9 Significant moments that led to WWE becoming the global phenomenon in sports entertainment

In the highly hyperbolic world of Sports Entertainment, it's not hard to find significant moments, for better or worse, depending on how you look at it. For industry leader, WWE, there are many moments that shocked, amazed, angered, and mystified. But without those adjectives, I'd dare say it wouldn't have been so entertaining to watch.

What's a little more difficult is in listing them in a list. I was going to be indolent and do the standard 'in no particular order.' But, I thought I'd actually use my head and not only identify - in my opinion - the most significant moments in WWF/WWE history but actually try to list them in order. Remember, this is just my opinion, and you may think differently.

So let's take a look at 9 most significant moments in Wrestling history that led to WWE becoming a global phenomenon it is today.

#9 WCW going out of business

Whatever the sentiments of fans towards Eric Bischoff, one thing that cannot be taken away was his ability to shake the foundations of the WWF. Bischoff's aggressiveness caused major problems in Titan Tower, and by all reports, almost put Vince McMahon out of business. However, with a few shrewd moves and perhaps a touch too much arrogance on the part of Bischoff, Vince overcame Bischoff and his money man, billionaire Ted Turner, by becoming a billionaire himself.

On the March 26, 2001, episode of RAW, Vince's victory speech upon acquiring WCW was simulcast both on USA Network and Turner Network Television. Vince now owned his competition. It put an end to an epic war that lasted from 1995 to 2001, giving Vince the monopoly on wrestling he always wanted.

#8 The Birth of WCW Nitro

When Eric Bischoff got the green light to produce a Monday night wrestling show for WCW, it was the beginning of the Monday night wars. This war which raged between Nitro and RAW was a personal one, and it captivated wrestling fans, who now had two strong wrestling shows to watch every week.

Bischoff fired the first shot when on September 4, 1995 - the debut Nitro from Mall of America - saw the arrival of Lex Luger, who had given his word to re-sign a contract with the WWF, only to swerve them and go to WCW. Numerous other big-name talents, notably Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Randy Savage defected.

During this time, wrestling was not the 'in' thing, and it's this competition provided by Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling, that caused Vince to re-think his strategy. It would lead to many big changes in the Federation, as we went from the New Generation - headed up by Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels - to the M-rated Attitude era.

#7 Uncooked and Uncensored

The first episode of Monday Night Raw featured The Undertaker!

January 11, 1993, marked the debut episode of Monday Night RAW, a prime-time wrestling show that set the standard for other wrestling television to follow. Aired on the USA network, the very first RAW match was Yokozuna squashing Koko B Ware, and ended with the fascinating battle between Undertaker and Damian Demento.

As the years went by, the programme would evolve to feature more competitive matches, and the changing trends of the WWF could be seen vividly through their flagship programme.

#6 The Birth of Saturday Night's Main Event

The Main Event featured prominent names such as Andre, Hogan, and Roddy Piper.

Before WWF acquired their huge television schedule, TV spots weren't so easy to come by. As Vince McMahon evolved and shaped the wrestling business, making it hip and cool, people began to see wrestling as a viable commodity.

MTV - itself a revolutionary product for the music industry - began working with the WWF, airing specials such as War to Settle the Score, and Brawl to End it All. Featuring popular music talents - notably Cyndi Lauper who managed Wendi Richter and featured wrestlers in her music clips, it produced an era known as the Rock N Wrestling Connection.

This got the attention of NBC President Dick Ebersol, who made a mistake with the XFL, but certainly got it right with Saturday Night's Main Event.

Saturday Night's Main Event was the first big television programme for the Federation, paving the way for future shows such as RAW and Smackdown. SNME was shown every few months and was more of a TV special, featuring competitive matches and plenty of hype for upcoming big events. The SNME that WWE aired a few years ago was a shell of its former self. The Main Event featured many memorable moments, including the cult favorite amongst old school fans, Uncle Elmer's wedding.

#5 WrestleMania 1

There's always been plenty of hype in pro-wrestling, but one thing that isn't so much hype as fact is that WrestleMania is the "Granddaddy Of Them All."

It began in 1985, as Vince rolled the dice and put his large grapefruits on the line. Thankfully for Vince, it worked, as many insiders claim that had it not worked, the WWF would have gone bankrupt. Featuring the main event of Hulk Hogan and A-Team's Mr. T against Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, the event also featured numerous celebrities, including special enforcer, Muhammed Ali.

From there, WrestleMania was the biggest show in the business, the event to which all wrestlers strive to be a part of. It also rang an early death knell for numerous wrestling promoters around the country, who had hoped that WrestleMania would be a flop. When it didn't, many of these once great territories began to feel the pressure and would go out of business within the next few years.

#4 Vince McMahon purchases the company from his father

If you ever get a chance to watch a shoot interview from the old-timers, they'll universally tell you what an honorable man Vince Sr was. Never stepped on anybody's toes, and always worked with promoters around the country back in the "territory" days.

That all changed when his son - who originally started as an announcer - bought the company in 1982, and one by one, bought out all the other partners in the business. He then proceeded to stomp on all the other promoters, which he considered rivals, leaving them in the dust to forge the conglomerate that was the World Wrestling Federation.

Vince Jr. understood the power of cable television and harnessed it, acquiring the best talent from all around the country to come to the Madison Square Garden. The WWF would go on to becoming the industry leader in its field, and wrestling.

#3 Hulkamania is born

January 7, 1984, is arguably one of the most important dates in WWE history. It was on this night, at Madison Square Garden, that Hulk Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik to win his first WWF World title. Immediately after the match, Gorilla Monsoon on commentary proclaimed, "Hulkamania is here!"

Hogan would hold the title for just over four years, making him to this day the third longest reigning World champion ever. Hulk Hogan was the star, and champion Vince Jr. needed in his quest to create a national wrestling company.

#2 Stone Cold arrives

Steve Austin was the reason WWE garnered groundbreaking ratings to compete with WCW!

When he first arrived in early 1996, Steve Austin was brought in as The Ringmaster, given Ted Dibiase as a manager, and was Dibiase's handpicked Million Dollar champion. Austin had struggled to get past mid-card status in WCW and was fired while recovering from an injury. He went to ECW for a brief time, where the seeds for a new character were planted. But Vince initially didn't see Austin as a big-time player, rather a 'mechanic' who had good matches with everyone.

But with the times changing, and Vince under pressure from WCW, McMahon re-thought his strategy, and decided to try Austin's idea, that of a wrestler with black tights and black boots, who kicked arse.

When that character was allowed to shine, it would culminate into the next big era for the World Wrestling Federation, as Austin would be the leader of the new Attitude era. Not only that, but according to Vince himself, Austin actually overtook Hogan as the biggest moneymaker in the history of the company. Had Austin been kept as the Ringmaster, and the Stone Cold character never was given the light of day, it's possible that WCW, not the WWE, would be around today.

#1 The Montreal Screwjob

Vince McMahon with a black eye after getting punched by Bret Hart!

If you're a wrestling fan and don't know what the Montreal screwjob is, then you've probably just started watching wrestling. The incident that took place at Survivor Series 1997 in Montreal is still debated and talked about to this day. It was a highly publicized incident, and many believe it was this moment that the Mr. McMahon character was born.

Vince was seen for the first time to be more than 'just the announcer,' as he called for the bell to allow Shawn Michaels to 'beat' Bret Hart for the WWF title. Bret had refused to drop the title, promising to hand the belt over the next night on RAW. The only problem being, Bret was not contractually obligated to be at RAW, as he had signed with WCW.

Perhaps, fearing a repeat of a WWF belt being thrown in the garbage - as Madusa, formally Alundra Blayze did on Nitro when she went back to WCW - and giving WCW ammunition to make Bret's run successfully at a crucial time, Vince took no chances. It stunned and angered the parochial Hitman crowd, the WWF attempted to cover themselves on TV, saying Bret had tapped out, JR presented an interview with Vince, sporting a black eye thanks to Bret.

It was amazing to see, for around two-three months, air-time given to a wrestler who was no longer even with the company. Even to this day, the screwjob finish is used, particularly in Canada, and fans to this day in Bret's homeland ridicule Earl Hebner - the referee gave the unfortunate task of officiating the match - Vince and Shawn Michaels with chants of "you screwed Bret."

The significant aspect is, of course, that Vince realized how disliked he could be by the fans, at a time when the Federation was lacking main event heels, and lead to a huge feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin which reshaped the landscape of the Monday Night Wars.

Edited by Kingshuk Kusari