The World (WWE)
The World (originally opened as WWF New York) was a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) themed restaurant, nightclub and retail store in Times Square in New York City, leased in the Paramount Theatre building. The venue was best known for featuring in segments on Monday Night Raw, and having Sunday Night Heat emanate from its complex, hosted by Michael Cole and Tazz from October 2000 to February 2002. The venue would also host special events such as Raw's 10th Anniversary and various autograph signings and appearances from WWE performers.
 | |
| Formerly | WWF New York |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary, Themed-Restaurant |
| Industry | Entertainment restaurant |
| Founded | November 1999 |
| Defunct | April 2003 |
| Headquarters | Connecticut |
Key people | Vince McMahon, Chairman of WWE |
| Parent | The World Entertainment LLC, subsidiary of WWE |
History
WWF New York
In November 1999, WWF Chairman Vince McMahon leased space at the Paramount Theatre in Times Square in Manhattan. The complex consisted of a retail store with merchandise on the first floor and a nightclub, restaurant and arcade underground. The venue featured various pieces of WWF memorabilia on display with superstar entrance music playing throughout the store, mainly music composed by Jim Johnston. Wrestling fans from around the Metropolitan New York City area, as well as from around the world, went to the complex as they would show pay-per-views, Raw, SmackDown, and other events on monitors all around the nightclub, including showing them on a big screen. A fee was charged for admission to the events. The restaurant exclusively showed pay-per-views live from the United Kingdom at no charge.[1][2][3]
The venue hosted two musical performances by the Misfits in 2001. The first instance was during an after show party following the band's April 18 performance Roseland Ballroom. The band returned to the venue on October 31, 2001 for a Halloween performance with The Killer Barbies.
The interior venue and exterior sidewalk appeared in the WWF game series as a wrestling location. The games included SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, SmackDown! Just Bring It, SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth and SmackDown Here Comes the Pain.
The World
In May 2002, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) due to a legal battle over the 'WWF' initials with the World Wide Fund for Nature. Instead of renaming the venue from WWF New York to WWE New York, the decision was made to rename it to The World in an attempt to attract an audience other than just WWE fanatics.[4] The venue would still operate the gift store selling WWE merchandise, and the nightclub would continue to host special WWE events and superstar appearances.
In July 2002, the venue inspired the opening of a sister-venue, WWE Niagara Falls, which featured a gift store and drop tower theme ride. Unlike The World, the Niagara Falls location was owned by Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc. with a licensing agreement from the WWE.[5]
Closure
In February 2003, Linda McMahon, the CEO at the time, elected to close the restaurant and nightclub sections so WWE could concentrate more on their global efforts. The retail shop closed two months later. The complex remained closed for two years until 2005, when the Hard Rock Cafe took over the lease and the business. On August 16, 2006, WWE returned to the location for the 2006 Diva Search finale. WWE also held press conferences at the Hard Rock Cafe for WrestleMania 24, 25, 27 and 30.
See also
References
- "WWE New York Theme Restaurant in Times Square".
- "X-Entertainment — WWF NY in Times Square, NY".
- "411MANIA — The 8-Ball 07.05.12: Top 8 Pro Wrestling Restaurants".
- Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard (2018-03-20), Bruce Prichard shoots on WWF:New York/Niargra Falls/Casino/HOF, retrieved 2019-04-02
- YourTV Niagara (2019-04-01), Opening of WWE Niagara Falls, retrieved 2019-04-02