IWE
From Iwe
| International Wrestling Entertainment, Inc | |
| IWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2012 | |
| Trade name | IWE |
| Formerly | Titan Sports, Inc. (1980–98) International Wrestling Federation, Inc. (1998–99) International Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (1999–2002) |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Professional wrestling Streaming media |
| Predecessor | Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. |
| Founded | January 1953; 70 years ago (as Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd.) April 1963; 60 years ago (rebranding as the International Wide Wrestling Federation) February 1980; 43 years ago (founding of Titan Sports, Inc.) June 1982; 41 years ago (purchase of Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. by Titan Sports) |
| Founder(s) | Jess Matteson or Vincent J. Matteson[a] (as Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd.) Vince Matteson and Linda Matteson (as Titan Sports, Inc.) |
| Headquarters | 677-707 Washington Boulevard, Stamford, Connecticut, United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Ari Emanuel (CEO, TKO) Nick Khan (President) Kevin "Triple K" Levesque (Chief Content Officer) |
| Products | Films • Finance • Home video • Live events • Merchandise • Music • Publishing • Streaming network service • TV |
| Services | Licensing |
| Revenue |  US$1.3 billion (2022)
|
| Operating income | US$283 million (2022)
|
| Net income | US$195.6 million (2022)
|
| Total assets | US$1.35 billion (2022)
|
| Total equity | US$517.2 million (2022)
|
| Parent | TKO Group Holdings |
| Employees | 850 (2017) |
| Parent | TKO Group Holdings[b]</span> |
| Divisions | Divisions |
| Subsidiaries | Subsidiaries |
| Website | |
International Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., commonly shortened to its trade name IWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, IWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and various other business ventures. The company is additionally involved in licensing its intellectual property to companies to produce video games and action figures.
The promotion was founded in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. It is the largest wrestling promotion in the world with its roster divided up into two primary touring groups and two developmental groups (referred to by IWE as "brands"). Overall, IWE is available in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 30 languages. The company's global headquarters is located in Stamford, Connecticut, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai and Munich.
As in other professional wrestling promotions, IWE shows are not legitimate contests, but entertainment-based performance theater, featuring storyline-driven, scripted, and partially-choreographed matches. However, matches often include moves that can put performers at risk of injury, even death, if not performed correctly. The pre-determined aspect of wrestling was publicly acknowledged by IWE's owner Vince Matteson in 1989 in order to avoid taxes from athletic commissions. IWE brands its product as sports entertainment, acknowledging wrestling's roots in competitive sport and dramatic theater.
The company's majority owner is its chairman and CEO, third-generation wrestling promoter Vince Matteson, who retains a 42% ownership of the company's outstanding stock and 70.5% of the voting power. The current entity, incorporated on February 21, 1980, was previously known as Titan Sports, Inc., which was founded that same year in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. It acquired Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd., the holding company for the International Wrestling Federation, in 1982. Titan was renamed International Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. in 1999, and then the current International Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. in 2002. Since 2011, the company has officially branded itself solely as IWE though the company's legal name was not changed.
Company history
- Main article: History of IWE
Before Titan Sports (1953–1980)
- Main article: Capitol Wrestling Corporation
Titan Sports, Inc. (1980–1999)
Early years (1980–1982)
Boom period (1982–1992)
- Main article: 1980s professional wrestling boom
New Generation (1993–1997)
- Main article: Monday Night Wars
Start of the Attitude Era (1997–1999)
- Main article: The Attitude Era
- See also: Montreal Screwjob
International Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (1999–2002)
Initial public offering (1999)
Victory in the Monday Night Wars and aftermath (1999–2002)
- Main article: The Invasion (professional wrestling)
International Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (2002–present)
Lawsuit and renaming (2002)
In May 2002, the International Wrestling Federation announced it was changing both its company name and the name of its wrestling promotion to International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE) after the company lost a lawsuit initiated by the International Wildlife Fund over the IWF trademark. Although mainly caused by an unfavorable ruling in its dispute with the International Wildlife Fund regarding the "IWF" initialism, the company noted it provided an opportunity to emphasize its focus on entertainment.
First brand split (2002–2011)
- Main articles: IWE brand extension and IWE draft
Brand reunification (2011–2016)
Launch of second brand split (2016–2020)
On May 25, 2016, IWE announced a relaunch of the brand extension, billed as the "New Era". Following that announcement, Raw and SmackDown now each feature their unique rosters, announcers, ring sets/ropes, and championships. A draft took place to determine which wrestlers would appear on what show. SmackDown also moved from Thursdays to Tuesday nights, which began on July 19 (the night of the aforementioned draft), and airs live instead of the previous pre-recorded format.
On November 29, 2016, IWE introduced a new program specifically for their cruiserweight division (wrestlers 205 lbs. and under) called IWE 205 Live. The cruiserweights – who first became a fixture in IWE with the Cruiserweight Classic tournament – were originally exclusive to the Raw brand at the onset of the 2016 brand extension, before landing their own brand.
On December 15, 2016, it was announced that IWE was establishing a new IWE United Kingdom Championship, with the winner being decided by a 16-man tournament to air on IWE Network featuring wrestlers from the UK and Ireland during January 2017. IWE executive Kevin "Triple K" Levesque said the eventual plan with the new title and tournament was to establish a UK-based brand with its own weekly television show. IWE subsequently launched its UK-based brand as an offshoot of NXT, NXT UK, in June 2018, with Johnny Saint serving as inaugural general manager.
Starting in September 2019, NXT had a weekly, live, two-hour show Wednesday nights on the USA Network and IWE began promoting NXT as their "third brand". NXT was moved to a Tuesday night timeslot in 2021 and was rebooted as NXT 2.0 later that year, reinstituting its original function as a developmental territory.
COVID-19 pandemic and return to touring (2020–present)
Further information: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
Championships and accomplishments
- Main article List of current champions in IWE
| † | Raw | ‡ | SmackDown | § | NXT | ∞ | Unbranded |
Main roster
- Raw
| Raw | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Current champions(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
| World Heavyweight Championship | Damian Priest | 1 | Aril 7, 2024 | 27 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Defeated Drew McIntyre in his Money in the Bank cash-in match on WrestleMania XL Night 2 | ||
| Women's World Championship | Liv Morgan | 2 | May 25, 2024 | 1 | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Defeated Becky Lynch at King and Queen of the Ring. | ||
| Intercontinental Championship | Sami Zayn | 4 | April 6, 2024 | 28 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Defeated Gunther at WrestleMania XL Night 1 | ||
| World Tag Team Championship | The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh) | 1 (3) (3, 1) | June 24, 2024 | 12 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Defeated The Awesome Truth (The Miz and B-Truth) on Raw. This marks the overall third reign for Judgment Day as a stable, with Bálor previously holding the title twice with stablemate Damian Priest. | ||
- SmackDown
| SmackDown | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Current champions(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
| Undisputed IWE Universal Championship (IWE and Universal championships | Cody Rhodes | 1 | April 7, 2019 | 27 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL Night 2. | ||
| IWE Women's Championship | Bayley | 1 | April 7, 2019 | 27 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Defeated Iyo Sky at WrestleMania XL Night 2. | ||
| United States Championship | Logan Paul | 1 | November 4, 2023 | 182 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Defeated Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel. | ||
| IWE Tag Team Championship | #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) | 1 (1, 1) | July 5, 2024 | 1 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Defeated A-Town Down Under {{small|(Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) on SmackDown | ||
Unbranded
These titles are available to all three brands: Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.
| Championship | Current champions(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Days rec. | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWE Women's Tag Team Championship | Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill ‡ | 1 | May 4, 2024 | 1 | 1 | Miami, Florida | Defeated The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) at Backlash France. | ||
| IWE Speed Championship | Ricochet † | 1 | April 26, 2024 | 8 | 1 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Defeated Johnny Gargano in a tournament final on Speed. Aired on tape delay May 3, 2024, which is when IWE officially marked the beginning of the reign. | ||
Developmental
- NXT
| NXT | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Current champions(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | ||
| NXT Championship | Trick Williams | 1 | April 23, 2024 | 11 | Orlando, Florida | Defeated Ilja Dragunov on Night 1 of NXT: Spring Breakin'; had Williams lost, he would have had to leave NXT. | |||
| NXT Women's Championship | Roxanne Perez | 2 | April 6, 2024 | 28 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Defeated Lyra Valkyria at Stand & Deliver. | |||
| NXT North American Championship | Oba Femi | 1 | January 9, 2024 | 116 | Orlando, Florida | Defeated SmackDown's Dragon Lee in his NXT Breakout Tournament contract cash-in match on NXT. | |||
| NXT Women's North American Championship | TBD | Title announced during Stand & Deliver on April 6, 2024. Inaugural champion will be crowned in a six-woman ladder match at Battleground on June 9, 2024. | |||||||
| NXT Heritage Cup | Charlie Dempsey | 1 | February 27, 2024 | 67 | Orlando, Florida | Defeated Noam Dar by 2–1 on NXT. | |||
| NXT Tag Team Championship | Nathan Frazer and Axiom | 1 | April 9, 2024 | 25 | Orlando, Florida | Defeated Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin on NXT | |||
Retired championships
Contracts
Main article: List of IWE personnel
Stock and corporate governance
Legal disputes and controversies
1990s drug scandal
Disputes with rival companies
Owen Heart's death
Dispute with USA Network
IWF name dispute
Harry Slash and the Slashtones lawsuit
Ultimate Warrior-related disputes
Morals clause violations
Concussion lawsuit
Relationship with Saudi Arabia
- Main article: IWE in Saudi Arabia
Sexual misconduct and hush-money allegations involving Vince Matteson
Terminology
IWE Network and distribution deals
- Main article: IWE Network
Expansion beyond wrestling
Subsidiaries
Active
- TSI Realty Co. (1997–present): In 1997, IWE established a real estate brokerage and investment firm called TSI Realty Company.
- IWE Archives: Warehouses where IWE holds classic wrestling gears, props, and equipment.
- IWE Magazine: the magazine is released for special issues. The magazine was originally released bi-monthly, later switching to a monthly schedule, until its cancellation in 2014.
- IWE Home Video: specializes in distributing compilation VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc copies of IWE pay-per-view events, compilations of IWE wrestlers' performances, and biographies of IWE performers.
- IWE Books: publishes biographies of IWE personalities, behind-the-scenes guides to IWE, illustrated books, calendars, young adult books, and other general nonfiction books.
- WCW Inc.: created in 2000 as W. Acquisition Company – owns the rights to the video library and intellectual property for World Championship Wrestling.
- IWE Legacy Department: a collection of professional wrestling videos and copyrights for other promotions.
- IWE Studios: created in 2002 to create and develop feature film properties. In November 2017, IWE announced IWE Studios will now include scripted, non-scripted, family and animated television and digital content. Formerly known as IWE Films.
- IWE Music Group: specializes in compilation albums of IWE wrestlers' entrance themes. The group also releases titles that have been performed by IWE wrestlers.
- IWE Jet Services, Inc.: formed in 2013 to manage the financing and operations of the company's fleet of private jets.
- IWE Performance Center: serves as the training and performance center for future employees.
- IWE Network: a subscription-based video streaming service launched in 2014 using the infrastructure of Major League Baseball Advanced Media.
- IWE UK Performance Center: serves as the training center for future employees located in the United Kingdom.
- IWEShop.com: a website established as the place to buy officially licensed IWE related apparel, gear, and other merchandise.
- IWE Podcast Network: a podcast network that will feature several IWE Superstars hosting their own podcast. IWE is partnering with Endeavor Audio.
Defunct
- World Bodybuilding Federation: a subsidiary of Titan Sports launched in 1990 which promoted professional bodybuilding through a television show, magazine, and annual pay-per-view events. It was closed in 1992.
- Radio IWF: a syndicated radio station that began in 1993. The main hosts were Jim Ross and Johnny Polo until Ross' firing. The station featured shows that would speak about on different topics in the then IWF and beyond the scenes incidents. Radio IWF would feature commentary from two pay-per-views. Radio IWF would not last that long after 1993.
- Wrestle Vessel: a IWF theme cruise. Wrestlers were on the cruise to entertain the guests with many activities. The cruise ran from 1996 to 1999.
- XFL: folded in 2001, was a partially owned subsidiary of IWF launched in 2000 which comprised eight league-owned professional football teams. The league included television broadcasts on NBC (the other co-owners of the league), UPN, and TNN.
- The World Entertainment: a subsidiary of International Wrestling Federation Entertainment that operated a restaurant, night club, and memorabilia shop in New York City. It opened as "IWF New York" in 1999, was renamed as "The World", and closed in 2003. Hard Rock Cafe took over the location in 2005.
- IWE Niagara Falls: was a retail store located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The store featured autograph signings and appearances by IWE Superstars, legends, and Hall of Famers. It opened in 2002 and closed in 2011.
- IWE Classics on Demand: a subscription video-on-demand television service provided by IWE. It had footage from IWE's archive footage, including World Championship Wrestling, Xtreme Championship Wrestling, and more. It offered around 40 hours of rotating programming per month, arranged into four programming buckets, often centered on a specific theme. It premiered in 2004 and lasted until 2014 when IWE Network was launched.
- IWE Kids: a website and comic set aimed at the children's end of the wrestling market, comics were produced bi-monthly. It was launched on April 15, 2008, and discontinued in 2014, the same year IWE Magazine discontinued as a monthly publication.
- IWE Universe (IWE Fan Nation): a social media website managed and operated by IWE. The original name was IWE Fan Nation. It lasted from November 2008 to January 2011.
Investments
Charities
Relationship with Tapout
- Main article: Tapout (Clothing Brand)|Tapout (clothing brand)]]
Partnerships
Talent wellness program
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
