WWE: 10 Non-Wrestling Projects Vince McMahon Poured Money Into

4. WWF New York/The World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzF7yL51_DQ In late 1999, Vince McMahon €“ possibly growing impatient with the delays to the WWF Hotel and Casino €“ decided that his company needed a branded restaurant and it needed it immediately. After all, if WCW could run the Nitro Grill in Las Vegas, how difficult could it be? This establishment, though, would be on the other side of the country, in WWE's backyard of New York City. McMahon found a venue in Times Square, and construction began. WWF New York, as it was called (though it became "The World" following WWE's name change in 2002), opened in early 2000 with a big screen showing WWE events, huge rooms filled with merchandise, and menus full of middling fare. Raw and Smackdown were screened at the restaurant, with Pay-Per-View event parties hosted by wrestlers. Segments of Sunday Night Heat aired weekly from the venue from 2000 to 2002. WWE was clearly trading more on name and atmosphere than they were on food and management, and it bit them in their collective foot. Crowds dwindled on nights without live events, and all the while, Vince McMahon was paying rent in one of the most expensive locations on the planet. In February of 2003, it was closed, with Linda McMahon explaining "We are reallocating resources to the continued growth of our global business, rather than focusing on a single, site-specific and local project." The severe losses WWE suffered on the venture exposed her words as little more than a face-saving gesture. The gift shop followed suit in April. Final tally: $36 million loss