World Bodybuilding Federation
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| Formation | September 15, 1990 |
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| Extinction | July 1992 |
| Purpose | Professional bodybuilding |
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Parent organization
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Titan Sports |
The World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) was a bodybuilding organization founded in 1990 by Vince McMahon that lasted until 1992. It was a subsidiary of Titan Sports which owned and operated the World Wrestling Federation.
Vince McMahon created the WBF as competition to the long established International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB). In 1990, McMahon initially denied that he was starting a bodybuilding organization, instead stressing that he was only starting a magazine called Bodybuilding Lifestyles. He hired famed bodybuilding personality Tom Platz to oversee the publication.
The magazine secured a booth at the IFBB Mr. Olympia contest held on September 15, 1990 in Chicago. At the conclusion of that competition, the booth handed out press releases announcing the WBF's formation. The press release stated that the WBF would "revamp professional bodybuilding with dramatic new events and the richest prize money in the history of the sport." It also mentioned that Tom Platz would be Director of Talent Development for the organization.
McMahon announced at the company's unveiling on January 30, 1991 in New York's Plaza Hotel that the WBF had signed thirteen competitors, many IFBB regulars, to long-term contracts: Aaron Baker, Mike Christian, Vince Comerford, David Dearth, Berry DeMey, Johnnie Morant, Danny Padilla, Tony Pearson, Jim Quinn, Mike Quinn, Eddie Robinson, Gary Strydom, and Troy Zuccolotto. They were dubbed the "WBF BodyStars."
The first competition aired June 15, 1991 live on pay-per-view from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Regis Philbin was brought in to co-host the event with McMahon and Bobby Heenan. The show was met with mixed reviews: critics noted that the WBF's attempt at developing characters for each BodyStar went against Vince McMahon's initial promise to keep professional wrestling away from bodybuilding. To promote the show, both the WBF BodyStars and the WWF Superstars appeared on a series of Family Feud episodes.
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