The History of the WWF Volume XI: 1996: From 1985 to the Present

Imagine going back in time and reliving WWF history as it actually happened. Not as the WWE wants to present it, but as it actually aired. No longer would superstars disappear from the history books or angles be edited out because they're deemed too offensive to WWE's current corporate philosophy. Instead, you'd see the WWF as it aired, as you remembered it if you're old enough, or as it really happened for the first time if you're a younger fan. You'd see the WWF that turned a regional promotion into a global billion dollar powerhouse. You'd see the WWF that the fans who grew up on the product came to know and love.

Welcome to a year-by-year account of the WWF. This is the history of the WWF as presented on television. Not Vince McMahon's revisionist history, but the WWF that aired on television. This series follows the weekly shows, PPVs, and major events that made the WWF (and later WWE) the household name that it is. Love it or hate it, the WWF has become part of the world's culture and the events in this book helped define that culture.

For 1996, see the rise of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Mankind, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley as well as Shawn Michaels's ascent to the top of the WWF card. As the New Generation gives way to the Attitude Era, see the final WWF matches from Yokozuna, Marty Jannetty, and other superstars as well as the debut of future megastar, Rocky Maivia.