13 Most Profitable Years In WWE History

1. 1999, $68,973,000

Following on from the 1998 period, WWF continued their success, enjoying an even better 1999. Again, keep in mind, the fiscal year back then ran from May until April 2000. Therefore it was the Attitude Era at full maturity, with Triple H emerging as a major main event force, and the majority of the card offering something in terms of entertainment.

It was a great time for the company. Popularity of megastars like Austin and Rock, allowed them to operate with increases in attendance, PPV buys, television ratings, merchandising, and general exposure across the mainstream.

As for the lack of 2000 on this list? WWF's losses on the XFL resulted in 2000 only making $15,987,000 in profits. Wrestling profits would have been a record $84,981,000, but the XFL cost the WWF a whopping $68,994,000 and made the May 2000 - April 2001 period a bad time for Vince McMahon.

The lesson for right now from 1999's record profits, should be that great success starts with over characters that fans are invested in. Is Roman Reigns that man? Certainly not yet, but then there's nobody on the roster who is anywhere near being an Austin or Rock. The late nineties really were a special time, and whether WWE can attain those levels of success again is debatable.