WWE Libraries World Wrestling Entertainment , Inc . ( WWE ) is currently the largest professional wrestling company in the world , and across its history has aggressively purchased regional and national competitors , through time amassing a gargantuan library of television programs , pay - per - view recordings , video productions , and recordings of wrestling matches dating back to the 1950s and representing a very significant portion of the visual history of modern professional wrestling and sports entertainment . WWE Libraries ( currently branded as WWE Legacy Content ) represents the physical tapes and the copyrights to classic holdings already controlled by WWE , libraries belonging to purchased organizations , and classic libraries directly purchased from folded promotions , totaling more than 75 , 000 hours of material . While part of the rationale of these purchases may include the historical importance of the physical tapes , the major motivating factor lies in WWE ' s sale of digitized and restored Library content through video on demand and pay - per - view distribution , internet distribution , and through releases on WWE Home Video , the latter of which netted WWE more than USD $ 8 Million in the first fiscal quarter of 2006 alone . Please note that the dates listed below for purchased organizations and libraries represent the duration of the promotion / company , and may not necessarily represent the extent of historical video available to WWE . Although professional wrestling has been on television throughout the medium ' s existence , not all broadcasts were recorded , nor necessarily saved , and most promotions , including WWE , did not have a regular television presence until the 1970s . The historical availability of individual , non - televised matches is also sketchy , as likely only the most significant bouts were recorded for posterity , and as with any footage of increasing age , can be lost to time . Classic WWE holdings . The Library includes all past and present WWE tapes , including the previous forms of the company and its current brands : It is presumed that WWE ' s historical archives include footage of wrestling matches promoted by Jess McMahon between 1925 and 1952 , although , as noted above , the current existence of such footage is likely limited by many factors . Although not wrestling content , WWE ' s holdings also include footage from the XFL ( 2001 ) , the World Bodybuilding Federation ( 1990 - 1992 ) , motion pictures from WWE Films ( 2002 – present ) , the Hulk Hogan film " No Holds Barred " , as well as the " Hulk Hogan ' s Rock ' n Wrestling " CBS cartoon series . WWE company purchases . Beginning in the 1980s , WWF owner Vince McMahon began aggressively purchasing regional competitors across North America . By the mid - 1980s , WWF had little competition on the national level until the rise of WCW , and to a far lesser extent , ECW . In 2001 , WWF purchased both of these companies , including their libraries and the libraries of their predecessor organizations . Some WWE corporate purchases include : WWE library purchases . In recent years , the McMahon family has been very aggressive in WWE ' s pursuit of old tape libraries from defunct wrestling promotion s . The most significant acquisition was the AWA ' s holdings , representing the last of the largest national - level promotions , and representing a very large portion of modern wrestling history . Some library acquisitions include : National Wrestling Alliance . Throughout its history , WWE has had a long and complicated relationship with the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) . For many decades until the mid - 1980s , the NWA acted as a governing body of the many various regional wrestling promotions , and membership allowed for decreased regional competition and the shared use of big - name stars for local events . WWE ( as Capitol Wrestling ) was a member of the NWA between 1952 and 1963 , and again ( as the WWWF ) between 1971 and 1983 . Jim Crockett Promotions was an NWA member during its entire existence , and by the end of the promotion ' s run " was " , more or less , the NWA , thanks to its control of the largest regional NWA promotions . This was exemplified by the presence of all major NWA titles in World Championship Wrestling when Crockett Promotions morphed into WCW in the 1980s . WCW ' s relationship with the NWA was even more convoluted than WWE ' s , until WCW left the NWA in 1993 . As a result of WWE ' s former membership in the NWA , through its ownership of WCW and its predecessor libraries , and through its ownership of Extreme Championship Wrestling ( which was an NWA member until it suddenly severed ties with the NWA in 1994 ) and other smaller regional promotions , WWE owns a vast amount of NWA footage , making up the majority of significant NWA matches from the 1970s , 1980s , and early 1990s .