Before Vince McMahon and his company WWE ruled the world of professional wrestling, the landscape looked completely different.

For decades, professional wrestling in North America operated under a system of informally defined “territories.” Each territory represented an individual promotion with its own stable of talent that drew crowds to local arenas and broadcast the product on regional television stations.

In 1982, Vincent Kennedy McMahon purchased his father’s company, the World Wrestling Federation. For almost two decades, he endured an epic conquest of the pro wrestling world that led to where he is today: standing tall as the undisputed king of the industry.

This is the story of how his victory was achieved, with insight from WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Pat Patterson.

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