• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 7, 2011

WWE, the entertainment company known for faux wrestling and a heavy supplier of programming to NBC Universal, confirmed it is launching a cable channel over the next 12 to 18 months. It plans to expand its programming development to include scripted and animated offerings, as well as traditional reality series.

An initial foray is USA's new "Tough Enough," a reality-competition series where WWE star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin leads a battle to select the next WWE star. At NBCU, long-time WWE staples are also on USA and Syfy.

World Wresting Entertainment will also officially go by its WWE moniker, also its ticker symbol. That is being accompanied by a trade campaign with a "Bigger. Badder. Better" tagline.

WWE also said it would look to acquire other entertainment companies and suggested it would move beyond its wrestling origins.

CEO Vince McMahon stated: "We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring."