WWE, also known by its legal name of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.,^[7][8][9] is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company that deals primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing and direct product sales.
"WWE" also refers to the professional wrestling promotion itself, founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1952, and, as of 2011, the largest in the world, reaching 6 million viewers in the U.S, and approximately another 30 million worldwide by broadcasting its shows in more than 150 countries.^[10]

Like in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE shows are not legitimate sporting contests, but purely entertainment-based, featuring storyline-driven, scripted and choreographed matches, though they often include moves that can put performers at risk of injury if not performed correctly. WWE first acknowledged this publicly in 1981, breaking the gentlemen's agreement that previously existed among promoters.^[11]
Vince McMahon is the majority owner, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Together with his wife Linda McMahon, and their children Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon, the McMahons hold approximately 70% of WWE's equity and 96% of the voting power in the company. The company's headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut and also has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, and Mumbai.^[12][13]

The promotion was previously called the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Since 2011, the company has officially branded itself solely as "WWE", which is no longer an acronym, though the company's legal name was not changed.^[9][14]
On November 19, 2008, WWE launched their online social network, WWE Universe. It initially appeared in April as the WWE Fan Nation. Similar to Myspace, it offered blogs, forums, and other features for WWE fans. Also the WWE fanbase began being referred to on-air by the announcers and wrestlers as the "WWE Fan Nation", and later the "WWE Universe", similar to how some sports franchises refer to their own fanbases ("Red Sox Nation", "Raider Nation", etc.).^[44] The social network ceased operations on January 1, 2011.^[45] The company subsequently launched a WWE page on Facebook, which, as of October 7, 2011, had more than 39 million fans worldwide. In 2012, WWE became an investor in the social media site Tout, which is now heavily promoted on all programming.^[46]
That same year, WWE initiated a change in its programming content. The United States parental guidelines rating system now rates most WWE television programs TV-PG. This was done to promote more family-friendly content in the programming than in the past (especially during the Attitude Era) when most content was rated TV-14, in comparison to The Golden Era, and The New Generation Era, which also used to promote a family friendly content. As part of this new policy, WWE's television programs shift to black-and-white if a wrestler bleeds in front of the camera.^[47] In 2012, WWE debuted a new Saturday morning program (WWE Saturday Morning Slam) which is rated TV-G and has special restrictions barring the use of holds and moves aimed at the neck.^[48][49] Vince McMahon noted that the change to more family-friendly content is due to the changing demographics in WWE viewership.^[50]

top10anime.blogspot.comWith the adjustment made to on-air content, WWE also began to get more involved in public service and community outreach programs, such as in 2011, when WWE (along with several other groups) began the "Be A Star" anti-bullying initiative. In October 2012, WWE formed a partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to promote breast cancer awareness. As part of the campaign, WWE adorned their sets with pink ribbons, put a pink middle rope on the ring, filmed numerous PSAs, and sold special John Cena "Rise Above Cancer" merchandise. All of these efforts culminated in a donation from WWE of $1 million, which was presented to Susan G. Komen representatives in an in-ring ceremony during the October 29, 2012 episode of Raw. WWE is doing a similar campaign in October 2013 with Susan G Komen, this time with all major wrestlers having special "Rise Above Cancer" gear.^[51]
In 2013, WWE became involved in the Nothing But Nets program, which involves providing and distributing mosquito nets in Africa to prevent insect bites which may cause malaria. In April 2013, it was announced that WWE would be a founding sponsor in the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games.^[52]
On April 7, 2011, WWE Corporate announced that the company was ceasing use of the full name "World Wrestling Entertainment" and would henceforth refer to itself solely as "WWE", making the latter an orphan initialism. This 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 WWE Tough Enough, being a non–scripted program (contrary to the scripted nature of professional wrestling) and with the expected launch of a WWE Network in 2014. However, the legal name of the company remains as "World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc."^[14]
Beginning October 2012, episodes of WWE programs SmackDown, NXT, Main Event & Superstars are available in full on Hulu^[53] while a shorter, edited version of Raw can be viewed.