Founded in 1952, WWE was started by Roderick McMahon and Toots Mondt. Currently, Vince McMahon is the Chairman and CEO with family members Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Linda McMahon helping to run the show from every aspect of global media to creative development. WWE may seem like a lot of theatrics and loud talking but WWE represents the industry leaders when it comes to professional wrestling and sports entertainment with more than 560 employees (not including wrestlers) and revenue that exceeded $526 million dollars in 2008.

You may remember the fantastic publicity that Vince McMahon gained during the Monday night wrestling promotions where one person was the lucky recipient of a million dollars each week. Rating soared through the roof as eagerly anticipating fans and contest participants waited to see if they would be the winner of the million dollars. The WWE televised events are not the only way that you can get your major enjoyment from their particular brand of professional wrestling. There are many Internet and live investment as well as film, music and direct sales that take WWE to the next level.

No fan will argue to the contrary, however, that the best way to enjoy WWE is to get to see it live. Although it is a simulated sport, it is precisely this smack talking and antics in and around the ring that drives fans crazy and keeps them coming back for more time and again. From pay per view events where crowds pack venues and sell out tickets months before the actual event comes to town.

Many fans and wrestlers themselves will tell you that it is the extra action-packed confrontational style that adds more than a little umph to each performance where wrestlers are decked out in colorful, tight fitting costumes that show off every muscle. People of all ages gather at WWE events because they combine a talented and unique collection of theater, acting and wrestling. There's no question that it requires knowledge of how to complete dives, jumps and throws but fans are often treated to action that goes outside the ring and includes eye popping visuals such as chair banging, window crashing and much more. And the good news is that no matter who gets hurt and how on national television, it's all a part of the act that's designed for your viewing enjoyment.

When WWE was first started, it was known as Capitol Wrestling Corporation. It was a different world when athletes took to the ring in locations like Madison Square Garden. Around 1963, the name was changed to the World Wide Wrestling Federation but this name would be changed again around 1979 when the organization became known as the World Wrestling Federation. At this time, Vince McMahon came on board and wrestling greats like Roddy Piper, Jesse Ventura, Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan along with the idea of Wrestlemania took this particular brand of wrestling to a new level. In 2002, the current WWE name was adopted where there was some dispute about WWF, which is also used by an environmental organization that sued.

If you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing WWE in person, you owe it to yourself to get tickets to one or more of these fantastic performances and experience what makes the crowds scream with delight as the professional wrestlers take it to the ring.