motion picture department, had squeezed Crews' genitals with his hand at an industry party in February 2016. WME responded they had suspended Venit following an internal investigation, on November 27, 2017, it

6497-466: The process. On October 28, 2021, Endeavor started to solicit second-round bids for more than $ 750 million, with three equity firms and two strategic companies among those in the running. On November 19, 2021, South Korean conglomerate CJ ENM reached a deal to acquire the stake for $ 775 million. The acquisition primarily covers the company's scripted business, with Endeavor retaining its non-scripted, documentary, and film consulting businesses. The sale

6586-402: The same old simplistic theory of 'good guys versus bad guys'. Surely the era is definitely, passe. Therefore, we’ve embarked on a far more innovative and contemporary creative campaign, that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before". McMahon, who, for years, had downplayed his ownership of the company and was mostly known as a commentator, became involved in WWF storylines as

6675-476: The show and should stay apart from their wrestlers. McMahon eventually became the regular play-by-play commentator and maintained that role until November 1997, portraying himself originally as mild-mannered and diplomatic until 1984. In addition to matches, McMahon hosted other WWF shows, and introduced WWF programming to TBS on Black Saturday , upon the WWF's acquisition of Georgia Championship Wrestling and its lucrative Saturday night timeslot . McMahon sold

6764-466: The television ratings in the Monday Night War after an initial 84-week television ratings loss to WCW and afterward acquired the fading WCW from Turner Broadcasting System on March 23, 2001, with an end to the Monday Night War. On April 1, 2001, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) filed for bankruptcy leaving WWF as the last major wrestling promotion at that time. McMahon later acquired

6853-430: The time slot to Jim Crockett Promotions after the move backfired on him. He eventually acquired JCP's successor company, World Championship Wrestling , from AOL Time Warner in 2001. At the 1987 Slammy Awards , McMahon performed in a musical number and sang the song "Stand Back". The campy "Stand Back" video has since resurfaced several times over the years as a running gag between McMahon and any face wrestler he

6942-420: The villainous Mr. McMahon gimmick, he competed in wrestling matches and became a one-time WWE Champion , a one-time ECW Champion , a Royal Rumble winner, and a multi-time pay-per-view headliner. Following claims of hush-money agreements McMahon paid over affairs with former WWE employees, McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE in June 2022, pending the conclusion of an internal investigation. He

7031-555: Was acquired by Accenture . On May 24, 2019, Endeavor filed forms for an initial public offering (IPO) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would have valued the company at $ 7.6 billion. The form detailed Endeavor's revenue was $ 3.61 billion in 2018 with a net income of $ 100.1 million after adjustments, and potential risks involved of being potentially sued “over alleged long-term neurocognitive impairment arising from concussions”, "collective bargaining to unionize

7120-621: Was also behind the Muhammad Ali versus Antonio Inoki match of 1976. He pushed for the renaming of the company to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. On February 21, 1980, McMahon officially founded Titan Sports and the company's headquarters were established in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts , using the now-defunct Cape Cod Coliseum as a home base for the company. McMahon then became chairman of

7209-402: Was announced Venit would return to work after a month's unpaid leave. On December 4, 2017, lawyers acting on behalf of Terry Crews filed suit against WME and Venit stating "It is now time to hold Venit accountable for his sexual predatory behavior and to hold WME accountable for its conduct in condoning, ratifying, and encouraging Venit's sexual predatory behavior". Endeavor acquired 160over90,

7298-401: Was announced that Endeavor Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel made the call to remove McMahon from WWE creative power and then granted the responsibility to Triple H to drive 99.9% of the creative moving forward. As a result, McMahon is no longer involved in the WWE creative direction of the company. On January 26, 2024, one day after a report about alleged sexual assaults committed by McMahon

7387-419: Was exploring a potential sale, with Endeavor being among potential suitors. Its founder Vince McMahon had stepped down as chairman and CEO in mid-2022 amidst a misconduct investigation . Endeavor Streaming had been providing backend services for WWE's streaming platform WWE Network since 2019. On April 2, CNBC reported via sources that a deal between WWE and Endeavor was imminent and could be announced

7476-557: Was finalized on September 12, 2023. In April 2024, private equity firm Silver Lake announced a deal to take Endeavor private, offering $ 27.50 per share in cash, valuing the company at $ 13 billion. As part of the buyout, Endeavor began to divest some of its assets; in August 2024, Endeavor announced plans to put its sports betting businesses OpenBet and IMG Arena up for sale, and in October 2024, announced plans to divest IMG, PBR, and On Location Experiences to TKO Group in an all-stock deal valued at $ 3.25 billion. On November 11, 2024, it

7565-473: Was pretty obvious what Vince was trying to do. We all just chuckled about it". In a conference call in 2021, McMahon described the "situation where 'rising tides' because that was when Ted Turner was coming after us with all of Time Warner's assets as well". On May 5, 2002, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. announced that it would be changing both its company name and the name of its wrestling promotion to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after

7654-498: Was published by The Wall Street Journal , Deadline confirmed that McMahon had resigned from TKO. In a statement, he said the decision was made "out of respect for the WWE Universe, TKO, shareholders, and business partners." In March 2024, McMahon filed to sell $ 411.95 million worth of TKO stock amidst allegations of sexual assault, following a previous sale of shares worth $ 670.3 million in November. McMahon, who resigned from

7743-403: Was replaced by his daughter, Stephanie McMahon . The following month, McMahon announced his retirement from WWE, but his return to WWE as executive chairman was confirmed in January 2023. That April, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a merger between WWE and Zuffa , owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts promotion; McMahon served as the executive chairman of

7832-400: Was said to reflect WWE's global entertainment expansion away from the ring with the ultimate goal of acquiring entertainment companies and putting a focus on television, live events, and film production. WWE noted that their new company model was put into effect with the relaunch of Tough Enough , being a non-scripted program (contrary to the scripted nature of professional wrestling) and with

7921-469: Was trying to create some unrest and anxiety by being very, very critical about WCW" and "whenever you'd see blood in WCW, Vince would write these letters from the king's court to Ted criticizing him, and WCW, and the health and welfare of the talent by saying it's gross, it's crap, and all this. And then he'd turn around and do the same thing a month later. None of us took any of those letters very seriously, and it

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