Howard Stern

I try to live by the laws, but it seems like I'm being set up." Full Story (http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=77069). Since then, Johnson has obtained dual ownership of "The Rock" name with WWE. I'm a pretty honest guy. This was due to the fact that, at the time, WWE owned the rights to the name "The Rock". I'm very, very clear on that. WWE and Vince McMahon were credited for production of the films The Scorpion King 2002, The Rundown 2003 and Walking Tall 2004 all starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. FMQB.com (http://www.fmqb.com) quoted Stern as saying about his current employer, "They're holding me to the contract and I'm afraid to break the contract, because I don't want to ever do anything illegal or wrong. His first movie will be titled, The Condemned.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner Jr.'s recommendation. Stone Cold Steve Austin recently signed a three-movie deal with WWE Films in January, 2005. On April 6, 2005, Stern pleaded on-air for Infinity Broadcasting to let him out of his contract, citing the reason of possible prosecution as per U.S. WWE Films will also produce Goodnight with WWE wrestler Kane. Like I'm going to pay 'em,", which he publicly stated on his show. WWE Films is located in Hollywood, California and their first feature is named The Marine, starring John Cena. Stern's response was, "Keep sending me bills. Instead of focusing on wrestling movies, WWE is planning to produce movies that are non-wrestling related (excluding the first movie under the WWE Films name, which was a short documentary on WrestleMania XIX included on the WrestleMania XX DVD).

In one incident, Farid Suleman of Citadel broadcasting has gone so far as to have billed Stern $200,000 for the plugs he's given Sirius on his show. Since 2003, WWE has produced its own movie productions. His impending move to Sirius has resulted in some radio stations censoring him every time he mentions the words "Sirius" or "satellite radio". The younger McMahon was once a major character in WWF/WWE storylines in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but has since become seldom seen on television to concentrate his time exclusively on the Global Media division. Stern even held a rally in New York where he gave out coupons for free or discounted Sirius equipment. Shane McMahon is Executive Vice President of Global Media within World Wrestling Entertainment and is in charge of WWE.com. This move has been met with much controversy, as Stern has been talking about his move to Sirius on his show, even telling listeners how to purchase Sirius equipment and subscriptions. Furthermore, WWE.com provides the same services for its online pay-per-view content.

In addition, the deal would also enable Stern to program two additional Sirius channels, one of which would be available at an extra charge to subscribers. Unfortunately, the lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund has kept WWE.com from showing any content from the "Attitude Era" (1998-May 2002). On October 6, 2004, Stern announced on his show that he has signed a five year, $500 million deal with the satellite radio service Sirius. The deal, which takes effect on January 1, 2006, would enable Stern to broadcast his show without, as of present, the content restrictions imposed by the FCC. The WWE has a large media repository dating back to the late 1960s and their goal was to stream most of this content online using a subscription service. Stern said "Bush being born again is the source of Bush forcing his morals on this country, he's ruining America." Stern also said that "Bush needs to stop talking to Jesus.". With over fourteen million played video streams a month, WWE.com is a major contributor of online media. Incidentally, President Bush's religious beliefs were one of the reasons Stern became so opposed to him. Streaming media has been one of the most important roles of the WWE.com "New Media" department and the output of videos is immense.

At one point Stern actually said that "Mel Gibson makes Hitler look like Gandhi". World Wrestling Entertainment has had a large Web presence since 1996 and was nominated for a "Streaming Media Award" in 1999 for its online content. He called the film a "kook festival for a robotic freak audience" and even linked his radio suspension to the film, claiming that it was causing a "religious frenzy" and that anyone who goes to see the movie is "stupid and ignorant". All pay-per-views can be purchased and viewed on WWE.com as well. Throughout the Spring of 2004, Stern was a very vocal and staunch critic of Mel Gibson and his religious epic, The Passion of the Christ. Pay-per-views account for approximately 25% of WWE revenues ($95.3 million in the 2004 fiscal year). Here, as is often typical with Stern, his return was greeted with controversy as the Miami Dolphins threatened to revoke their broadcast deal with the station in question if the station did not fire him. WWE is currently one of the leaders in pay-per-view content for cable and satellite television.

In late August, he returned to a fifth market, Miami, on an independent station. [2] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7380373/). However, on July 19, Stern returned to four of the six markets Clear Channel booted him off of, and added five new ones to the roster — this time on Infinity-owned stations. In addition, WWE will broadcast a twice-yearly 90-minute "special event" on Saturday nights on NBC. On April 8, 2004, Clear Channel Communications announced it would "permanently terminate" its relationship with the shock jock [2] (http://clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressReleases/2004/20040408_Stern.pdf) after being fined $500,000 by the FCC. [1] (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050311/tv_nm/television_wwe_dc_1) On April 4, 2005, WWE announced a new 3-year agreement with NBC Universal to air RAW on the USA Network once again, a deal that also reportedly included occasional WWE programming on Telemundo and NBC. Stern has consistently claimed the move is an attempt by Jay Leno to steal ideas from Howard's show. The Spike TV deal will expire in September, 2005, and Viacom (owner of Spike TV) has announced they will not seek to extend it.

On February 27 of 2004, long-time Stern show regular John Melendez left the show to become the on-air announcer for The Tonight Show. The two brands will occasionally clash at a pay-per-view card. She won and kept her promise, although one of her successors, Democrat Jim McGreevey, later claimed impropriety by Whitman and revoked the "honor.". Without WCW as competition, the WWE decided to split the promotion into two "separate" brands based on its two largest television shows, RAW and SmackDown! Under this "split brands" arrangement, each brand maintains a separate and non-overlapping roster of wrestlers, has championships exclusive to that brand (example: the WWE Championship on SmackDown!, and the World Heavyweight Championship on RAW), and is run by a different onscreen general manager. In an on-air stunt, Stern promised then-gubernatorial candidate Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey that he would endorse her candidacy if she promised to name a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike after him if she were elected. Some observers saw the new name as further acknowledgement by the company on its emphasis towards the entertainment rather than athletic aspects of professional wrestling. This is only the latest in a long string of political endorsements Stern has made, having earlier supported former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, among others. Also, all verbal and visual references to "WWF" and the World Wrestling Federation logo from the "Attitude" era were edited out from old broadcasts.

presidential campaign, and urged his listeners to vote for him. The logo was altered, and a promotional campaign called "Get The F Out" was used to publicize this change. troops into Iraq, he turned against him, as he did Bill Clinton, because neither, as he has put it, got "the FCC off my back." He endorsed John Kerry in the 2004 U.S. The lawsuit dealt with the wrestling company's breaching of an agreement with the Fund over use of the initials "WWF" in the United Kingdom. Rather than attempt a financial settlement with the Fund, McMahon changed the name of the company. It should be noted that Stern was one of the few celebrities who publicly supported Bush sending U.S. Its parent company, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, also chose to adopt this name. Bush, [1] (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20040408-1342-fcc-howardstern.html). Following a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund (also WWF), the Federation changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.

Because Clear Channel and some of its executives have donated over $200,000 (http://www.opensecrets.org/softmoney/softcomp2.asp?txtName=Clear+Channel+Communications&txtUltOrg=y&txtSort=name&txtCycle=2002) to the Republican Party, Stern claims the company was trying to penalize him for his harsh criticisms of President George W. It is still a debate amongst wrestling fans. This is considered to be part of a wide-ranging backlash against obscenity triggered by the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. Some people think the WWF Attitude era ended at the end of WrestleMania X-Seven (17) and others say November 2001 when WWF beat WCW. Clear Channel president John Hogan said, "Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content, and Howard Stern's show blew right through it...it was vulgar, offensive and insulting, not just to women and African-Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency." The move came only a day after Clear Channel fired Bubba the Love Sponge for similar reasons. The feud was a contributor to the company's decline in the ratings as well as in attendance and financially, athough the company to this day still has a profitable quarter. The show in question featured Rick Salomon, whose claims to fame include a publicly released home video showing him having sex with Paris Hilton. During this broadcast Stern held, would could be considered, a sexually-provocative and racially insensitive interview with Soloman, asking him graphic questions about anal sex and making light of a caller's use of the word "nigger". WCW feud.

On February 25, 2004, Clear Channel Communications "indefinitely suspended" him from six markets because of alleged indecency involving sexual and racist dialogue during his show. Many people believe that the story would have gone much better if WWE and McMahon waited a couple of years, as many WCW and ECW superstars joined after the end of the WWF vs. Stern, his supporters note, has not gone out of his way to offend the general public in this manner. Even the inclusion of ECW wrestlers and trademarks did not save it. In 2002 fellow Infinity Broadcasting Corporation jocks Opie and Anthony had their nationally syndicated WNEW-FM "extreme talk" show cancelled after they encouraged a couple to engage in sexual intercourse at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, then airing a running commentary of the act on their show. The lack of major WCW star power, combined with McMahon deciding that WWF wrestlers generally should not lose to WCW wrestlers, ended the "InVasion" storyline quickly. (He informed listeners early in 2004 that the ABC television network was in talks with him to produce an interview special.) His popularity has given rise to a number of imitation "shock jocks" who attempt to outdo Stern in terms of offensiveness and rudeness, but these imitators have found themselves with more troubles to worry about than listener ratings. However, many big-name WCW stars such as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, and Sting were still contracted to WCW's former parent company (McMahon decided not to buy them out), and all chose to sit out the duration of their contracts rather than work for McMahon for less money.

Despite the provocative content of Stern's show—or perhaps because of it—many listeners and critics consider Stern to be a talented on-air personality and formidable interviewer. The original plan was to have WCW "take over" RAW, turning it back into WCW Monday Nitro. Stern was a producer for the TV series Son of the Beach. Since WCW's peak in the late 1990s, wrestling fans had dreamed about a feud between the two promotions. In 2002, Stern's production company Howard Stern Productions acquired the rights to the 1982 movie Porky's and the 1979 movie Rock 'n' Roll High School. Months later, McMahon and Bischoff reconciled their personal differences, and Bischoff signed with WWF to perform as the storyline General Manager of Raw. This reinforced his long-held belief that there is a bias against him in the mainstream media. McMahon) took over the broadcast during the last half hour and Monday Night Raw was seen on TNT.

He had been on the air the whole time without any positive reaction. acquired WCW from AOL Time Warner for $7 million. During the final WCW Monday Nitro, Vince McMahon (as the character Mr. As other comedy performers like David Letterman and Jon Stewart later returned to the air, many with emotionally-charged monologues, Stern was furious at the glowing response they received in the press. In March 2001, WWF Entertainment, Inc. The show had a somewhat subdued tone, with many listeners calling in to share their own stories of survival or personal loss. With the massive success of WWF Attitude, WCW's financial situation deteriorated significantly, and its newly-merged parent company AOL Time Warner looked to cut the division loose. Stern and the rest of the cast/crew continued to broadcast over the subsequent days following the disaster. In 2000 the WWF, in collaboration with television network NBC, announced the creation of the XFL, a new professional football league, but the league had dismal television ratings and NBC pulled the plug after a year.

Mr. WWF announced its desire to diversify into other businesses, including a nightclub in Times Square, film production and book publishing. Armstrong was the notable exception, as he left the city immediately and refused to return for several days. Off the back of the success of the Attitude era, on October 19, 1999 the WWF's parent company, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc., became a publicly traded company. Crew member K.C. The show became a weekly series on August 24, 1999. It has remained UPN's most successful program overall ever since. His live reporting was the first news of the incident for many East Coast residents. On April 23, 1999, the WWF launched a special program known as SmackDown! on the fledgling UPN network.

Howard Stern was on the air in his New York City studio during the September 11, 2001 attacks and stayed on the air with his cast/crew while many other broadcasters fled the city. The following night, the WWF dedicated its entire two-hour RAW telecast to Owen's memory, as various WWF performers and employees broke character and shared memories of their fallen friend. After auditioning himself, it was eventually announced that comedian Artie Lange was the permanent replacement. The decision to continue the event was (and still is) a controversial one. Over the next several months, various comedians auditioned in the "Jackie Chair" for the job. The fans in attendance at the Kemper Arena were not informed of Owen's death. It was officially announced on March 5, 2001 that longtime show regular Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling had left the radio show after failed contract negotiations. A stunned Jim Ross made the solemn announcement to the pay-per-view audience once word had reached the arena.

The number of commercials aired during his radio show has greatly increased from the 1980s to the present. Hart was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Both stations cancelled Stern's show in 2000 after frequent listener complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council and the CRTC; for most of the time that the stations did air Stern's program, they were required to monitor the show for offensive content through the use of broadcast delays. Those watching the pay-per-view telecast at the time were spared the sight because the director cut away to a pretaped interview just before the accident occurred. Also in 1997, Stern's show aired for the first time in Canada, appearing on CILQ in Toronto and CHOM in Montreal. As Hart was being lowered into position in preparation for this entrance, his harness suddenly disengaged, sending him plummeting almost 80 feet to the ring below. Stern did not apologize for his words but instead argued that his comments were an attempt to figure out what was wrong with the two attackers. Owen Hart, as his "Blue Blazer" superhero character, was scheduled to make a dramatic appearance on that night's Over the Edge pay-per-view telecast, "flying" into the ring by being lowered from a harness attached to the roof of the arena.

His April 21, 1999 show drew angry criticism and official "censure" from the Colorado State Legislature for his comment regarding the motives of the two male students who murdered 12 classmates and one teacher in the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado:. Tragedy struck on May 23, 1999, in Kansas City. On January 15, 1998 Lance Carvin, who had been stalking Stern, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for threatening to kill Stern and his family. However, the controversial new presentation made the WWF more appealing than ever to its core audience. Being a personality that most people either love or hate, he has had his share of stalkers and death threats. One group, the Parents Television Council, waged a sustained boycott campaign against the WWF. As of 2005, this project has not even begun pre-production. They, along with feminist groups, found the regular use of scantily-clad women to attract viewers as offensive.

He had also announced plans for a film provisionally titled The Adventures of Fartman based on a character created for his appearance at the MTV Video/Music Awards. Many family groups were outraged at the graphic violence employed by the WWF. The movie did moderately well at box offices and in video release, garnering a total of over $60 million. This change was not without critics. In 1997, Stern's autobiographical book, Private Parts, was adapted to film. nWo angle managed to almost lead the WWF to financial ruin, it was now becoming stale, and fans turned back to the WWF. He also made comments that were considered racist by many people, such as "Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul", and "Spanish people have the worst taste in music...they have no depth." After pressure from his radio station, Stern gave an on-air apology a week later in Spanish. Where earlier WCW's edgy WCW vs.

In March of 1995, one day before the funeral of slain Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, Stern played the sounds of gunshots in the background over some of her music. The Rock would become one of the most popular professional wrestlers in history. He subsequently withdrew his candidacy because he did not want to comply with the financial disclosure requirements for candidates. Over the coming year, the WWF would see new fan favorites. Although he legally qualified for the office and campaigned for a time after his nomination, many viewed the run for office as nothing more than a publicity stunt. For the first time in 18 months, the edgier WWF would beat the weekly WCW Monday Nitro in the ratings. In 1994, Stern embarked on a political campaign for Governor of New York, formally announcing his candidacy under the Libertarian Party ticket. McMahon and Austin.

In 1992, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined Infinity Broadcasting $600,000 after Stern discussed masturbating to a picture of Aunt Jemima. This was the start of the epic feud between "evil promoter" Mr. The stations are not allowed to stream the show over the internet. Many more fans who had not bought WrestleMania, including fans of WCW, tuned in to watch RAW the next day and in subsequent weeks. (27 owned by Infinity Broadcasting), down from Stern's peak syndication of 62 stations. Fans who purchased the pay-per-view were amazed by what they saw; this certainly was not the childish Rock and Wrestling era they still expected from the WWF. As of November 2004, the show, typically airing in the morning, is syndicated on 45 radio stations all across the U.S. The highlight was the verbal confrontation between Austin and Tyson ending with Austin flicking off Tyson.

Fines have occasionally been issued against radio stations airing his show, generally for violating FCC requirements regarding content. Still, the parent conglomerate that hosts Stern's show, Infinity Broadcasting (a subsidiary of Viacom), seems to consider these fines a necessary price to pay in order to support Stern's continuing popularity. The Attitude era kicked off in earnest at WrestleMania XIV, when professional boxer Mike Tyson appeared as a special guest referee for the WWF Title match between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin. His show is frequently the subject of complaints by various listeners who find his deliveries offensive - something he deliberately encourages. The relationship would deteriorate over the next few years of WWF programming. Stern believes he represents the future of America, where, in keeping with a longstanding trend, public moral standards will continue to loosen. McMahon said in a pre-Wrestlemania press conference that it was not in the WWF's best interest to have Austin as champion. Stern referred to himself as the "King Of All Media," a parody of Michael Jackson's claiming of the title "King of Pop." To his subjects this title is true, as they have been loyal consumers of The King's books, pay-per-view events and movies. Hints of the Austin-McMahon feud in WWF storylines began after Stone Cold won the 1998 Royal Rumble to become #1 Contender for the WWF Title at Wrestlemania.

Wack Pack members are able to parlay their exposure on Stern's show into personal appearances at clubs and even the occasional movie. During the summer and fall of 1997, Austin enhanced his status as a rebel willing to challenge any authority by giving his Stone Cold Stunner finishing move to WWF announcer Jim Ross, then-Commisssioner Sgt. Slaughter, and eventually WWF owner Vince McMahon himself. Stern has also shown the ability to take society's misfits and turn them into celebrities through The Wack Pack. Popular with the fans ever since winning the King of the Ring tournament as a heel in 1996, Austin's rough-and-redneck style won over enough fans that the WWF was forced to turn him into a fan favorite at Wrestlemania XIII in spring 1997 (in a rare double-switch in which the increasingly whiny Bret Hart turned heel after a legendary match between the two wrestlers). Stern's lawyer alleged, "It's our view that the real reason they've [fired Stern] is they would like to get new DC-101 deejays 'GreaseMan' and 'Adam Smasher' on the air as soon as possible, and hope the audience forgets about Howard, and that's a perfectly rational business judgment.". Borrowing many of the exciting wrestling and storyline styles from then-insurgent wrestling promotion ECW, the WWF Attitude Era was based largely on the growing popularity of the wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin. That June 29, Stern was fired from DC-101 radio after being suspended for criticizing his station management and two other radio stations. Running with the momentum from the Montreal Screwjob, McMahon took the WWF in an edgier, reality-based direction he called WWF Attitude, and in the process created a new corporate logo.

He was making light of the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 one day earlier, on January 13, 1982, which had killed 78 persons (both onboard the airplane and in vehicles stopped in traffic on the bridge). McMahon feud, which was the cornerstone of the new WWF Attitude concept. in which Stern called Air Florida Airlines and asked what the fare was for a one-way ticket from Washington National Airport to the 14th Street Bridge (on the Potomac River less than 1 mile from the airport). This led to the Austin vs. Another notable episode was on WWDC-FM (DC101 Radio) in Washington D.C. McMahon" in WWF programming, a dictatorial ruler who favored wrestlers who were "good for business" over "misfits" like Stone Cold Steve Austin. He made deep buzzing noises into his microphone, and had her sit on a speaker with the volume turned up until she reached an on-the-air orgasm. McMahon used the backlash from the event to cast himself as the evil company owner "Mr.

In one typical example of his radio show, he persuaded a female caller to have phone sex with him on the air. This would set the stage for the turning point in the WWF/WCW feud. Stern has been dating model Beth Ostrosky since early 2000. McMahon would deviate from the agreed finish of their match at Survivor Series to allow Shawn Michaels to win the title from Hart. The couple's divorce proceeding resulted in a settlement, and Alison remarried in 2001 to David Lobosco. He let it be known to WWF management that he would willingly drop the title, but not to rival "HBK" Shawn Michaels in Montreal. In October of 1999, Stern announced that Alison was divorcing him, due to the fact that he is a workaholic. Hart used his contractual control over his booking in the last 30 days of his deal, which would end with that year's Survivor Series PPV in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

On June 4, 1978, Stern married his college sweetheart, Alison Berns, at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, Massachusetts; they have three daughters. However, McMahon was concerned that the word would get out and he sought a way to get the belt off of Hart before the deal could be announced on WCW Monday Nitro. His Hebrew name is Tzvi; his paternal grandparents, Froim and Anna (Gallar) Stern, and maternal grandparents, Sol and Esther (Reich) Schiffman, were Jews from Austria-Hungary who emigrated to America at about the same time. Bret promised that no such thing would ever happen and put an agreement in place that the announcement of his departure would be delayed until the belt could be transitioned to a new champion. Although both his parents are Jewish, Stern claims on his show to be "a half-Jew". The WWF's worst nightmare was for Hart to appear on WCW Nitro while wearing the WWF belt. Stern's show was syndicated nationwide in the 1990s by Infinity Broadcasting. Earlier in the WWF/WCW feud, the WWF Women's Champion, Alundra Blayze, signed with WCW while in possession of the belt and threw it in a trash can on WCW Nitro (imitating a heavily-publicized act by heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe).

Stern and his crew were fired from NBC in 1985 in response to a particularly outrageous sketch — "Bestiality Dial-A-Date" — and returned to the FM band by joining local rival station WXRK, premiering on November 18, 1985 and returning permanently to morning drive in February 1986. While Hart's departure was not a surprise, the WWF was concerned about the fact that the man about to leave was the WWF Champion. Stern would appear on Letterman's show many times thereafter. Claiming financial hardship, McMahon threatened to breach the contract and advised Bret to do his best to sign with WCW. Stern's guest appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on June 19, 1984, launched Stern into the national spotlight and gave his radio show unprecedented exposure. However, McMahon immediately regretted the deal. Also working at NBC was David Letterman, who became a fan of Stern's radio show. McMahon countered with an offer worth much less money, but for a 20-year term, and Hart agreed to stay.

He migrated to FM radio stations in Detroit, Michigan and Washington, D.C., and returned to New York in 1982 to work at NBC's flagship AM radio station WNBC-AM. The previous year, Hart was offered a lucrative deal to jump to WCW. He discovered a talent for Lenny Bruce-type comedy, and developed a wide-ranging confrontational style. The WWF/WCW feud reached a new level in 1997, when McMahon decided to force then-WWF champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart out of the company. After graduation, he worked as a disc jockey for an obscure station in Westchester County, New York playing rock music. Despite this, the WWF was losing money at a rapid rate. WCW's reality-based storylines drew attention away from the WWF's outdated (and childish) rock and wrestling-era gimmicks. Stern received his Bachelor's degree in 1976 from Boston University, where he had worked as a volunteer at the college radio station. McMahon responded by stating that he could create new superstars to regain the upper hand in the ratings war, and at the same time tightening contracts to make it harder for WCW to raid WWF talent.

His television shows include: "The Howard Stern Show" (1990-) and "The Howard Stern Radio Show" (1998-2001). In 1995, Bischoff upped the ante, creating WCW Monday Nitro, a cable show on Turner's TNT network, to directly compete with the WWF's flagship show, WWF Monday Night RAW. Eventually, on the strength of its newly-acquired WWF talent and the groundbreaking nWo storyline, WCW overtook the WWF in television ratings and popularity. He is both the highest-paid radio personality in the United States, and the most fined personality in radio broadcast history—facts, as his fans know, he takes pride in. Beginning in 1994, these acquisitions included Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Scott Hall, "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash, and many others. Some of his commentaries are perceived by many to include bigoted remarks about various religious and ethnic groups. Under Eric Bischoff, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the new name for NWA superterritory Jim Crockett Promotions after its purchase by Ted Turner, began using its tremendous financial resources to lure established talent away from the WWF. The self-proclaimed "King of All Media" has been dubbed a shock jock for his highly controversial use of scatological and sexual humor. McMahon was eventually exonerated, but it was a public-relations debacle for the WWF.

Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954 in Roosevelt, New York) is an American radio personality. However, by the 1990s the WWF's fortunes steadily declined as Hulk Hogan's act grew stale, hitting a low point in the wake of allegations of steroid abuse and distribution against McMahon and the WWF in 1994. Tiny Tim (deceased). The WWF did incredible business on the shoulders of McMahon and his All-American babyface hero, Hulk Hogan, for the next several years, creating what some observers dubbed a second golden age for professional wrestling. The Ramones (most members deceased). The new formula of what McMahon deemed Sports Entertainment was a resounding financial success at the original WrestleMania. Ted the Janitor (deceased). MTV, in particular, featured a great deal of WWF coverage and programming at this time, in what was termed the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection.

Sam Kinison (deceased). T and Cyndi Lauper to participate in the event. Richard Simmons (angry - refuses to appear). He drew the interest of the mainstream media by inviting celebrities such as Mr. Hank, The Angry, Drunken Dwarf (died September 4, 2001). However, McMahon wanted to take the WWF to the mainstream, targeting the general public who were not regular wrestling fans. Crackhead Bob (angry - refuses to appear). The concept of a wrestling supercard was nothing new in North America; the NWA had been running StarrCade a few years prior to Wrestlemania.

KC Armstrong (left mid to late 2004). WrestleMania was a pay-per-view extravaganza that McMahon marketed as being the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. Stuttering John (left March 2004). The future of not just McMahon's experiment, but also the WWF, the NWA, and the whole industry came down to the success or failure of McMahon's groundbreaking sports entertainment concept, WrestleMania. Jackie Martling (left March 2001). However, such a venture required huge capital investment; one which placed the WWF on the verge of financial collapse. Billy West. warned his son: "Vinny, what are you doing?! You'll wind up at the bottom of a river!" In spite of such warnings, the younger McMahon had an even bolder ambition: the WWF would tour nationally.

Yucko the Clown. According to several reports, Vincent Sr. Wendy the Retard. Wrestling promoters nationwide were now in direct competition with the WWF. Vinny Favale. To make matters worse, McMahon would use the income generated by advertising, television deals, and tape sales to poach talent from rival promoters. Sal the Stockbroker. He effectively broke the unwritten law of regionalism around which the entire industry had been based.

Pamela Anderson. McMahon also began selling videotapes of WWF events outside the Northeast. Mike Walker. Other promoters were furious when McMahon began syndicating WWF shows to stations across America. King of All Blacks. But in neither instance did the defecting member attempt to undermine, and destroy, the Territory system that had been the foundation of the industry. John the Stutterer. Leaving the NWA for a second time in itself was not that big of a step; the AWA had long ago ceased being an official NWA member, and just over a decade earlier the WWWF itself had rejoined the NWA.

Joey Boots. The elder McMahon had already established the northeastern territory as one of the most vibrant members of the NWA by recognizing that pro wrestling was more about entertainment than sport. Against his father's wishes, McMahon began an expansion process that would fundamentally change the sport, and place both the WWF--and his own life--in jeopardy. Jimmy Kimmel. After discovering at age 12 that the wrestling promoter was his father, Vince became steadily involved in his father's wrestling business until the latter was ready to retire. Jessica Hahn. McMahon. Jeff The Drunk. McMahon founded Titan Sports, Inc., and in 1982 purchased the WWF from his father, Vincent J.

High Pitch Eric. In 1979, Vincent K. Gilbert Gottfried. The name change was purely cosmetic; the ownership and front office personnel remained unchanged during this period. Gary The Retard. The WWWF became the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in mid-1979. Eric the Midget. Mondt (born in 1886) died in 1976.

Elliot Offen. The WWWF rejoined the NWA in 1971 and their world title was dropped to the status of a regional title. Elephant Boy. He lost the title to Bruno Sammartino a month later on May 17, 1963 after supposedly suffering a heart attack shortly before the match. Daniel Carver. In mid-April, Rogers was then awarded the new WWWF title after the WWWF claimed he won a (fictitious) tournament in Rio de Janeiro. Crazy Cabbie. Rogers lost the NWA title to Lou Thesz in Toronto, Ontario on January 24, 1963.

Chaunce Hayden. Mondt and WWWF wanted Rogers to keep the NWA title, but Rogers didn't want to lose his $25,000 deposit on the belt; wrestling champions at the time had to pay a deposit to ensure they would honor whatever commitments that came along with their titles. Captain Janks. It was decided that Mondt and CWC would part ways with the NWA, creating the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the process. Bong Hit Eric. The rest of the NWA was upset with Mondt because he rarely let Rogers wrestle outside of the Northeast. Beetlejuice the Dwarf. In 1963, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers was the NWA champion and his bookings were controlled by Mondt.

Dominic Barbara. Capitol dominated professional wrestling in the Northeastern United States during the mid-20th century, when it was divided into strictly regional enterprises. Ralph Cirella. These shows were then syndicated. Adam Carolla. It was able to do this after signing an agreement with WTTG Channel 5, in 1956, to air live CWC wrestling shows. Sal Calabro. While originally running shows from the 2,000-seat Turner's Arena, the CWC would eventually control the territories of New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Dr. McMahon's company was called Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC). Tom Chiusano, WXRK Station General Manager. The NWA is a broad group of wrestling companies that recognized an undisputed champion, who went from wrestling company to wrestling company in the alliance and defended the belt around the world. Scott Salem, Scott the Engineer. In January 1953, Jesse's son Vincent J. McMahon and wrestling promoter Toots Mondt took control of the Northeastern United States wrestling circuit as part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Scott DePace, "E" show producer. Ray Fabiani, who helped Mondt take control of the New York territory after the death of Jack Curley, was influential in drawing the younger McMahon into an alliance with Mondt.

Sal the Stockbroker. Mondt's doing so was facilitated, in part, by the elder McMahon. Ronnie Mund. This "no wrestling at the Garden" policy ended in 1948, when Joseph Raymond Mondt (better known as Toots Mondt), backed by millionaire Bernarr McFadden, managed to promote a wrestling show at the famous arena. Robin Quivers. However, the McMahon family was not able to promote wrestling matches at Madison Square Garden due to Rickard's dislike of the sport. Richard Christy. His son, Vincent Jess McMahon, began to take an increasing role in the running of the business, especially on the wrestling side.

Ralph Cirella. It was not until 1935, the same year Jim Crockett Promotions was formed, that the McMahon family moved into the wrestling business. Gary Dell'Abate (aka Baba Booey). Jess McMahon's enterprise focused on boxing and live concert/music promotion. Fred Norris (aka Eric Norris). A decade later, in 1925, McMahon joined Tex Rickard in promoting boxing events from the old Madison Square Garden Arena, in New York, starting with the December 11, 1925, light-heavyweight championship match between Jack Delaney and Paul Berlenbach. Benjy Bronk. In the fight, on April 5, 1915, Johnson lost his title to Willard in Havana.

Artie Lange. In 1915, Roderick James "Jess" McMahon, grandfather of current WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, co-promoted a boxing match between Jess Willard and Jack Johnson. The Howard Stern Radio Show (syndicated): 1998-2001. are located in Stamford, Connecticut. E! Cable Show: 1994-Present. As of 2005, the headquarters of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. WWOR Show: 69 Episodes - July 14, 1990 - Aug 1, 1992. World Wrestling Entertainment is a publicly-traded company, but the vast majority (70%) of voting shares are owned by Chairman Vince McMahon, his wife, CEO Linda McMahon, his son, Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon, and his daughter, Vice President of Creative Writing Stephanie McMahon-Levesque.

The company was previously known as TitanSports, Inc. and has previously done business as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. WWE 24/7 - In 2004, the WWE officially announced a new video on demand service for digital cable users, allowing subscribers to the service access to matches in the promotion's extensive video library. The final episode of this show aired on April 24, 2004.

WWE Confidential - This was a "behind the scenes"-type show hosted by "Mean" Gene Okerlund and featured many exclusive stories on WWE wrestlers. It aired as a separate show on MTV for three seasons, but integrated itself into regular SmackDown! programming in its fourth iteration, with a $1 million-dollar (US) contract awarded to the winner over four years. Daniel Puder, a former cage fighter, won the $1,000,000 Tough Enough. This resulted in many new wrestlers being added to both brands. It followed groups of men and women who were competing to become a WWE wrestler.

Tough Enough - WWE's version of a reality show. The hosts are Todd Grisham and Ivory, although Josh Matthews has also guest hosted with Ivory. Airs Sunday mornings at 11 AM EST on Spike TV. The WWE Experience - A show aimed at the younger audience that recaps the past week's events in WWE.

4 live shows for the Australian market. 2 live shows for the Asian market. 4 live shows for the European market. 15 live shows for the North American market.

The show is hosted by Josh Matthews. Afterburn - Syndicated show that recaps the past week's events on the SmackDown! brand. Matthews formerly did play-by-play comentary with color analyst Bill DeMott. The current play-by-play commentator is Steve Romero and the current color commentator is Josh Matthews.

It is usually taped the hour before SmackDown! tapes. Velocity - Sister show to SmackDown!, airs on Saturday nights at 11 PM EST on Spike TV. SmackDown! - WWE's secondary show, airs Thursday nights at 8 PM EST on UPN in the United States (moving to Friday nights in September 2005) and in Canada at 7 PM EST on The Score. The show is hosted by Marc Loyd.

Bottom Line - Syndicated show that recaps the past week's events on the RAW brand. Sunday Night Heat - Sister show to RAW, airs Sunday nights at 7 PM EST on Spike TV. RAW - WWE's flagship show, airs live on Monday nights at 9 PM EST on Spike TV in the United States, live in Canada on TSN, and live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports.