The Incredible Origins Of WWE

Wrestling has been around since Ancient Greece, and it's been televised since the early '50s. But the history of modern wrestling starts on February 21, 1980, when Vincent McMahon and his wife incorporated the company that would become the WWE.

In the Beginning . . .

All through the 1980s, Titan Sports did business as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Under that banner, the league fielded absolute legends like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage and The Undertaker. Andre the Giant, Fat Lou Albino (the dad from that Cyndi Lauper video) and several other colorful characters made the WWF into more than a sport. With smart network partnerships between WWF and USA, MTV and others, and hyped-up mega-ultra-super title bouts like Tuesday Night Titans, the high drama and manufactured rivalries roped in millions of Americans each week, like a soap opera for guys.

Betting on Wrestlemania

By the middle of the decade, WWF was poised and ready to take off, but it still needed more national exposure. Pay-per-view had just become a thing, and Vince McMahon sensed the opportunity to go all-in for a do-or-die gamble.

At this time, McMahon was making monthly payments to the former owners of the various wrestling leagues he had to buy to build the WWF. The terms were harsh, and if he missed a single payment, ownership would revert and he could lose it all. Before he could take the show on a nationwide tour, the WWF needed tons of money.

The first Wrestlemania was either going to save the WWF or bury it, and McMahon was determined to go all out for success. Recruiting help from -- no kidding -- Cyndi Lauper, Liberace, Mr. T and Muhammad Ali, McMahon drove a publicity windmill for his PPV event. When it dropped, Wrestlemania broke all expectations and put the WWF on a sound financial footing for the first time.

A legend had arrived.