Vince McMahon Profile: Bio, News, Videos, Socials & More

Sid Pullar III | 5 Hours Ago

Jan 18, 2018; Stamford, CT, USA; WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon poses for a portrait photo. McMahon announced that the XFL will re-launch in 2020. Mandatory Credit: Craig Ambrosio/Handout Photo via Imagn Images / Handout Photo-Imagn Images

Vince McMahon, the driving force behind the national expansion of professional wrestling, is best known as the former owner and CEO of WWF/WWE. While the biggest impact he made was as an American businessman/entrepreneur, he also made his mark as a professional wrestler. As one of the most controversial figures in the business, McMahon's legacy is marred by his choices, decisions and transgressions that make him a legend in more ways than one.

Bio

Real Name	Vincent Kennedy McMahon
Nickname	Vince McMahon, Mr. McMahon, The Devil, The Evil Boss, The Chairman of the Board
Date of Birth (D.O.B.)	August 24, 1945
Nationality	American
Spouse	Linda McMahon (Edwards)
Relatives	Vincent J. McMahon (father), Linda McMahon (wife), Shane McMahon (son), Stephanie McMahon (daughter), Triple H (son-in-law)
Debut	1969 (ring announcer) 1971 (commentator) 1982 (owner) 1998 (wrestler)
Theme Song	No Chance In Hell by Beastie Boys
Training	Vincent J. McMahon (as a pro wrestling executive)
Billed Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Billed Weight	248lb (112 kg)

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Early Life

On August 24, 1945, Vincent Kennedy McMahon was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina. His parents, Victoria Hanner & Vincent James McMahon, were estranged at a young age for Vince Jr. He would eventually meet his father at the age of 12 and did not get a loving embrace, according to him.

After spending most of his childhood being raised by his mother and various stepfathers, McMahon graduated from Fishburne Military School in Virginia. Because of his father being a promoter as his occupation, Vince Jr. aspired to follow his father's footsteps and became enamored with the professional wrestling business by accompanying him to Madison Square Garden as a teenager.

Professional Business Career

Early Days (1968-1982)

After his father denied his desire to become a wrestler and graduating from East Carolina University with a business degree, Vince McMahon received his first role in his father's World Wide Wrestling Federation promotion as a ring announcer for All Star Wrestling. In 1971, Vincent James McMahon assigned his son to his small territory in Bangor, Maine. From there, Vincent Kennedy McMahon became a play-by-play commentator for the WWWF later that same year.

McMahon assisted his father in a managerial role, helping with various ideas, such as Antonio Inoki facing famed boxer Muhammad Ali and the renaming of the company to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. In 1982, McMahon officially negotiated the purchase of his father's promotion under his parent company Titan Sports alongside his wife Linda McMahon.

Acquiring WWF and creating the 1980s pro wrestling expansion (1983-1992)

After acquiring WWF in 1982, McMahon looked to break professional wrestling from regional promotions to a worldwide business. In 1983, WWF broke free from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and started to take the top talent from several different promotions. WWF began to tour all around the world and went into other companies' territories for shows.

In 1984, McMahon recruited the man who would become an important figure in his plan to expand the industry, Hulk Hogan. The duo became synonymous for taking professional wrestling to new heights and creating the pro wrestling boom of the 1980s. Hogan became WWF's megastar who won the top title and helped the company broadcast around the world. Hogan and McMahon were also responsible for what would be known as "The Rock N' Wrestling Connection" that saw music stars and television personalities, including Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T, which allowed the business to go mainstream.

This all led to McMahon's biggest and best idea of his career, WrestleMania. On March 31, 1985, the first WrestleMania broadcast on closed circuit television and became an unmigated success for WWF as well as the entire wrestling industry. The success of WrestleMania played a crucial role in dubbing this boom period as "The Golden Age."

In 1987, Vince McMahon then produced WrestleMania III, which broke the indoor attendance record for a sporting event at the time with a reported 93,173 fans filling the Pontiac Silverdome to witness Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant in the main event. This further helped WWF to become the worldwide leader in professional wrestling for years.

Steroid Trial and Monday Night Wars (1993-1996)

In 1993, Vince McMahon found himself on trial for distribution of steroids to his talent in the United States vs. Vince McMahon case that shook the foundation of the WWF promotion. While this was going on, the World Wrestling Federation entered their New Generation Era, where they struggled through a business decline following the loss of Hulk Hogan that same year.

Despite being up against the ropes and even having Hogan as a witness on the defense side, the charges against McMahon were dropped. However, this didn't solve WWF's business issues because WCW rose to prominence and became a competitor. Acquiring former WWF talent like Macho Man Randy Savage, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, WCW led by Ted Tunner and Eric Bischoff put McMahon's company in jeopardy again.

The introduction of WCW Nitro going head-to-head with WWF Raw brought what is known by fans as "The Monday Night Wars." WCW went live against WWF and brought one of the most influential storylines of all time with The N.W.O. Hulk Hogan turned heel for the first time and became the leader of the group that changed everything in the wrestling world where WCW started to beat WWF in the ratings and thus forced McMahon to change his business strategy.

Montreal Screwjob, Attitude Era, & Mr. McMahon character (1997-2000)

Following Vince McMahon offering Bret Hart a 10-year contract, he had to revoke the offer and helped him to get a lucrative deal from WCW. With Bret as WWF Champion at the time, it led to a dilemma where Vince wanted him to drop the title to Shawn Michaels, but Hart refused. This led to "The Montreal Screwjob" where McMahon made sure Michaels won despite Bret not giving up or being pinned.

With this real life situation and the fallout, it meant that Vince became an on-screen character and thus "Mr. McMahon" was born. McMahon became WWF's biggest heel and led to a game-changing rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Their feud led to WWF overtaking WCW in the ratings war and instituting the Attitude Era where various stars like The Rock, DX and more helped to shape the future of the business.

The Mr. McMahon character led to the introduction of his son Shane, daughter Stephanie and wife Linda becoming on-screen characters as well. The McMahon family would dominate the company's television and were featured in top programs against one another as well as against top stars, such as The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley and The Undertaker.

Acquiring WCW and WWF going to WWE (2001-2002)

After the decline of WCW and WWF's overwhelming dominance in the Monday Night War, Vince McMahon eventually purchased his competition in March 2001. He then also purchased ECW on the downside of their promotion as well. Prior to these moves, WWF went public in October 2000.

Then in 2002 after a lawsuit with the World Wildlife Fund, WWF changed their name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). This provided the company with the opportunity to firmly focus on the entertainment side of the industry. Around this time, Stone Cold Steve Austin left the company, while The Rock transitioned to a career in Hollywood, forcing WWE to have to make new stars.

Ruthless Aggression Era and TV-14 to PG rating (2003-2018)

In June 2002, Vince McMahon cut a promo from the company's change to WWE about wanting "Ruthless Aggression." This led to the introduction of John Cena, who would become the next megastar for the promotion. During this period, the company focused more on exceptional in-ring competitors such as Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero and more. Also, they made new stars like Batista and Randy Orton.

During this time, his daughter Stephanie McMahon became part of management and on the creative side, while her husband and WWE star Triple H also joined the creative team as well. Meanwhile, Vince's son Shane McMahon had several disagreements with his father leading to his eventual departure from the company.

In 2007, Chris Benoit committed a double murder suicide on his wife and son that casted a negative light on WWE and the entire industry. Thanks to research on Benoit's brain, it revealed that he suffered from CTE and caused massive changes on the promotion's in-ring approach with less damage being made to the head for their performers.

In July 2008, WWE then transitioned from a TV-14 TV rating to PG that signalled a significant shift in the company's approach to their on-screen product. The move to a PG rating also helped McMahon secure corporate sponsors for the promotion.

During this period, the Mr. McMahon character was used in feuds against Donald Trump, John Cena and Shawn Michaels. However, as time passed by, McMahon was used less and less as an on-screen performer and focused primarily on the creative end.

Competition from AEW, Allegations, Resignation and Retirement (2019-2022)

In 2019, Vince McMahon was faced with his first competitor brand in 18 years when Tony Khan along with The Elite helped to start All Elite Wrestling. The company started to run a Wednesday night show entitled "AEW Dynamite." This led to McMahon pitting the WWE NXT brand led creatively by his son-in-law Triple H against Dynamite on Wednesdays. This head-to-head battle became known as fans as "The Wednesday Night Wars."

In 2022, McMahon had his first match in several years when he defeated Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38. This would become his final bout with the company. Then in June 2022, McMahon voluntarily stepped down from his role as CEO and Chairman of the Board after an investigation began about allegations of sexual misconduct and a $3 million hush money settlement, reported by the Wall Street Journal. His daughter Stephanie took over as interim co-CEO alongside Nick Khan.

On July 22, 2022, McMahon officially retired from WWE after the investigation revealed other nondisclosure settlements that totalled at $12 million. Stephanie took over as permanent chairwoman and co-CEO with Nick Khan, while Paul "Triple H" Levesque was assigned the role as Head of WWE Creative.

Return to WWE, TKO Executive Chairman and Second Resignation (2023-2024)

On January 6, 2023, WWE filed a public SEC filing that announced Vince McMahon had appointed himself back to the Board of Directors as Executive Chairman. This move came despite The Board unianimously voting against McMahon's return to the company. This ultimately led to Stephanie's official resignation from the promotion and came with the idea Vince would help with the sale of WWE.

On April 3, 2023, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a deal to officially purchase WWE and merge them with UFC to form a new sports and entertainment company named TKO Group Holdings. Vince McMahon was named the Executive Chairman for TKO, with WWE shareholders only owning 49% of the new company. Upon the completion of the deal, McMahon owned 34% of TKO.

The merger of WWE and UFC as TKO Group Holdings was completed on September 12, 2023. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel made the call to give the power of WWE's creative to Triple H over Vince in October of that same year after months of McMahon getting back involved in various cases.

On January 26, 2024, Vince McMahon resigned from his role of Executive Chairman of TKO after a lawsuit was filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE for sexual assault and human trafficking. This signalled the end of McMahon's 42-year run as the founder, owner and creative force behind WWE.

In September 2024, Netflix released a six-part docuseries entitled "Mr. McMahon," which details Vince's rise to prominence, controversy and fall from grace. The series features interviews with Vince himself, talking about a wide variety of topics throughout his four decade run as the CEO of WWE.

Championships

Championships	Times Won
WWE Championship	1
Men's Royal Rumble	1

Vince McMahon Family

Vince McMahon's dad is Vincent James McMahon Senior, who was the founder of the World Wide Wrestling Federation. McMahon married his wife Linda in 1966. They have two children, son Shane and daughter Stephanie McMahon. Vince, Linda, Shane and Stephanie all became on-screen characters on WWE TV during the Attitude Era in 1998 and were prominently featured in various storylines over the course of the next 15 years.

After being paired up in a storyline that started in 1999, Stephanie McMahon got married to multi-time WWE Champion Triple H in 2003. Shane has three sons, while Stephanie and Triple H have three daughters, for a total of six grandchildren for Vince.

Vince McMahon Net Worth

Vince McMahon's estimated net worth is reported to be $2.5 billion as of September 30, 2024, according to Forbes.

Theme Song

No Chance In Hell - Beastie Boys

Social Media

Twitter: @VinceMcMahon

Videos

Published 5 Hours Ago

SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III, born and raised in New York, is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who fell in love with the business when stars like Randy Savage, Ric Flair and Sting captured his imagination. In 2017, he started the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling podcast. Then in 2020, he began his writing for Sportskeeda Wrestling before moving to WrestleTalk in 2021. He is looking to capture his three decades worth of pro wrestling knowledge through his pieces and interviewing various stars.