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WWE
After the Fall
The year is 2025. World Wrestling Entertainment is no more. After a series of disastrous events involving Vince McMahon and WWE itself, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024, and was sold to several media conglomerates. The wrestling business has been shaken forever, with this once titan of professional wrestling now placed in the grave. To understand what had happened, a timeline of events is given to all who are curious.
| Date | Event |
| January 10th, 2023 | WWE Interim Chairwoman Stephanie McMahon resigns from her post, in which lead shareholder Vince McMahon returns as Chairman despite active misconduct allegations |
| February 12th, 2023 | WWE's Board of Directors undergoes a sudden change, with Vince McMahon forcing out several directors who had initially voted him out in his ouster from June 17, 2022. |
| April 1st, 2023 | WrestleMania 39 Night One takes place. Several incidents take place during the show, including airing footage of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeat The Usos to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. |
| April 2nd, 2023 | WrestleMania 39 Night Two takes place. Roman Reigns defeats Cody Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. After the show, Vince McMahon declares the show that there are clear intentions to negotiate a sale of WWE to a third party. |
| April 20th, 2023 | Vince McMahon and Endeavor announce intentions to merge WWE and UFC into a parent company. Vince would control 30% of the total stock in this new venture. |
| June 5th, 2023 | The Federal Trade Commission announces an investigation into WWE's income, citing irregularities in the company's reports, dating back to 2020. |
| June 19th, 2023 | An anonymous whistleblower within WWE releases evidence to several news outlets regarding Vince McMahon potentially laundering money and other financial misconduct involved with the company. |
| August 28th, 2023 | The Federal Trade Commission files for an injunction on WWE's merger with UFC. Presiding Justice Dianne T. Renwick of New York's Appellate Court, First District grants the injunction, temporarily blocking the merger planned to occur in September. Vince McMahon announces plans to contest the injunction. |
| August 30th, 2023 | The New York Court of Appeals upholds the FTC's injunction of WWE's merger with UFC. WWE's legal department ensures an appeal to the Supreme Court of New York. |
| August 31st, 2023 | Former President of the United States Donald Trump posts on social media, blaming "liberal bias" against his personal friend Vince McMahon regarding the upheld injunction against the merger. |
| September 6, 2023 | The New York Supreme Court upholds the injunction, setting the stage for the conservative controlled U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments on the blocking of WWE's merger with UFC while the FTC and FBI investigates accusations of sexual misconduct, financial laundering, and other criminal conspiracies. |
| September 7th, 2023 | Ariel Emanuel announces that the planned merger between WWE and UFC has been cancelled, citing growing questions with WWE's leadership and financial situation. Vince McMahon announces intentions to sue Endeavor after reneging on the merger. The Federal Trade Commission continues their investigations. |
| September 12th, 2023 | The initial date in which the WWE and UFC merger was intended to take place. Vince McMahon sues both Endeavor and the United States Government, both to force the merger, and for financial reparations for WWE's destroyed reputation. |
| September 16th, 2023 | The Supreme Court of the United States decides 5-4 to uphold the FTC's injunction of WWE's proposed merger with UFC. Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett dissent. President Joseph Biden states during a press conference that any impropriety within WWE will be prosecuted within the fullest extent of the law. Vince McMahon and Donald Trump are seen in public together, with Trump declaring the federal government to be in gross violation of McMahon's personal liberties. |
| October 9th, 2023 | The FBI releases a report tying Vince McMahon to WWE's Saudi Arabian deal to funneling money towards Donald Trump's election campaign in 2020. The FTC announces a lawsuit in conjunction to the FBI's investigation into systemic abuses brought on by Vince McMahon within WWE. |
| October 10th, 2023 | Former President of the United States Donald Trump announces during a political rally that the accusations brought on by the FBI are false, and that WWE did nothing illegal. He accuses the federal government of starting a witch hunt. |
| December 5th, 2023 | The joint FBI/FTC investigation into WWE's activities continues further, with the lawsuit set to begin in February of 2024. |
| January 23, 2024 | WWE announces a media rights deal with Netflix, in which Monday Night Raw will be moving from USA Network to Netflix in 2025. Vince McMahon declares it a major victory for the company that has had a struggling year before. |
| January 25th, 2024 | Janel Grant, a former employee of WWE, files a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, alleging sexual misconduct and other crimes. The FBI latches onto the lawsuit and opens a further investigation into the matter. |
| January 26th, 2024 | Vince McMahon denies the allegations and further declares that he will win the lawsuit against Janel, the federal government, and Endeavor. |
| February 19th, 2024 | Vince McMahon is apprehended by the FBI alongside John Laurinitis, and several key WWE employees on charges of embezzlement, human trafficking, fraud, and conspiracy to overthrow the United States Government on January 6, 2021. WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar is extradited from Canada to await further indictments. |
| February 26th, 2024 | The Federal Trade Commission's civil trial with WWE is set to begin. Vince McMahon attempts to settle with Janel Grant's estate, who declines in favor of giving testimony and evidence to the FBI of McMahon's misconduct. Several former employees also give testimony and evidence of their own. |
| March 1st, 2024 | The Board of Directors attempt to vote out Vince McMahon as Chairman of WWE. In response, McMahon forces out several more directors, announcing his intent to turn WWE into a privately traded organization, buying off a super-majority of shares in the company. |
| March 24th, 2024 | The criminal trial of Vince McMahon et al v. the United States begins. |
| April 6th, 2024 | WrestleMania XL Night One takes place. The Rock and Roman Reigns defeats Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes in the main event. |
| April 7th, 2024 | WrestleMania XL Night Two takes place. Cody Rhodes defeats Roman Reigns in the main event to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Paul "Triple H" Levesque proclaims the show a great success, but avoids questions tied to the ongoing trial. |
| August 8th, 2024 | A jury finds Vince McMahon guilty on all charges of bribery, financial fraud, sex trafficking, first degree sexual misconduct, grand larceny, conspiracy to commit treason, and other crimes. Others also involved in the trial are convicted of lesser charges. |
| August 10th, 2024 | The trial of Janel Grant and the FTC against Vince McMahon are granted a summary judgement in their favor. The FTC is given control of WWE's operations temporarily in order to recoup finances for debtors. |
| August 11th, 2024 | Under control of the FTC, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing hidden debts covered-up by Vince McMahon over the course of several decades. |
| August 12th, 2024 | Netflix announces the cancellation of their media rights deal with WWE in the face of WWE's filing for bankruptcy. Saudi Arabian Prince Moahammed bin Salman Al Saud also announces the cancellation of Saudi Arabia's event deal with WWE. |
| August 30th, 2024 | Vince McMahon is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His assets are taken into government custody, and the McMahon family are barred from purchasing any assets from WWE that are to be put up for sale in October. The Saudi Arabian government, which had expressed interest in purchasing assets, are barred by the FTC. Donald Trump announces that he intends to pardon Vince McMahon and hand control of WWE back to the McMahon family after his victory in the 2024 Presidential Election. |
| October 9th, 2024 | The sale of WWE's assets begins. Several high profile media companies convey interest in purchasing these assets. |
| October 15th, 2024 | NBC Universal announces the purchase of WWE assets, including Monday Night RAW, WWE Main Event, several WWE Championships, contracts, and several intellectual properties. |
| October 20th, 2024 | Netflix announces the purchase of WWE assets, which include the intellectual properties of SmackDown!, Speed, championships, contracts, and other properties. |
| October 29th, 2024 | Nexstar Media Group announces their purchase of WWE's NXT intellectual properties, including contracts, championships, and other properties. |
| October 30th, 2024 | Paramount Skydance Corporation announces the purchase and revival of the assets of World Championship Wrestling, including titles, intellectual properties, and television. Additionally, Paramount purchases the contracts of several WWE superstars. |
| November 4th, 2024 | Kamala Harris wins the 2024 Presidential Election, ending Donald Trump's bid for the Presidency, as he comes under investigation for charges related to WWE's fraud trial. Vince McMahon will remain in prison indefinitely. |
| November 9th, 2024 | The Federal Trade Commission announces that the sale of WWE's assets are to be finalized on December 25th, after which, all debts will have been paid off. |
| December 25th, 2024 | The sale of WWE's assets closes. NBC Universal creates the subsidiary of RAW Wrestling Inc. Netflix opens their own subsidiary known as SmackDown! Wrestling Federation. Nexstar follows suit with the formation of NXT Wrestling Inc. Paramount creates a revived World Championship Wrestling. All four major corporations announce an archive sharing group, where all archived WWE media is to be stored for historical purposes. This company is named World Wrestling Entertainment Archive Incorporated; NBC, Netflix, Paramount, and Nexstar will each maintain a 25% stake in the corporation. |
| December 31st, 2024 | Each corporation opens, with schedule announcements and major media campaigns brought nationally. As the new year dawns on the wrestling business, there is now five major wrestling companies in the United States: - RAW Wrestling - SmackDown! Wrestling Federation - All Elite Wrestling - World Championship Wrestling - NXT Wrestling |
Note: This BTB will not be a week-by-week affair, but instead will have monthly results to save my own sanity. Each PPV will have results shown, including from AEW itself. Please enjoy as much as you can, and we'll see how long this goes.
