WWE February 23, 2010

On the back of the success of the Attitude Era, on October 19, 1999 the WWE's parent company, Titan Sports became a publicly traded company, offering 10 million shares priced at $17 each. WWE announced its desire to diversify, including creating a nightclub in Times Square, producing feature films, and book publishing. ‎ In 2000 the WWE, in collaboration with television network NBC, announced the creation of the XFL, a new professional football league that debuted in 2001. The league had surprisingly high ratings for the first few weeks, but initial interest waned and its ratings plunged to dismally low levels. NBC walked out on the venture after only one season, but McMahon intended to continue alone. However, after being unable to reach a deal with UPN, McMahon shut down the XFL.