Lucha Libre Life

Love it or hate it, there is no denying that the WWE is a powerhouse in the world of professional wrestling. Founded in 1952 by Roderick McMahon and Toots Mondt, the WWE is not only the largest professional wrestling company in the world, but also a multi-million dollar business, reporting an annual revenue of $142.6 million in 2010-2011.


Throughout the years, the WWE has undergone multiple name changes. Initially called the CWC  until 1963 when the company changed its name to the WWWF (and then the WWF in 1972), the company adopted its WWE name in 2002 after the World Wide Fund for Nature (also trademarked WWF) decided to sue.

Although the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and the World Wildlife Fund had congruently used the intials WWF in their logos since March 1979, the World Wrestling Federation only had limited permission to use the trademark in Europe. Following Law Lords decision that the World Wrestling Federation had violated an agreement made in 1994, the WWF started its "Get the F Out" marketing campaign changing its name from WWF to WWE on May 5,2002.  

Part of the "Get the F out" Campaign

Much of the relevance of the WWE in the world of lucha libre comes from the fact that many Mexican luchadores have worked for the WWE, including Eddie Guerrero, The Mexicools (a stable and tag team composed of Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy, and Psicosis), and Mexican legend Mil Mascaras.

Current WWE Superstars, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Alberto del Rio, and Chavo Guerrero are Mexican or of Mexican heritage