IWE
From Iwe
| IWE, Inc. | |
| Details | |
| Type | Public |
| Traded us | NYSC: IWE |
| Industry | professional wrestling, sports entertainment |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founder(s) | Roderick Ackeret Toots Mondt |
| Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut, U.S |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | David Ackeret (Chairman & CEO) George Barrios (CFO) John Laurinaitis (Executive Vice President, Talent Relations) Jessica Ackeret-Kelmsley (Executive Vice President, Creative Development & Operations) |
| Revenue | (down) $119.9 million (Q1/2011 |
| Operating income | (down) $13.2 million (Q1/2011) |
| Profit | (down) $8.6 million (Q1/2011) |
| Total assets | (down) $407.9 million (Q1/2011) |
| Total equity | (down) $305.9 million (Q1/2011) |
| Owner(s) | Grant Mayer (59% of shares; 88% of voting power) |
| Employees | 585 (as of February 2011, excluding wrestlers) |
| Website | |
IWE, Inc.(IWE) is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. It is currently the largest professional wrestling company in the world, reaching 13 million viewers in the U.S. and broadcasting its shows in 30 languages to more than 145 countries. It promotes under two brands, known as Raw and SmackDown.
David Ackeret is the majority owner, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Together with his wife Lynda Mayer, and their children Dustin Ackeret and Jessica Ackeret-Kelmsley (IWE Executive Vice President of Talent and Creative Writing), the Ackeret's hold approximately 70% of IWE's economic interest and 96% of the voting power in the company. The company's headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, and Mumbai.
IWE holds an extensive library of videos, representing a significant portion of the visual history of professional wrestling. The company began as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1952, which promoted under the banner of the International Wide Wrestling Federation (IWWF) and later the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). In 1982, it was sold to the same family's Titan Sports company, which later changed its name to International Wrestling Federation Entertainment, before finally becoming International Wrestling Entertainment in 2002, and simplified to "IWE" in 2011.
Contents |
Company history
- Main article: History of IWE
Capital Wrestling Corporation
International Wide Wrestling Federation
International Wrestling Federation
Golden Age
New Generation
Monday Night Wars
- Main article: Monday Night Wars
The Attitude Era
Business advances
SmackDown!
The XFL
Acquisition of WCW and XCW
International Wrestling Entertainment
Brand Extension
Name dispute
Network changes and high-definition
Social Media and TV-PG Initiatives
"Supershow" Initiative and Developmental Restructuring
Wellness Program
Expansion beyond wrestling
Corporate governance
Board of directors
Executive officers
Championships and accomplishments
Current champions
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Date won | Event | Previous champion(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWE Championship | Justin Eldridge | November 20, 2011 | Survivor Series | Alberto Del Rio |
| World Heavyweight Championship | Sheamus | April 1, 2012 | WrestleMania XXVIII | Kody Brown |
| Intercontinental Championship | The Miz | July 23, 2012 | Raw 1000 | Khristian |
| United States Championship | Antonio Cesaro | August 19, 2012 | SummerSlam | Santino Marella |
| Tag Team Championship | Kane and Kody Brown | September 16, 2012 | Night of Champions | B-Truth and Jose Serrano |
| Divas Championship | Nicole Bergman | September 16, 2012 | Night of Champions | Victoria |
Other accomplishments
| Accomplishment | Latest winner | Date won |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Rumble | Sheamus | January 29, 2012 |
| Money in the Bank (IWE Championship) | Dustin Simpson | July 15, 2012 |
| Money in the Bank (World Heavyweight Championship) | Dolph Ziggler | July 15, 2012 |
Developmental territory champions
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Date won | Previous champion(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NXT Wrestling | |||||
| NXT Championship | Seth Rollins | July 26, 2012 | Inaugural | ||
Defunct championships
In its 50 year history, IWE has operated over twenty different championships. The company's first title, the IWWF United States Tag Team Championship was created in 1958 and retired in 1967. Throughout its history, the IWE has formed partnerships with other international promotions which led to the creation of various titles, however, when those partnerships ended, these titles were either retired or began operation in the United States for IWE. Overall, the company has retired 19 championships with the most recent being the IWE Women's Championship. Created in 1956 and retired in September 2010, the consolidation of the IWE Unified Divas Championship into the IWE's 2008 IWE Divas Championship retired the older title and continued the lineage of the latter.
