Vince McMahon, Jr.
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Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife
Linda Linda is an English feminine given name, derived from the Spanish word , meaning "pretty." Linda may also refer to: Names * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) ...
, is a co-founder of the modern
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, the world's largest
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...
. Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included the
World Bodybuilding Federation The World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) was a bodybuilding organization founded in 1991 by Vince McMahon. It operated as a subsidiary of his company Titan Sports, the owners of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Tom Platz announce ...
and the XFL
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
league. McMahon graduated from
East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
with a degree in business in 1968, and began his tenure in professional wrestling as a commentator for WWE (then called the World Wide Wrestling Federation or WWWF) for most of the 1970s. He bought the company from his father,
Vincent J. McMahon Vincent James McMahon (July 6, 1914 – May 24, 1984), also referred to as Vince McMahon Sr., was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for running the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, later known as the World Wide Wrestli ...
, in 1982 and almost monopolized the industry, which previously operated as separate entities across the United States. This led to the development of the annual event WrestleMania, which became one of the world's most successful professional wrestling events. WWE then faced industry competition from
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
(WCW) in the 1990s before purchasing and absorbing WCW in 2001. WWE also purchased the assets of the defunct
Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
(ECW) in 2003. McMahon appeared on-screen for WWE from 1969 until 2022, initially as a personable play-by-play commentator. In 1997, he adopted the
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...
of Mr. McMahon, portrayed as an irascible, villainous, swaggering tyrant who obsessed over maintaining control of his wrestling company and often growled the catchphrase "you're fired!" when dismissing an employee. Under the villainous Mr. McMahon gimmick, he competed in wrestling matches and became a one-time
WWE Champion The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...
, a one-time ECW Champion, a
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
winner, and a multi-time
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
headliner. Following claims of
hush-money Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrary ...
agreements McMahon paid over affairs with former WWE employees, McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE in June 2022, pending the conclusion of an internal investigation. He was replaced by his daughter,
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
. The following month, McMahon announced his retirement from WWE, but his return to WWE as executive chairman was confirmed in January 2023. That April, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a merger between WWE and
Zuffa TKO Operating Company, LLC (TKO OpCo), doing business as Zuffa (), is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta I ...
, owner of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...
(UFC) mixed martial arts promotion; McMahon served as the executive chairman of the new merged company,
TKO Group Holdings TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is an American media conglomerate created by Endeavor as part of a merger between World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) and Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since ...
(TKO). McMahon was fined over $1.7 million by the
Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...
from undisclosed hush money payments. McMahon later resigned from TKO in January 2024 after allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault. McMahon is currently under a federal probe.


Early life

Vincent Kennedy McMahon was born on August 24, 1945, in
Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst, officially The Village of Pinehurst, is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,581, up from 13,124 in 2010 United States census, 2010. "Pinehur ...
, to Victoria (née Hanner) and
Vincent James McMahon Vincent James McMahon (July 6, 1914 – May 24, 1984), also referred to as Vince McMahon Sr., was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for running the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, later known as the World Wide Wrestling ...
, a wrestling promoter. Not long after his birth, his father left the family and took McMahon’s older brother, Roderick Jr., with him. McMahon did not see his father again until he was 12 years old. His paternal grandfather,
Jess McMahon Roderick James "Jess" McMahon Sr. (October 29, 1882 – November 21, 1954) was an American professional wrestling and professional boxing promoter, and patriarch of the McMahon family, founders of Capitol Wrestling Corporation, precursor to th ...
, had been a boxing and wrestling promoter, and both grandparents on his father’s side were of Irish descent. During his childhood, McMahon was raised under the name Vinnie Lupton, using the surname of one of his stepfathers. He experienced a difficult upbringing and has spoken publicly about abuse he endured at the hands of one stepfather, Leo Lupton. In a later interview, McMahon reflected, “It is unfortunate that uptondied before I could kill him. I would have enjoyed that.” Despite personal challenges, McMahon graduated in 1964 from
Fishburne Military School Fishburne Military School (FMS) is a private, military boarding school for boys in Waynesboro, Virginia, United States. It was founded by James A. Fishburne in 1879 and is the oldest military high school in Virginia, and the 13th oldest in the ...
in
Waynesboro, Virginia Waynesboro (; formerly Flack) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a principal city of the Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan area, Staunton-Waynesboro Metropoli ...
. He has cited the structure of military school as a formative influence and has said he struggled with
dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...
during his youth.


Business career


Early business dealings

McMahon first met the promoter for
Capitol Wrestling Corporation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...
(CWC), his father, Vincent J. McMahon, when 12. At that point, McMahon became interested in following in his father's professional wrestling footsteps and often accompanied him on trips to
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. McMahon wanted to be a wrestler, but his father did not allow him, explaining that promoters did not appear on the show and should stay apart from their wrestlers. In 1968, McMahon graduated from
East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
with a business degree and after a nondescript career as a traveling salesman, he was eager to assume a managerial role in his father's
World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...
promotion. In 1969, McMahon made his debut as a ring announcer for the WWWF's ''
All-Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW), also known as Super Slam Wrestling (SSW), is a British professional wrestling promotion founded by Brian Dixon in 1970 and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, i ...
''. In 1971, he was assigned to a small territory in Maine, where he promoted his first card. He later became the play-by-play commentator for television matches after replacing Ray Morgan in 1971, a role he regularly maintained until November 1997. In the 1970s, McMahon became a prominent force in his father's company and, over the next decade, assisted his father in tripling TV syndication. The younger McMahon was also behind the
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
versus
Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...
match of 1976. He pushed for the renaming of the company to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. On February 21, 1980, McMahon officially founded Titan Sports and the company's headquarters were established in
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts South Yarmouth is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,092 at the 2010 census, the highest of the three CDPs in Yarmouth. ...
, using the now-defunct
Cape Cod Coliseum Cape Cod Coliseum was a multi-purpose arena located off White's Path in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. In addition to sporting events, the coliseum hosted rock concerts. The 46,000-square foot concrete arena opened in 1972 and sat between 5,000 ...
as a home base for the company. McMahon then became chairman of the company and his wife, Linda, became the "co-chief executive". In 1982, Titan acquired control of the CWC from McMahon's ailing father (who died in May 1984) and his partners.


Professional wrestling


Purchase of the WWF and 1980s wrestling boom

When he purchased the WWF in 1982, professional wrestling was a business run by regional promotions. Various promoters understood that they would not invade each other's territories, as this practice had gone on undeterred for decades. The
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
became the governing body for all the regional territories across the country and as far away as Japan. McMahon had a different vision of what the industry could become. In 1983, the WWF split from the NWA again (it had left the NWA in 1963 but rejoined in 1971). He began expanding the company nationally by promoting in areas outside of the company's Northeast U.S. stomping grounds and by signing talent from other companies, such as the
American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis ...
(AWA). In 1984, he recruited
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
to be the WWF's charismatic new megastar, and the two quickly drew the ire of industry peers as the promotion began traveling and broadcasting into rival territories. McMahon, who still also fronted as the WWF's squeaky clean babyface announcer, created '' The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection'' by incorporating pop music stars into wrestling storylines. As a result, the WWF was able to expand its fanbase into a national mainstream audience as the promotion was featured heavily on MTV programming. On March 31, 1985, he ran the first WrestleMania at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
, available on
closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
in various markets throughout the United States. McMahon's success of birthing WrestleMania in the 1980s had a significant impact on the
1980s professional wrestling boom The 1980s professional wrestling boom, more commonly referred to as the Golden Era or the Rock 'n' Wrestling Era, was a surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and elsewhere throughout the 1980s. The expansion of ca ...
during the Golden Age Era. During the late 1980s, McMahon shaped the WWF into a unique sports entertainment brand that reached out to family audiences while attracting fans who hadn't paid attention to pro wrestling before. By directing his storylines toward highly publicized supercards, McMahon capitalized on a fledgling revenue stream by promoting these events live on
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
television. In 1987, the WWF reportedly drew 93,173 fans to the
Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, the fi ...
(which was called the "biggest crowd in sports-entertainment history") for
WrestleMania III WrestleMania III was a 1987 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the third annual WrestleMania and held on March 29, 1987, at the ...
, which featured the main event of Hulk Hogan vs.
André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...
.


Business decline and the Attitude Era

In 1993, the company entered the New Generation Era, one of McMahon's toughest times while in charge of the company as business went up and down with various projects in the company. After struggling against
Ted Turner Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
's
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
(WCW), McMahon cemented the WWF as the preeminent wrestling promotion in the late 1990s when initiating a new brand strategy that eventually returned the WWF to prominence. Sensing a public shift toward a more hardened and cynical fan base, McMahon redirected storylines toward a more adult-oriented model. The concept became known as "WWF Attitude" and McMahon commenced the new era when manipulating the
WWF Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
away from
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
(now known as the "
Montreal Screwjob The Montreal Screwjob (also called the Montreal Incident) was a notorious professional wrestling incident where the outcome of a major match was changed without one of the wrestlers being informed – in order to "screw over" Bret Hart, who was i ...
"). McMahon announced the beginning of the
Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a major era of professional wrestling within the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The term "WWF Attitude" was used to describe its programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It began during the Monday Ni ...
on the December 15th, 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw, where McMahon stated "This is a conscious effort on our part to 'open the creative envelope', in order to entertain in a more contemporary manner, extends far beyond the strict confines of sports presentation into the wide open environment of broad based entertainment. We borrow from such programs niches like soap-operas and others widely accepted forms of television entertainment and tired of the same old simplistic theory of 'good guys versus bad guys'. Surely the era is definitely, passe. Therefore, we've embarked on a far more innovative and contemporary creative campaign, that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before". McMahon, who for years had downplayed his ownership of the company and was mostly known as a commentator, became involved in WWF storylines as the
evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...
Mr. McMahon, who began a legendary feud with
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
, who challenged his authority. As a result, the WWF suddenly found itself back in national pop-culture, drawing millions of viewers for its weekly ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show features character ...
'' broadcasts, which ranked among the highest-rated shows on cable television. In October 1999, McMahon led the WWF in an
initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
of company stock. Also, during the Attitude Era, the company embraced this period by incorporating foul language, graphic violence, and controversial stipulations such as Bra and Panties matches.


Monday Night War and acquisition of WCW and ECW

On June 24, 1999, McMahon appeared on the ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
'' show and said he viewed Ted Turner as his rival, stating "All I'll say about Ted is he's a son-of-a-bitch, other than that, he's probably not a bad guy, but I don't like him at all". McMahon later came out victorious against Ted Turner's
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
(WCW) in the television ratings in the
Monday Night War The Monday Night War or the Monday Night Wars, was an era of mainstream televised American professional wrestling, from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001, in which the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF; now WWE) '' Monday Night Raw'' (later ' ...
after an initial 84-week television ratings loss to WCW and afterward acquired the fading WCW from
Turner Broadcasting System Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its asse ...
on March 23, 2001, with an end to the Monday Night War. On April 1, 2001,
Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
(ECW) filed for bankruptcy leaving WWF as the last major wrestling promotion at that time. McMahon later acquired the assets of ECW on January 28, 2003. In September 2020, professional wrestling promoter,
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
r, and former WCW president
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
revealed that during this period of the Monday Night War in television ratings battles between WWE and WCW "Vince was petitioning a lot for Ted. He was trying to embarrass Ted, trying to create some anxiety with the shareholders of Turner Broadcasting. Vince was trying to create some unrest and anxiety by being very, very critical about WCW" and "whenever you'd see blood in WCW, Vince would write these letters from the king's court to Ted criticizing him, and WCW, and the health and welfare of the talent by saying it's gross, it's crap, and all this. And then he'd turn around and do the same thing a month later. None of us took any of those letters very seriously, and it was pretty obvious what Vince was trying to do. We all just chuckled about it". In a conference call in 2021, McMahon described the "situation where 'rising tides' because that was when Ted Turner was coming after us with all of Time Warner's assets as well".


World Wildlife Fund lawsuit: WWF becomes WWE

On May 5, 2002, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. announced that it would be changing both its company name and the name of its wrestling promotion to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after the company had lost a lawsuit initiated by the
World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
over the WWF trademark. The name change officially occurred the following day on May 6. Although mainly caused by the ruling in favor of the World Wildlife Fund regarding the "WWF" initialism, the company noted it provided an opportunity to emphasize its focus on entertainment.


Ruthless Aggression Era and transition to PG rating

Shortly after its name change, WWE transitioned into its Ruthless Aggression Era; McMahon officially referred to the new era as "Ruthless Aggression" on June 24, 2002. This period still featured many similar elements of its predecessor the Attitude Era, including the levels of violence, sex, and profanity, but there was less politically incorrect content, and a further emphasis on wrestling was showcased. In July 2008, all WWE programs shifted to TV-PG ratings. McMahon also stated that the Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s was the result of competition from WCW and forced the company to "go for the jugular". Due to WCW's demise in 2001, McMahon says that they "don't have to" appeal to viewers in the same way and that during the "far more scripted" PG Era, WWE could "give the audience what they want in a far more sophisticated way". McMahon also stated that the move to PG cut the "excess" of the Attitude Era and "ushered in a new era of refined and compelling storytelling". McMahon also had the most say in the WWE company's creative direction. The move into the PG Era made the promotion more appealing to corporate
sponsors Sponsor or sponsorship may refer to a person or organization with some role (especially one of responsibility) regarding another person or organisation: *Sponsor (commercial), supporter of an event, activity, or person *Sponsor (legislative), a per ...
. On April 7, 2011, McMahon's company ceased using the full name World Wrestling Entertainment and henceforth referred to itself solely as WWE, making the latter an
orphan initialism An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial letter of each word in all caps with ...
. This was said to reflect WWE's global entertainment expansion away from the ring with the ultimate goal of acquiring entertainment companies and putting a focus on television, live events, and film production. WWE noted that their new company model was put into effect with the relaunch of '' Tough Enough'', being a non-scripted program (contrary to the scripted nature of professional wrestling) and with the launch of the
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...
(at the time scheduled to launch in 2012; later pushed back to 2014). The legal name of the company remained World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. for the time.


Competition with AEW

In 2019,
Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...
's
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(better known as AEW) emerged as the second largest professional wrestling promotion in the market after WWE, and during a conference call on July 25, 2019, McMahon announced a new direction for WWE where he stated that it would "be a bit edgier, but still remain in the PG environment". In another conference call on July 29, 2021, McMahon stated that he doesn't consider AEW competition and that he was "not so sure what their investments are as far as their talent is concerned". ''
WWE NXT ''WWE NXT'', also known simply as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show c ...
'' and ''
AEW Dynamite ''AEW Dynamite'', also known as ''Wednesday Night Dynamite'' or simply ''Dynamite'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American Professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It air ...
'' competed in the
Wednesday Night Wars The Wednesday Night War or Wednesday Night Wars refers to a period of mainstream televised American professional wrestling in which All Elite Wrestling (AEW)'s ''Dynamite'' debuted on TNT opposite WWE's '' NXT'' on USA Network in a competition for ...
, from October 2, 2019, to April 7, 2021, which ended with ''AEW Dynamite'' emerging victorious and ''NXT'' moving to Tuesday nights. This eventually led WWE to revamp ''NXT'' with major changes to "NXT 2.0" starting from the September 14, 2021, episode.


Resignation and retirement

McMahon voluntarily stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE on June 17, 2022, pending an internal investigation, with his daughter
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
being named the interim CEO and interim chairwoman of the WWE. McMahon continued to oversee WWE creative and content development. On July 22, Vince McMahon officially announced his retirement from WWE and named his daughter Stephanie McMahon, the company's new permanent chairwoman and co-CEO (alongside
Nick Khan Nicholas Parmar Khan (born 1974 or 1975) is an American business executive and former talent agent. He serves as the President of WWE and sits on TKO's board of directors. Early life Khan was born to Iranian-immigrant parents who moved to the ...
).
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
then replaced Vince McMahon as Head of WWE creative.


TKO executive chairman and second resignation

It was announced on January 6, 2023, by ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' that McMahon was planning a return to WWE as executive chairman, ahead of upcoming media rights negotiations in 2024 and also to explore a potential sale of the company. On January 6, WWE published a filing with the SEC, appointing Vince McMahon by himself, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson back to the WWE Board of Directors. On January 10, McMahon assumed the role of executive Chairman of the WWE. On April 3, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a deal under which WWE would merge with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...
(UFC) to form a new publicly traded company trading under the
symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...
"TKO". Endeavor will hold a 51% stake in TKO, with WWE's shareholders having a 49% stake, valuing WWE at $9.3 billion. McMahon will serve as the executive chairman of TKO and oversee the new company's WWE and UFC divisions. Upon completion of the deal, McMahon was expected to personally own 34% of TKO Group. The merger between WWE and UFC as TKO was completed on September 12, 2023, with WWE and UFC continuing to operate as separate divisions of TKO by focusing on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts respectively. On October 15, it was announced that Endeavor Group Holdings CEO
Ari Emanuel Ariel Zev Parmar Emanuel (born March 29, 1961) is an American businessman and the CEO of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency, as well as CEO and executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings, which owns the UFC and WWE. He was a founding ...
made the call to remove McMahon from WWE creative power and then granted the responsibility to
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
to drive 99.9% of the creative moving forward. As a result, McMahon is no longer involved in the WWE creative direction of the company. On January 26, 2024, one day after a report about alleged sexual assaults committed by McMahon was published by ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''Deadline'' confirmed that McMahon had resigned from TKO. In a statement, he said the decision was made "out of respect for the WWE Universe, TKO, shareholders, and business partners." In March 2024, McMahon filed to sell $411.95 million worth of TKO stock amidst allegations of sexual assault, following a previous sale of shares worth $670.3 million in November. McMahon, who resigned from the TKO board earlier due to a lawsuit alleging abuse and sexual exploitation, owns approximately 15 million shares of TKO Group's Class A shares after the recent transactions.


Other business dealings

In 1979, Vince and Linda purchased the
Cape Cod Coliseum Cape Cod Coliseum was a multi-purpose arena located off White's Path in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. In addition to sporting events, the coliseum hosted rock concerts. The 46,000-square foot concrete arena opened in 1972 and sat between 5,000 ...
and the
Cape Cod Buccaneers The Cape Cod Buccaneers were a professional ice hockey team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. They were an inaugural member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and were owned by future WWE CEO Vince McMahon. History McMahon ...
of the
Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acco ...
. In addition to pro wrestling and hockey, they began selling out rock concerts (including
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
and Rush) in non-summer months, traditionally considered unprofitable due to lack of tourists. This venture led the McMahons to join the International Association of Arena Managers, learning the details of the arena business and networking with other managers through IAAM conferences, which Linda later called a great benefit to WWE's success. In 1990, McMahon founded the
World Bodybuilding Federation The World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) was a bodybuilding organization founded in 1991 by Vince McMahon. It operated as a subsidiary of his company Titan Sports, the owners of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Tom Platz announce ...
organization, which folded in 1992. In 2000, McMahon again ventured outside the world of professional wrestling by launching the XFL, a professional
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
league. The league began in February 2001, with McMahon making an appearance at the first game, but folded after one season due to low television ratings. On January 25, 2018, McMahon announced a
resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...
of the XFL. After only five weeks of play in its inaugural 2020 season, the league abruptly ceased play due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, and filed for bankruptcy on April 13, 2020. In February 2014, McMahon helped launch an
over-the-top Over the top may refer to: Music * "Over the Top", a 2017 song by Hey! Say! JUMP * ''Over the Top'' (Cozy Powell album), 1979 album by British drummer Cozy Powell * ''Over the Top'' (Infinite album), 2011 album by South Korean band Infinite * ...
streaming service called the
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...
. In 2017, McMahon established Alpha Entertainment, a separate entity from WWE. In 2025, McMahon established 14th & I, an investment firm and “entertainment hub company” pursuing opportunities in
media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
and
sports entertainment Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competition, competitive event using a high level of theatre, theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertainment, entertaining an audience. Un ...
.


Charity work

Vince and Linda McMahon donated over $8 million in 2008, giving grants to the
Fishburne Military School Fishburne Military School (FMS) is a private, military boarding school for boys in Waynesboro, Virginia, United States. It was founded by James A. Fishburne in 1879 and is the oldest military high school in Virginia, and the 13th oldest in the ...
,
Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholi ...
, and
East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
. ''Nonprofit Quarterly'' noted the majority of the McMahons' donations were toward
capital expenditure Capital expenditure or capital expense (abbreviated capex, CAPEX, or CapEx) is the money an organization or corporate entity spends to buy, maintain, or improve its fixed assets, such as buildings, vehicles, equipment, or land. It is considered ...
s. In 2006, they paid $2.5 million for construction of a tennis facility in
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania The Borough of Ebensburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Altoona, Pennsylvania, Altoona and surrounded by Cambria ...
. The McMahons have supported the
Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...
since 1986, first developing an interest through their friendship with
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
producer
Dick Ebersol Duncan Richard Ebersol (; born July 28, 1947) is an American television executive and a senior adviser for NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large-scale television events such as the ...
and
Susan Saint James Susan Saint James (born 1946) is an American former actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, especially the detective series ''McMillan & Wife'' (1971–1976) and the sitcom '' Kate & A ...
, who encouraged them to participate.


Professional wrestling career


WWE and predecessors (1969–2024)


Commentator (1969–1997)

Before the evolution of the Mr. McMahon character, McMahon appeared as a commentator on television. His executive role was not publicized to maintain the illusion of wrestling's staged story lines, or
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...
. While McMahon did publicly identify himself as the owner of the WWF outside of WWF programming, on television his ownership of the WWF was considered an
open secret An open secret is information that was originally intended to be confidential but has at some point been disclosed and is known to many people. Open secrets are ''secrets'' in the sense that they are excluded from formal or official discourse, b ...
through the mid-1990s.
Jack Tunney John Tunney Jr. (January 21, 1935 – January 24, 2004) was a Canadian professional wrestling promoter. He was known worldwide for his appearances on World Wrestling Federation television as Jack Tunney under the character of the promotion's pr ...
was portrayed as the president of WWF instead of McMahon. In 1969, McMahon began appearing on untelevised WWWF events as a ring announcer. McMahon made his commentary debut in 1971 when he replaced Ray Morgan after Morgan had a pay dispute with McMahon's father,
Vincent J. McMahon Vincent James McMahon (July 6, 1914 – May 24, 1984), also referred to as Vince McMahon Sr., was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for running the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, later known as the World Wide Wrestli ...
, shortly before a scheduled television taping. The elder McMahon let Morgan walk instead of giving in to his demands and needed a replacement on the spot, offering it to his son. For the younger McMahon, it was also somewhat of a compromise, as it allowed him to appear on television. McMahon wanted to be a wrestler but his father did not let him, explaining that promoters did not appear on the show and should stay apart from their wrestlers.''McMahon'' DVD McMahon eventually became the regular play-by-play commentator and maintained that role until November 1997, portraying himself originally as mild-mannered and diplomatic until 1984. In addition to matches, McMahon hosted other WWF shows, and introduced WWF programming to TBS on Black Saturday, upon the WWF's acquisition of
Georgia Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades b ...
and its lucrative Saturday night timeslot. McMahon sold the time slot to
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...
after the move backfired on him. He eventually acquired JCP's successor company,
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
, from
AOL Time Warner Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner i ...
in 2001. At the 1987 Slammy Awards, McMahon performed in a musical number and sang the song "Stand Back". The
campy Camp is an aesthetic and sensibility that regards something as appealing or amusing because of its heightened level of artifice, affectation and exaggeration, especially when there is also a playful or ironic element. ''Camp'' is historically ...
"Stand Back" video has since resurfaced several times over the years as a
running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...
between McMahon and any
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
wrestler he is feuding with at that particular time, and was included on the 2006 ''McMahon'' DVD. As a commentator, McMahon was a
babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
"voice of the fans", a contrast to the
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
, usually
Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, political commentator, actor, media personality, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he ...
,
Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling Manager (professional wrestling), manager, color commentator, and wrestler. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the Wo ...
or
Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...
. While most of McMahon's on-screen physicality took place under his "Mr. McMahon" persona later in his career, he was involved in physical altercations on WWF television several times as a commentator or host. First, in 1977, when he and
Arnold Skaaland Arnold Skaaland (January 21, 1925 – March 13, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Following a stint in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, Skaaland began wrestling in 1946 under his ...
were struck from behind by
Captain Lou Albano Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name "Captain" Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1 ...
, as part of a kayfabe "Manager Of the Year" storyline, when Albano was disgruntled over losing to Skaaland. In 1985, Andre the Giant grabbed him by the collar during an interview on ''
Tuesday Night Titans The following is a list of all WWE television programs. It also includes programming produced under the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Wrestling Entertainmen ...
''. Andre had become irritated at McMahon's questions regarding his feud with
Big John Studd John William Minton (February 19, 1948 – March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World ...
and their match at the first WrestleMania. On the September 28, 1991, episode of ''
WWF Superstars of Wrestling ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' (later shortened to ''WWF Superstars'' and to ''Sunday Morning Superstars''), also referred to as ''Maple Leaf Wrestling'' in Canada, was an American professional wrestling television program that was produced b ...
'', when
Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...
mistakenly hit him with a folding chair aimed at
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...
(requiring McMahon to be taken out of the arena on a
stretcher A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an medical device, apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or ...
), and again on the November 8, 1993, episode of ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show features character ...
'', when
Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
hurled him to the floor in an attempt to attack
Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
after McMahon attempted to restrain him. McMahon can be seen screaming at medics and WWF personnel during the May 26, 1990, episode of ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'', after Hulk Hogan was attacked by
Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
during a segment of ''The Brother Love Show'', when Hogan was not moved out of the arena quickly enough. McMahon commentated on Monday Night Raw when the shows started in 1993.


Creation of the Mr. McMahon character (1996–1997)

Throughout late 1996 and into 1997, McMahon slowly began to be referred to as the owner on WWF television while remaining as the company's lead play-by-play commentator. On the September 23, 1996 ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show features character ...
'',
Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...
delivered a
worked shoot A shoot in professional wrestling is any unplanned, unscripted, or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. It is a carny term shortened from "straight shooting", which originally referred to a gun in a carnival target shooting game that ...
promo during which he ran down McMahon, outing him as
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
and not just a commentator for the first time in WWF storylines. This was followed up on the October 23 ''Raw'' with
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
referring to then-WWF President
Gorilla Monsoon Robert James "Gino" Marella (June 4, 1937 – October 6, 1999), better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Sports commentator, play-by-play commentator, and Glossary of profess ...
as "just a puppet" and that it was McMahon "pulling all the strings". The March 17, 1997 ''WWF Raw Is War'' is cited by some as the beginning of the Mr. McMahon character, as after
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
lost to
Sycho Sid Sidney Raymond Eudy (December 16, 1960 – August 26, 2024) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenures in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), wrestling under the ring names Sid Jus ...
in a steel cage match for the
WWF Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
, Hart engaged in an
expletive Expletive may refer to: * Expletive (linguistics), a word or phrase that is not needed to express the basic meaning of the sentence * Expletive pronoun, a pronoun used as subject or other verb argument that is meaningless but syntactically required ...
-laden rant against McMahon and WWF management. This rant followed Hart shoving McMahon to the ground when he attempted to conduct a post-match interview. McMahon, himself, returned to the commentary position and nearly cursed out Hart before being calmed down by Ross and Lawler. McMahon largely remained a commentator after the Bret Hart incident on ''Raw''. On September 22, 1997, on the first-ever ''Raw'' to be broadcast from
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
, Bret's brother
Owen Hart Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
was giving a speech to the fans in attendance. During his speech, Stone Cold Steve Austin entered the ring with five
NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
officers following and assaulted Hart. When it appeared Austin would fight the officers, McMahon ran into the ring to lecture him that he could not physically compete; at the time, Austin was recovering from a broken neck after Owen Hart botched a
piledriver Piledriver or pile driver may refer to: *Pile driver, a person trained to use the diesel hammer that drives piles into the ground for foundations and bridges *Piledriver (professional wrestling), a move used in professional wrestling Entertainme ...
in his match against Austin at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
. After telling McMahon that he respects the fact that he and the WWF cared, Austin attacked McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner, leaving McMahon in shock. Austin was then arrested on charges of trespassing, assault, and assaulting a police officer. This marked the beginning of the Austin-McMahon rivalry. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
in 1997,
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
defended his WWF Championship against long-time rival
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
in the main event. During the match, Michaels applied Hart's signature submission maneuver The Sharpshooter on Hart. Though Hart did not submit, McMahon ordered the
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
to ring the bell, thus screwing Hart out of the title and making Michaels the champion and making McMahon turn
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
for the first time on WWF television. This incident was subsequently dubbed the "Montreal Screwjob". Following the incident, McMahon left the commentary table for good (
Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...
replaced McMahon as lead commentator) and the Mr. McMahon character began.


Feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997–1999)

In December 1997 on ''
Raw Is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs Live television, live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show fe ...
'', the night after D-Generation X: In Your House, McMahon talked about the behavior and attitude of
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
, such as Austin having assaulted WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter and commentators such as Jim Ross and McMahon himself. Mr. McMahon demanded that Austin defend his Intercontinental Championship against The Rock in a rematch. As in the previous match, Austin used his pickup truck as a weapon against The Rock and the
Nation of Domination The Nation of Domination (NOD) was an American-Canadian professional wrestling faction who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from November 17, 1996 to November 28, 1998. The group was formed by newcomer Faarooq in 1996 and remai ...
gang. Austin decided to forfeit the title to The Rock, but instead, Austin gave The Rock a ''Stone Cold Stunner'' and knocked McMahon off the ring ropes. During the storyline between Austin and Michaels, McMahon involved
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
, who joined
D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...
(DX). During the WrestleMania XIV main event, Mike Tyson turned on Shawn Michaels and assisted Austin in becoming WWF Champion. After Austin won the title, McMahon sent Dude Love to defeat Austin at
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
and Over the Edge: In Your House, where Austin retained. By employing the services of The Undertaker and Kane, McMahon set up a triple threat match for the WWF Championship between Austin, The Undertaker, and Kane at Breakdown: In Your House, in which The Undertaker and Kane could only win by pinning Austin. At Breakdown, Austin lost the title after he was pinned simultaneously by The Undertaker and Kane, neither of whom became champion. The following night on ''
Raw Is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs Live television, live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show fe ...
'', McMahon attempted to announce a new WWF Champion. He held a presentation ceremony and introduced The Undertaker and Kane. After saying that both deserved to be the WWF Champion, Austin drove a
Zamboni An ice resurfacer is a vehicle or hand-pushed device for cleaning and smoothing the surface of a sheet of ice, usually in an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by American inventor and engineer Frank Zamboni in 1949 in Paramount, ...
into the arena and attacked McMahon before police officers stopped him, and arrested him. Because The Undertaker and Kane both failed to defend McMahon from Austin, McMahon did not name a new champion, but instead made a match at Judgment Day: In Your House between The Undertaker and Kane with Austin as the
special referee In law, a special referee acts as a judge on matters of fact only. Explanation In many instances, the interpretation of the specific statutes or case law relevant to a dispute is absolutely clear. The uncertainty between the parties lies in the fa ...
. This prompted The Undertaker and Kane to attack Mr. McMahon, injuring his ankle because he gave them the
finger A finger is a prominent digit (anatomy), digit on the forelimbs of most tetrapod vertebrate animals, especially those with prehensile extremities (i.e. hands) such as humans and other primates. Most tetrapods have five digits (dactyly, pentadact ...
behind their backs. At Judgement Day, there was still no champion crowned as Austin declared himself the winner after counting a double pinfall three count for both men. McMahon ordered the WWF Championship to be defended in a 14-man tournament named Deadly Games at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
in 1998. McMahon made sure that
Mankind Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are great apes characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intelligenc ...
reached the finals because Mankind had visited McMahon in the hospital after McMahon was sent to the hospital by The Undertaker and Kane. He also awarded Mankind the
WWF Hardcore Championship The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in the WWF (Now WWE) which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a ...
due to his status as a
hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inc ...
legend. Originally, McMahon was acting as he if he was helping out Mankind during the match. At one point, The Rock turned his attention to McMahon. McMahon turned on Mankind after a
screwjob Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of ...
, as The Rock had caught Mankind in the
Sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...
. Mankind had not submitted but McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell, thus giving The Rock the WWF Championship. This was a homage to the "
Montreal Screwjob The Montreal Screwjob (also called the Montreal Incident) was a notorious professional wrestling incident where the outcome of a major match was changed without one of the wrestlers being informed – in order to "screw over" Bret Hart, who was i ...
" that occurred one year earlier. McMahon referred to The Rock as the "Corporate Champion" thus forming the corporation with his son
Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born ...
and The Rock. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Mankind defeated The Rock to win the WWF Championship after The Rock passed out to the
Mandible Claw Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
. McMahon, screwed Mankind once again by reversing the decision and returning the belt to his chosen champion, The Rock. McMahon participated in a "Corporate Rumble" on the January 11, 1999 ''Raw'' as an unscheduled participant, but was eliminated by
Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality. Chyna first rose to pr ...
. McMahon restarted a long-running feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin when, in December 1998, he made Austin face The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with the Royal Rumble qualification on the line. Austin defeated The Undertaker with help from Kane. McMahon had put up $100,000 to anyone who could eliminate Austin from the Royal Rumble match. At
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, thanks to help from the corporation's attack on Austin in the women's bathroom during the match. Austin and McMahon went under the ropes, not over them as the Royal Rumble rules require for elimination to occur, along with the 'Shawn Michaels Rule', in which both feet must touch the floor after going over the top rope. The Rock distracted Austin, and McMahon lifted Austin over the top rope from behind, winning the match and earning a title shot at
WrestleMania XV WrestleMania XV was a 1999 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 15th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 28, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelp ...
against the WWF Champion The Rock. He turned down his spot, and WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels awarded it to Austin, which infuriated McMahon. Austin decided to put his title shot on the line against McMahon so he could get a chance to fight Vince at In Your House: St. Valentine's Day Massacre in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
. During the match,
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
— a future member of the Corporation — interrupted, making his WWF debut. He threw Austin through the side of the cage thus giving him the victory. The Corporation started a feud with
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
's new faction the "
Ministry of Darkness The Ministry of Darkness was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1998-1999 during the Attitude Era. Led by The Undertaker, the Ministry was a controversial group with pseudo-witchcra ...
", which led to a storyline introducing McMahon's daughter
Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Pol ...
. Stephanie played an "innocent sweet girl" who was kidnapped by The Ministry twice. The first time she was kidnapped, she was found by
Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...
on behalf of McMahon in a basement of the stadium. The second time she was kidnapped, The Undertaker attempted to marry her whilst she was forcefully tied to the Ministry's crucifix, but she was saved by Steve Austin. This angle saw a brief friendship develop between McMahon and Austin, cooling their long-running feud. McMahon became a member of the short-lived stable The Union, during May 1999. McMahon's son Shane merged the corporation with The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness to form the
Corporate Ministry The Corporate Ministry was a villainous stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in late spring and summer of 1999 during the Attitude Era. It was formed after a merger between The Corporation and the Ministry of Darkness factio ...
. On the June 7 episode of ''Raw Is War'', McMahon was revealed as the "Higher Power" behind the Corporate Ministry. This not only reignited McMahon's feud with WWF Champion Austin but also caused a
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...
disgusted
Linda Linda is an English feminine given name, derived from the Spanish word , meaning "pretty." Linda may also refer to: Names * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) ...
and Stephanie McMahon to give their 50% share of the WWF to Austin. At
King of the Ring King and Queen of the Ring, formerly and still commonly known as simply King of the Ring, was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in 1993 and originally c ...
, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a handicap
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
to regain control of the WWF. While CEO, Austin had scheduled a WWF Championship match, to be shown on ''Raw is War'' after King Of The Ring. During the match, Austin defeated The Undertaker once again to become the WWF Champion. At Fully Loaded, Austin was again scheduled for a first blood match against The Undertaker. If Austin lost, he would be banned from wrestling for the WWF Championship again; if he won, Vince McMahon would be banned from appearing on WWF television. Austin defeated The Undertaker, and McMahon was banned from WWF television. McMahon returned as a
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
in the fall of 1999 and won the
WWF Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
in a match against
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
, thanks to outside interference from Austin on the September 16 ''
SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
''. He vacated the title on the following Monday's ''Raw is War'' because he was not allowed on WWF television because of the stipulations of the Fully Loaded contract he signed. Austin reinstated him in return for a WWF title shot. Over the next few months, McMahon and Triple H feuded, with the linchpin of the feud being Triple H's storyline marriage to Stephanie McMahon. The feud culminated at
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
in 1999; McMahon faced Triple H in a
No Holds Barred match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
which McMahon lost. Afterward, Stephanie turned on him, revealing her true colors. McMahon, along with his son Shane, then disappeared from WWF television, unable to accept the union between Triple H and Stephanie. This left Triple H and Stephanie in complete control of the WWF.


McMahon-Helmsley Faction (2000–2001)

McMahon returned to WWF television on the March 13, 2000 ''Raw Is War'' helping The Rock win his WWF title shot back from the Big Show. He also attacked Shane McMahon and
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
. Two weeks later, McMahon and The Rock defeated
Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE. The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
and The
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
in a tag team match with help from special guest referee
Mankind Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are great apes characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intelligenc ...
. At
WrestleMania 2000 WrestleMania 2000, also known as WrestleMania 16, was a 2000 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 16th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2000, at th ...
on April 2, Triple H defended the WWF Championship in a
Fatal Four-Way Elimination match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
in which each competitor had a McMahon in his corner. Triple H had his wife Stephanie McMahon who was also the WWF Women's Champion in his corner, The Rock had Vince McMahon in his corner, Mick Foley had Linda McMahon in his corner, and Big Show had Shane in his corner. After Big Show and Foley were eliminated, Triple H and The Rock were left. Although Vince was in The Rock's corner, he turned on The Rock after hitting him with a chair, turning heel for the first time since his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, which helped Triple H win the match and retain his title. This began the McMahon-Helmsley Era. At
King of the Ring King and Queen of the Ring, formerly and still commonly known as simply King of the Ring, was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in 1993 and originally c ...
on June 25, McMahon, Shane, and WWF Champion Triple H took on
The Brothers of Destruction The Brothers of Destruction were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE composed of storyline half-brothers The Undertaker and Kane. Their storyline is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most iconic storylines in professional wrestli ...
(
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
and
Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...
) and The Rock in a six-man tag team match for the WWF Championship. This match stipulated that whoever made the scoring pinfall would become the WWF Champion. McMahon was pinned by The Rock. McMahon was then absent from WWF television until late 2000. On the December 4 episode of ''Raw Is War'', McMahon questioned the motives of WWF Commissioner Mick Foley and expressed concern of the well-being of the six superstars competing in the Hell in a Cell match at
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
on December 10. On the December 18 episode of ''Raw Is War'', McMahon faced
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
in a non-title match which was fought to no contest when Mick Foley interfered and attacked both men. After the match, both men beat Foley and McMahon fired him. McMahon then began a public
extramarital affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or solely em ...
with
Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975), better known by the ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, yoga instructor, actress and former fitness model. She is signed to WWE. An inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall ...
, much to the disgust of his daughter, Stephanie. On the February 26, 2001 episode of ''Raw'', McMahon and Stephanie humiliated Trish by dumping sewage on her, with McMahon adding that Stephanie will always be "daddy's little girl" and Trish was only "daddy's little toy". McMahon and Stephanie then aligned together against Shane, who'd returned and had enough of Vince's actions in recent months.. Retrieved April 15, 2010. At
WrestleMania X-Seven WrestleMania X-Seven, also known as WrestleMania 17, was a 2001 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 17th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 2001, at t ...
on April 1, McMahon lost to Shane after Linda—who had been emotionally abused to the point of a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
; the breakdown was caused after Vince demanded a divorce on the December 7 episode of ''SmackDown!''; the breakdown left her helpless as she was deemed unable to continue being CEO of the WWF at the time, giving Vince 100% authority; finally, she was heavily sedated, in the storyline—hit Vince with a low blow. On the same night, McMahon allied with Stone Cold Steve Austin, helping him defeat The Rock to gain another WWF Championship. The two, along with Triple H, allied. Austin and Triple H put The Rock out of action with a brutal assault and suspension; this was done so The Rock could film ''
The Scorpion King ''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell. The film stars Dwayne Johnson (credited as The Rock) as the lead, with Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan in supporting roles. It ...
''. Austin and Triple H held all three major WWF titles at the same time. The alliance was short-lived, due to an injury to Triple H and a business venture by McMahon.


WCW/ECW Invasion and the brand extension (2001–2005)

McMahon purchased long-time rival promotion
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
(WCW) in March from
AOL AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc. The service traces its history to an online ...
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...
and signed many wrestlers from WCW. This marked the beginning of the Invasion storyline, in which the former WCW wrestlers regularly fought matches against the WWF wrestlers. On the July 9 episode of ''Raw Is War'', some extremists as well as several former ECW wrestlers on the WWF roster, joined with the WCW wrestlers to form The Alliance.
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
joined the Alliance, along with
Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born ...
and
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
. Vince McMahon led Team WWF thus turning
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 18, Team WWF defeated Team Alliance in a Survivor Series elimination match to pick up the victory and end the Invasion storyline. Following the collapse of The Alliance, McMahon created the "Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club", also known as the "Mr. McMahon Kiss My Ass Club", which consisted of various WWE individuals being ordered to kiss his buttocks in the middle of the ring, usually with the threat of suspension or firing if they refused reverting to a
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
. The club was originally proclaimed closed by The Rock after McMahon was forced to kiss
Rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who par ...
's buttocks on an episode of ''SmackDown!''. In November,
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...
returned to WWF after an eight-year hiatus declaring himself the co-owner of the WWF, which infuriated McMahon. The two faced each other at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 20, 2002, in a Street Fight which Flair won. Due to their status as co-owners, McMahon became the owner of ''SmackDown!'' while Flair became the owner of ''Raw''. On the June 10 episode of ''Raw'', McMahon defeated Flair to end the rivalry and become the sole owner of WWE. On the February 13, 2003 ''SmackDown!'', McMahon tried to derail the return of
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
after a five-month hiatus but was knocked out by Hogan and received a running leg drop. At No Way Out on February 23, McMahon interfered in Hogan's match with The Rock. Hogan hit The Rock with a running leg drop and went for the pin, but the lights went out. When the lights came back on, McMahon came to the ringside to distract Hogan.
Sylvain Grenier Sylvain Grenier (born March 26, 1977) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He is best known for his time wrestling for WWE between 2002 ...
, the referee, gave The Rock a chair, which he then hit Hogan with. He ended the match with a Rock Bottom to defeat Hogan. This led to McMahon facing Hogan in a match at
WrestleMania XIX WrestleMania XIX was a 2003 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 19th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 30, 2003, at T-Mobile Park, ...
on March 30, which McMahon lost in a Street Fight. McMahon then banned Hogan from the ring but Hogan returned under the
gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...
of "Mr. America". McMahon tried to prove that Mr. America was Hogan under a mask but failed at these attempts. Hogan later quit WWE and at which point McMahon claimed that he had discovered Mr. America was Hulk Hogan and "fired" him. McMahon asked his daughter Stephanie to resign as SmackDown!
General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
on the October 2 ''SmackDown!''. Stephanie refused to resign and this set up an "I Quit" match between the two. At No Mercy on October 19, McMahon defeated Stephanie in an "I Quit" match when Linda threw in the towel. Later that night, he helped
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
retain the WWE Championship against The Undertaker in a Biker Chain match. This started a rivalry between McMahon and The Undertaker. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 16, McMahon defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with help from Kane.


Various feuds (2005–2013)

He began a feud with
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
in late 2005, when he decided that Bischoff was not doing a good job as general manager of ''Raw'' turning face again. He started "The Trial of Eric Bischoff" where McMahon served as the judge. Bischoff ended up losing the trial; McMahon "fired" him, and put him in a garbage truck before it drove away. Bischoff stayed gone for months. Almost a year later on ''Raw'' in late 2006, Bischoff was brought out by McMahon's executive assistant
Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman (born August 12, 1973), also known as "The Coach", is an American sports analyst and former professional wrestling personality. Early life Before embarking on an announcing career in professional wrestling, Coachman w ...
so that he could announce the completion of his book '' Controversy Creates Cash''. Bischoff began blasting remarks at McMahon, saying that he was fired "unceremoniously" as the ''Raw'' General Manager, that there would be no McMahon if not for Bischoff's over-the-top rebellious ideas, and that
D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...
(DX) was nothing but a rip off of the New World Order (nWo). On the December 26, 2005 ''Raw'', McMahon personally reviewed Bret Hart's DVD.
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
came out and he also started talking about Hart. McMahon replied, "I screwed Bret Hart. Shawn, don't make me screw you". At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 29, 2006, when Michaels was among the final six remaining participants after eliminating
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
, McMahon's entrance theme music distracted Michaels, allowing
Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE. The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
to eliminate him. On the February 27 ''Raw'', Michaels was knocked unconscious by Shane. When Michaels' former
Rockers Rocker or rockers may refer to: Places *Rocker, Montana, a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States People *Rocker, a British drummer, formerly of The Flatmates *Fermin Rocker (1907–2004), painter and illustrator *John Rocker (born 1974), ...
tag team partner
Marty Jannetty Fredrick Martin Jannetty (born February 3, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler who has worked for promotions including the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Champion ...
came to the rescue of Michaels, he was forced to join McMahon's "Kiss My Ass Club". On the March 18 episode of ''
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' is a series of American professional wrestling television specials produced by WWE (originally the World Wrestling Federation or WWF). It was originally broadcast by NBC from 1985 to 1991, replacing ''Saturday N ...
'', Michaels faced Shane in a Street Fight. McMahon screwed Michaels while Shane had Michaels in the Sharpshooter. Michaels had not submitted, but McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell, giving Shane the victory (another
Montreal Screwjob The Montreal Screwjob (also called the Montreal Incident) was a notorious professional wrestling incident where the outcome of a major match was changed without one of the wrestlers being informed – in order to "screw over" Bret Hart, who was i ...
reference). At
WrestleMania 22 WrestleMania 22 was a 2006 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 22nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rose ...
on April 2, Vince McMahon faced Michaels in a
No Holds Barred match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. Despite interference from
the Spirit Squad The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad. Before forming ...
and Shane, McMahon was unable to beat Michaels. At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on April 30, Vince McMahon and his son Shane defeated Michaels and "God" (characterized by a spotlight) in a No Holds Barred match. On the May 15 ''Raw'',
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
hit Shane with a
sledgehammer A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, massive, often metal head, attached to a long wooden or solid handle. The long handle is combined with a heavy head which allows the sledgehammer to pick up momentum during a swing and applying a large ...
meant for Michaels. The next week on ''Raw'', Triple H had another chance to hit Michaels with the object but he instead whacked the Spirit Squad. For a few weeks, McMahon ignored Michaels and began a rivalry with Triple H by forcing him to join "Kiss My Ass Club" (Triple H hit McMahon with a
Pedigree Breeding * Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals ** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart) ** Pedigree (animal), a breed registry *** ...
instead of joining the club) and pitting him in a gauntlet handicap match against the Spirit Squad. Michaels saved Triple H and the two reformed
D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...
(DX). This led to a feud between the McMahons and DX, throughout the following summer. He also with the Spirit Squad teaming with Shane lost to
Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...
by disqualification on the July 10 episode of ''Raw''. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 20, the McMahons lost to DX in a tag team match despite interference by Umaga, Big Show,
Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay *Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player * Finlay Christie (comedian), British comedian * Finlay Christie, Scottis ...
,
Mr. Kennedy Kenneth Anthony Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his tenure in WWE from 2005 to 2009 under the ring name Mr. Kennedy, and his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, T ...
, and
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...
. The McMahons also allied themselves with the
ECW World Champion The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
Big Show. At
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
on September 17, the McMahons teamed up with The
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
in a
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
match to take on DX. Despite their 3-on-2 advantage, the McMahons lost again to DX thus ending the rivalry. In January 2007, McMahon started a feud with
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, which was featured on major media outlets. Originally Trump wanted to fight McMahon himself but they came to a deal: both men would pick a representative to wrestle at
WrestleMania 23 WrestleMania 23 was a 2007 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 23rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 2007, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, held for wrestle ...
on April 1 in a
Hair vs. Hair match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. The man whose wrestler lost would have his head shaved bald. After the contract signing on ''Raw'', Trump pushed McMahon over the table in the ring onto his head after McMahon provoked Trump with several finger pokes to the shoulders. Later at a press conference, McMahon, during a photo opportunity, offered to shake hands with Trump but retracted his hand as Trump put out his. McMahon went on to fiddle with Trump's tie and flick Trump's nose. This angered Trump as he then slapped McMahon across the face. McMahon was then restrained from retaliating by Trump's bodyguards and
Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
, Trump's representative. At WrestleMania 23, McMahon's representative ( Umaga) lost the match to Lashley. As a result, McMahon's hair was shaved bald by Trump and Lashley with the help of
Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
, who was the special guest referee of the "Battle of the Billionaires" match. McMahon then began a rivalry with Lashley over his
ECW World Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted profe ...
. At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on April 29, McMahon pinned Lashley in a 3-on-1
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
teaming up with his son
Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born ...
and Umaga to win the ECW World Championship. At
Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
on May 20, McMahon defended his ECW World Championship against Lashley again in another 3-on-1 handicap match. Lashley won the match as he pinned Shane after a Dominator but McMahon said that he was still the champion because Lashley could only be champion if he could beat him. McMahon finally lost the ECW World Championship to Lashley at
One Night Stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
on June 3 in a Street Fight despite interference by Shane and Umaga. On the June 11 episode of ''Raw'', WWE aired a segment at the end of the show that featured McMahon entering a limousine moments before it exploded. The show went off-air shortly after, and WWE.com reported the
angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...
within minutes as though it were a legitimate occurrence, proclaiming that McMahon was "presumed dead". Although this was the fate of the fictional "Mr. McMahon" character, no harm came to the actual person; the "presumed death" of McMahon was part of a storyline. WWE later acknowledged to CNBC that he was not truly dead. The June 25 ''Raw'' was scheduled to be a three-hour memorial. Due to the Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Legit, actual death of Chris Benoit, the show opened with McMahon standing in an empty arena, acknowledging that his reported death was only of his character as part of a storyline. This was followed by a tribute to Benoit that filled the three-hour timeslot. McMahon appeared the next night on ''WWE ECW, ECW on Sci Fi'' in which after acknowledging that a tribute to Benoit had aired the previous night, he announced that there would be no further mention of Benoit Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide#World Wrestling Entertainment, due to the circumstances becoming apparent and that the ECW show would be dedicated to those that had been affected by Benoit's murder-suicide. On the August 6 episode of ''Raw'', the Mr. McMahon character returned and started a storyline where he had an illegitimate long-lost child, who was revealed as Hornswoggle on the September 10 episode of ''Raw''. In February 2008, after months of "tough love" antics toward Hornswoggle, John Layfield, John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) revealed that Hornswoggle was not McMahon's son but
Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay *Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player * Finlay Christie (comedian), British comedian * Finlay Christie, Scottis ...
's. It turned out that the scam was thought up by Shane, Stephanie and Linda McMahon, along with Finlay. On the June 2 ''Raw'', McMahon announced that starting the next week, he would give away US$1 million live on ''Raw''. Fans could register online, and each week randomly selected fans would receive a part of the $1 million. McMahon's Million Dollar Mania lasted just three weeks and was suspended after the 3-hour Draft episode of ''Raw'' on June 23. After giving away $500,000, explosions tore apart the ''Raw'' stage, which fell and collapsed on top of McMahon. On June 30, Shane addressed the WWE audience before ''Raw'', informing the fans that his family had chosen to keep his father's condition private. He also urged the WWE roster to stand together during what he described as a "turbulent time". The McMahons made several requests to the wrestlers for solidarity, before finally appointing Mike Adamle as the new general manager of ''Raw'' to restore order to the brand. On the January 5, 2009 ''Raw'', Chris Jericho told Stephanie McMahon that McMahon would be returning to ''Raw'' soon. The following week, Jericho was (
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...
) fired from WWE by Stephanie. On the January 19 ''Raw'', McMahon returned, as a face, and supported his daughter's decision on Jericho, but Stephanie rehired him. Randy Orton then came out and assaulted McMahon after harassing Stephanie. McMahon returned on the March 30 ''Raw'' with his son, Shane, and son-in-law Triple H to confront Orton. The night after WrestleMania 25, McMahon appeared on ''Raw'' to announce Orton would not receive another championship opportunity at Backlash (2009), Backlash on April 26, but compete in a six-man tag team match with his The Legacy (professional wrestling), Legacy stablemates against Triple H, Shane McMahon and himself. ''Raw'' General Manager Vickie Guerrero made the match for the WWE Championship. Orton then challenged McMahon to a match that night, in which Legacy assaulted him, and Orton also hitting him with the RKO. After being assisted by Triple H, Shane and a returning Batista, McMahon announced Batista would replace him in the match at Backlash. On the June 15 ''Raw'', McMahon announced that he had sold the ''Raw'' brand to businessman Donald Trump. The next week, during the ''Trump is Raw'' show, McMahon bought the brand back from Trump. On the June 29 ''Raw'', McMahon announced that every week, a celebrity guest host would control ''Raw'' for the night. He soon appeared on ''SmackDown'', putting Theodore Long on probation for his actions. On August 24 ''Raw'', McMahon had a birthday bash which was interrupted by The Legacy, and competed in a six-man tag team match with his long-time rival team D-Generation X, D-X, in which they won after the interference of John Cena. He continued to appear on ''SmackDown'', making occasional matches and reminding Long that he was still on probation. On the November 16 ''Raw'', McMahon was called out by guest host
Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...
, who wanted a match with McMahon that night in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. McMahon declined and announced his retirement from in-ring competition. On the January 4, 2010 ''Raw'', McMahon confronted special guest host Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the (televised) first time since the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997, to bury the hatchet from the above-mentioned Montreal Screwjob. The two appeared to finally bury the hatchet, but after shaking hands, Vince kicked Hart in the groin and left the arena to a loud chorus of boos and the crowd chanting "You screwed Bret! You screwed Bret!", turning heel once again. A match was then booked between the two at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, which saw Hart defeat McMahon in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack match. On the May 31 ''Raw'', McMahon returned to congratulate Hart on becoming the new Raw General Manager. On the June 22 ''Raw'', McMahon fired Hart for not dealing with ''WWE NXT (TV series), NXT'' season one rookies, known as Nexus (professional wrestling), The Nexus. That same night, he announced the Anonymous Raw General Manager, new general manager would be anonymous and make decisions via emails, which would be read by Michael Cole (wrestling), Michael Cole. The general manager's first decision was McMahon to be the guest referee for a WWE Championship match that night between John Cena and Sheamus. The match was interrupted by The Nexus who then attacked McMahon. McMahon appeared in a segment on the November 1 ''Raw'', in a coma from the attack by The Nexus. He woke up and his doctor (Freddie Prinze Jr.) explained what had happened since he had been out. The scene transitioned to Stephanie McMahon waking up, revealing Dream sequence, it was all a dream. In early 2011, McMahon once again stepped away from WWE storylines to focus on both his corporate and backstage duties. By the spring of 2011 McMahon had returned to WWE programming. On the June 27, 2011, episode of ''Raw'', CM Punk made a scathing on-air speech criticizing WWE and McMahon about the way WWE was run. McMahon suspended Punk but reinstated him at the behest of Punk's Money in the Bank (2011), Money in the Bank opponent, WWE Champion John Cena. At Money in the Bank, McMahon and Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis interfered on Cena's behalf but Punk was ultimately successful and walked out of the company with the championship. On the following ''Raw'', Triple H returned and, on behalf of WWE's board of directors, fired McMahon from his position of running ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'', though leaving him chairman of the board. Triple H then announced he had been designated chief operating officer of WWE. McMahon returned on the October 10 ''Raw SuperShow'', firing Triple H from running ''Raw'', stating the board of directors had called Triple H a financial catastrophe, and that List of WWE personnel, WWE employees had voted Motion of no confidence, no confidence in him the previous week. He subsequently appointed Laurinaitis as the interim general manager of ''Raw''. On June 11, 2012, McMahon returned to give a job evaluation to John Laurinaitis. After a conflict with Cena and Big Show that saw McMahon accidentally knocked out by Big Show, McMahon declared that if Big Show lost his match at No Way Out (2012), No Way Out, Laurinaitis would be fired. Cena defeated Big Show in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
, and McMahon fired Laurinaitis. McMahon announced AJ Lee as ''Raw'' new general manager at ''WWE Raw 1000, Raw 1000'' and made Booker T SmackDown's new general manager on August 3 episode of ''SmackDown''. After CM Punk interrupted him on the October 8 episode of ''Raw'', he challenged Punk to a match, threatening to fire him if he declined. The match did not officially start, but McMahon held his own in a brawl with Punk until Punk attempted the Professional wrestling attacks#Go to Sleep, GTS. Ryback and Cena interfered and McMahon ultimately booked Punk in a match with Ryback at Hell in a Cell (2012), Hell in a Cell. During the buildup for the Royal Rumble (2013), 2013 Royal Rumble, McMahon told CM Punk that if The Shield (professional wrestling), The Shield interfered in his match with The Rock, Punk would forfeit the WWE Championship. During the match, the lights went out and The Rock was attacked by what appeared to be The Shield, leading to The Rock's loss. McMahon came out and restarted the match at The Rock's request and The Rock won the championship from Punk. The next night on ''Raw'', while conducting a performance review on Paul Heyman, he was assaulted by the returning
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
, who attacked him with the F5 (professional wrestling), F-5. According to WWE.com, McMahon broke his pelvis and required surgery. Vince sought revenge on Heyman and faced him in a street fight on the February 25 episode of ''Raw'', but Lesnar again interfered, only for Triple H to interfere as well, setting up a rematch between Lesnar and Triple H at WrestleMania 29.


The Authority (2013–2017)

From June 2013, members of the McMahon family began to dispute various elements of the control of WWE, such as the fates of Bryan Danielson, Daniel Bryan, and of ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' general managers Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero. After Triple H and Stephanie created The Authority (professional wrestling), The Authority, McMahon celebrated Randy Orton's victory at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013), TLC with them, but stepped aside from his on-screen authority role in early 2014 to evaluate Triple H and Stephanie's control of the company. McMahon returned on the November 3, 2014, episode of ''Raw'', making a stipulation that if Team Cena had defeated Team Authority at Survivor Series (2014), Survivor Series, The Authority would be removed from power. Team Cena won the match, but McMahon gave John Cena the option to reinstate The Authority. McMahon returned on the December 14, 2015, episode of ''Raw'', aligning himself with The Authority (professional wrestling), The Authority, by confronting Roman Reigns over his attack on
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
at the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2015), TLC pay-per-view. McMahon granted Reigns a rematch for the WWE World Championship, WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus, with the stipulation that if he failed to win the championship he would be fired. During the match, McMahon interfered on Sheamus' behalf but was attacked by Reigns, who then pinned Sheamus to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 28 episode of ''Raw'', McMahon was arrested for assaulting an
NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
officer and resisting arrest after a confrontation with Roman Reigns. McMahon made himself special guest referee in Reigns' rematch against Sheamus on the January 4, 2016, episode of ''Raw'', where Reigns won after McMahon was knocked out and another referee made the decision. With his plan foiled, McMahon retaliated by announcing after the match that Reigns would defend his title at the Royal Rumble (2016), Royal Rumble against 29 other men in the Royal Rumble#Match, Royal Rumble match, which was won by Triple H. On the February 22, episode of ''Raw'', McMahon presented the first-ever "Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence" Award to Stephanie before being interrupted
Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE. The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
, who returned to WWE for the first time in over six years, confronting his father and sister, and claiming that he wanted control of ''Raw''. This led to Vince book Shane against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 in a Hell in a Cell match with the stipulation that if Shane won, he would have full control of ''Raw'' and The Undertaker would be banned from competing in any future WrestleMania. On the April 4 episode of ''Raw'', McMahon gloated about Shane's loss at WrestleMania the previous night, before Shane came out, accepted his defeat and said goodbye, leading McMahon to allow Shane to run that nights show, after feeling upstaged by his son. After Shane ran ''Raw'' for the rest of April, at Payback (2016), Payback, McMahon announced Shane and Stephanie had joint control. On the April 3, 2017, episode of ''Raw'', McMahon returned to announce
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
as the new Raw General Manager and the upcoming 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Superstar Shake-up. On September 5, it was announced that McMahon would make an appearance on the September 12 episode of ''SmackDown Live''. At the end of that night as a
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
, McMahon confronted Kevin Owens, who was unhappy about Vince's son Shane attacking him the week before, which resulted in Shane being suspended. McMahon was furious about the heinous words regarding his family, and how Owens was not respectful, and how he planned to prosecute everybody who wronged him. McMahon warned him that his lawsuit would result in him being fired, but McMahon has the cash to deal with that empty threat. This prompted Owens to say Shane put his hands on him, but McMahon said he suspended Shane for not finishing off Owens. Shane was then reinstated to face Owens at the ''Hell in a Cell'' pay-per-view. Owens then attacked McMahon, leaving him lying in the ring. Even with several referees present, Owens continued to attack McMahon, and splashed down on him from atop one of the ring posts, resulting in McMahon being (
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...
) injured.
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
also returned to help her father, as he was attended to by WWE officials.


Sporadic appearances and retirement (2018–2022)

On January 22, 2018, McMahon returned on ''Raw 25 Years'' to address the WWE Universe, only to later turn on them by calling them "cheap" turning heel once again. He was later confronted, and Stunner (professional wrestling), stunnered, by
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
. On March 12, McMahon made an appearance in a backstage segment with Roman Reigns, announcing that Reigns would be suspended for his recent actions. On SmackDown 1000 McMahon returned as face once again after dancing on TruthTV. McMahon returned once again to WWE television on the December 17, 2018, episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', accompanied by his son
Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born ...
, daughter
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
, and his son-in-law
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
, promising to shake things up as they admitted they weren't performing as well as they should have. McMahon announced that the four of them would now kayfabe, ''run'' both ''Monday Night Raw'' and ''SmackDown Live'' collectively. In early 2019, McMahon involved himself in the feud between Bryan Danielson, Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston, refusing the latter of receiving a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 35, WrestleMania. McMahon returned to WWE television on the April 24, 2020, episode of ''Friday Night Smackdown, Friday Night SmackDown'', in celebration of
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
's 25th anniversary in WWE. He also appeared at Survivor Series (2020), Survivor Series introducing The Undertaker to the ring during his retirement celebrations, and in night 1 of WrestleMania 37 on April 10, 2021, to welcome the fans back in person at the Raymond James Stadium after a year of halting live events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the November 22, 2021, episode of ''Raw'', McMahon held an investigation to find out who stole Cleopatra's Egg, a gift given to him by The Rock the previous night at Survivor Series (2021), Survivor Series. Later that night, Austin Theory revealed that he had stolen the Egg. McMahon rewarded Theory a WWE Championship match against Big E (wrestler), Big E in the main event for "showing intestinal fortitude", and over the next several months, McMahon gave career advice to Theory. In addition to being Theory's mentor leading up to WrestleMania 38, he also promised Seth Rollins a match against a mystery opponent of his choosing. At WrestleMania 38, after Pat McAfee defeated Austin Theory, McMahon was challenged to an impromptu match by McAfee, which McMahon accepted, and in which McMahon defeated McAfee. This was McMahon's first match in 12 years, as well as McMahon's first win at WrestleMania. Following the match,
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
interrupted McMahon and Theory celebrating the win and gave them both Stone Cold Stunners. McMahon made his last appearance on WWE programming on the June 27, 2022, episode of ''Raw'', introducing the returning John Cena on the 20th anniversary of his debut. In July 2022, McMahon retired from WWE. In 2023, McMahon stated in an interview with Ari Emmanuel that "Mr McMahon is dead" signifying the permanent end to the character.


United States Wrestling Association (1993)

While the Mr. McMahon character marked the first time that McMahon had been portrayed as a villain in WWF, in 1993, McMahon was engaged in a feud with
Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...
as part of a cross-promotion between the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). As part of the angle, McMahon sent various WWF wrestlers to Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis to dethrone Lawler as the "king of professional wrestling". This angle marked the first time that McMahon physically interjected himself into a match, as he occasionally tripped and punched at Lawler while seated ringside. During the angle, McMahon was not acknowledged as the owner of the WWF. The feud was not acknowledged on WWF television, as the two continued to provide commentary together (along with
Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
) for the television show ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Superstars''. The feud also helped build toward Lawler's match with
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
at SummerSlam (1993), SummerSlam. The peak of the angle came with Tatanka (wrestler), Tatanka defeating Lawler to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, USWA Championship with McMahon gloating at Lawler while wearing the championship belt. This storyline came to an abrupt end when Lawler was accused of raping a young girl in Memphis, and he was dropped from the WWF. He returned shortly afterward, as the girl later stated that the rape accusations were lies.


Professional wrestling style and persona

McMahon's on-screen persona is known for his throaty exclamation of "You're fired!", and his "power walk", an exaggerated strut toward the ring, swinging his arms and bobbing his head from side to side in a cocky manner. According to Jim Cornette, the power walk was inspired by one of McMahon's favorite wrestlers as a child, Dr. Jerry Graham. The Fabulous Moolah claims in her autobiography that Buddy Rogers (wrestler), "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers was the inspiration for the walk. According to composer Jim Johnston, the idea behind his theme song, "No Chance in Hell", was "He's got the power, the money, and ..., he was pretty much the only game in town. ... Rather than a song about one man, I wanted it to be about 'The Man.'"


Legacy in wrestling

Vince McMahon is often described as the most influential person in professional wrestling history and for having had a large impact on television and American culture. ESPN reporter Shaun Assael claimed that: "As a TV pioneer, he went from selling costumed super-heroes like
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
to dark anti-heroes like
Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
. He helped give birth to reality television by making himself a central character, and he launched The Rock into a movie career. No one in television can match his longevity. Few have his instincts for what sells." Scott Hammond of ''VultureHound'' magazine praised the legacy of McMahon's successes, from Hulkamania and WrestleMania being essential to the 1980s wrestling boom, to defeating WCW in the Monday Night Wars. His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, credits him for creating the term "
sports entertainment Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competition, competitive event using a high level of theatre, theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertainment, entertaining an audience. Un ...
" and publicly acknowledging wrestling's predetermined nature, while Thom Loverro of ''The Washington Times'' ascribes McMahon with shaping reality television and American politics with sports entertainment. Television executive
Dick Ebersol Duncan Richard Ebersol (; born July 28, 1947) is an American television executive and a senior adviser for NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large-scale television events such as the ...
considers McMahon to be the best partner he has worked with and believes he has impacted American culture. McMahon's close friend and former on-screen rival,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, praised McMahon, stating: "People love this stuff, and it's all because of Vince McMahon and his vision." Promoter and former WWF manager Jim Cornette called McMahon "the most successful promoter ever", stating: "If you could cross a genius with P. T. Barnum and [Trump], you would get the love child that would be Vince McMahon."
Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...
, the promoter of rival promotion
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), considers McMahon to be one of his idols, while former WCW President
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
describes him as "brilliant". Arn Anderson calls McMahon a "marketing genius" for attracting women and children to the product, but says it came at the expense of "the bell-to-bell action", which is the reason most wrestlers got into the business. Cornette stated that older wrestlers dislike him for "breaking the code" by acknowledging that wrestling is predetermined, that fans who only watched during the Attitude Era will remember him well and that he will be criticized by modern fans for being "an old man ... [that presides] over a bland, boring product". Although Hammond praised McMahon for his successes from the 1980s through the 2000s, he wrote that, "from seemingly listening to the fans and pushing the talent that got the biggest reaction to just listening to himself, McMahon has therefore taken many wrong turns in recent years". Jon Moxley, who wrestled for WWE as Dean Ambrose, left WWE in favor of then-upstart AEW because of WWE's creative process in 2019 and singled out McMahon for being the problem. WWE recorded record annual profits into the 2020s, which ''MarketWatch'' reported had come at the cost of "A diminished roster and less-than-inspiring story lines"; by 2022, Bryan Alvarez of ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' commented that wrestling had declined in popularity due to the dwindling viewership since McMahon purchased WCW. An article in ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' also blamed McMahon for the continuous decrease in ratings over the years and urged investors to hold him accountable. Other criticisms of McMahon include Arn Anderson and Bret Hart commenting that McMahon has minimized tag team wrestling, while Assael also writes that "Steroids will always be a part of [his] legacy" because of his legal trial and the controversies that arose in the aftermath of Chris Benoit's death.
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
has praised McMahon, referring to Vince as "a caring human being, not the monster that people think that he is, I've never taken for granted the special opportunity he gave me, If Vince feels like there's still something there, I have a place on the roster, then I had no problem doing it".
Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...
has stated that "People misunderstand Mr. McMahon and Vince McMahon. It's a lot easier to bitch at somebody and knock them as Mr. McMahon than understand the human being that is Vince McMahon." Drew McIntyre,
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
, Dwayne Johnson and John Cena praise him as being a father figure to them.
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
says that he loves and respects McMahon, despite a previous acrimonious relationship at times. Chris Jericho has praised McMahon stating "he's set in his ways of doing things and they're very successful", while Seth Rollins praised his ideas and longevity and Roman Reigns described him as a "provider and a protector" and said that he and his coworkers are grateful for him. On September 25, 2024, Netflix released a documentary series detailing aspects of McMahon's legacy, including his business impact and controversies, titled ''Mr. McMahon (miniseries), Mr. McMahon''.


Steroid supplier trial

In November 1993, McMahon was indicted in federal court after a steroid controversy engulfed the promotion and thus temporarily ceded control of the WWF to his wife Linda. The case went to trial in 1994, where McMahon was accused of distributing steroids to his wrestlers. One prosecution witness was Kevin Wacholz, who had wrestled for the company in 1992 as "Nailz" and who had been fired after a violent confrontation with McMahon. Wacholz testified that McMahon had ordered him to use steroids, but his credibility was called into question during his testimony as he made it clear he "hated" McMahon. In July 1994, the jury acquitted McMahon of the charges. On July 6, 2021, production was announced on a new scripted television series called ''The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon'' centered around the case. The series is produced by a partnership of ''WWE Studios and Blumhouse Productions, Blumhouse Television'' and executive produced by McMahon and Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer and Chief of Global Television Distribution.


Sexual misconduct allegations


Rita Chatterton

On April 3, 1992, Rita Chatterton, a former
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
noted for her stint as Rita Marie in the WWF in the 1980s and for being the first female referee in the WWF (possibly the first in professional wrestling history), made an appearance on Geraldo Rivera's show ''Now It Can Be Told''. She alleged that on July 16, 1986, McMahon tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in his limousine; when she refused, he raped her. Former wrestler Mario Mancini, Leonard Inzitari corroborated Chatterton's allegation in a 2022 interview in ''New York Magazine''. Chatterton filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against McMahon in December 2022. McMahon settled the lawsuit involving Chatterton that month, with his attorney stating that he maintains his innocence but settled to "avoid the cost of litigation". People familiar with the matter reported that McMahon agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement with Chatterton. Though the exact sum of the settlement payment was not publicly disclosed, it has been acknowledged Chatterton sought $11.75 million in damages in her lawsuit.


Kevin Patrick Wacholz

In 1992, wrestler Kevin Patrick Wacholz, better known by his ring name Nailz, filed a lawsuit which alleged McMahon sexually assaulted him. The same year, McMahon filed a counter-lawsuit against Nailz.


2006 and 2011 tanning bar incidents

McMahon was accused of sexual harassment by a worker at a tanning bar in Boca Raton, Florida, on February 1, 2006. McMahon was accused of showing nude photos of himself to her as well as groping and attempting to kiss the worker. At first, the charge appeared to be discredited because McMahon was in Miami for the 2006 Royal Rumble at the time. It was soon clarified that the alleged incident was reported to police on the day of the Rumble, but actually took place the day before. On March 25, it was reported that no charges would be filed against McMahon as a result of the investigation. A separate tanning spa worker, who alleged that McMahon sexually assaulted her in California in 2011, filed a lawsuit against McMahon in December 2022.


Hush-money settlements and nondisclosure agreements

The WWE board, which McMahon controlled, began investigating a $3 million hush-money settlement that McMahon paid over an alleged affair with a former employee of the company in April 2022. The investigation also revealed other nondisclosure agreements related to misconduct claims by other women in the company against McMahon and executive John Laurinaitis, totaling $12 million. By October 2022, the WWE had disclosed $19.6 million in unrecorded payments McMahon made to settle sexual misconduct claims between 2006 and 2022. In June 2022, McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE, but continued to oversee content development. He later announced his retirement on July 22, 2022,Kelley, Lora
"Vince McMahon retires from W.W.E. after stepping down amid a board investigation."
''The New York Times''. July 22, 2022.
only to return six months later. In January 2024, after reports on the sexual assault accusations by Janel Grant, McMahon resigned again, resigning from WWE parent company TKO Group Holdings, TKO. On January 10, 2025, it was announced that McMahon was fined over $1.7 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission from undisclosed hush money payments, dated back from 2019 to 2022, handed out to two women while he was with the WWE.


Janel Grant

In January 2024, a lawsuit was filed by Janel Grant, a former employee at Titan Towers, WWE global headquarters between 2019 and 2022. Grant alleged that McMahon had coerced her into a sexual relationship and, along with the WWE executive John Laurinaitis and a WWE wrestler who was also a former Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC fighter, Sex trafficking, sexually trafficked her, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her during 2020–2021. Grant alleged that she was subjected to "extreme cruelty and degradation" by McMahon, including being defecated upon during a sexual encounter. Grant stated that McMahon had agreed to pay her $3 million in 2022 in return for a NDA, but stopped paying after only $1 million had been paid following the initial public emergence of the sexual misconduct allegations the same year. One day after the report of the claims, on January 26, ''Deadline'' confirmed that McMahon had resigned from TKO. In a statement, McMahon denied the allegations, and said the decision was made "out of respect for the WWE Universe, TKO, shareholders, and business partners". On May 30, Grant agreed to "stay her case" against McMahon for six months at the request of the United States Department of Justice, Department of Justice, who were launching an investigation into the McMahon allegations.


John Laurinaitis

On February 1, 2024, John Laurinaitis, former WWE executive and a co-defendant in the Janel Grant sex trafficking suit, released a statement through his attorney that accused McMahon of sexual misconduct. Laurinaitis, through his attorney, accused McMahon of holding "power" and "control" over him and of making "dictatorial sexual demands with repercussions if not met".


Federal sexual assault and trafficking investigation

On February 2, 2024, ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' reported that federal authorities in New York had launched an investigation into sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations made against McMahon. Federal agents had previously executed a search warrant for McMahon's phone and delivered a Subpoena duces tecum, subpoena to him for documents related to any allegation of "rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination" against current or former WWE employees. The individuals named in the grand jury subpoena included a WWE contractor who was allegedly sent unsolicited nude photos and sexually harassed by McMahon, a former WWE wrestler who said McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex, former WWF referee Rita Chatterton, who McMahon reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with after an allegation of sexual assault, a spa manager who said McMahon assaulted her at a Southern California resort, and a former WWE employee who alleged the head of talent relations at the company at the time, John Laurinaitis, demoted her after she ended a sexual relationship with him.


Personal life


Family

McMahon married Linda Edwards on August 26, 1966, in New Bern, North Carolina. The two met in church during their teenage years—he was 16 and she was 13—and were introduced by his mother. At the time, McMahon was still using the Lupton surname. The couple remained married for decades and were longtime business partners in WWE, although they reportedly separated at some point prior to 2022 without pursuing a legal divorce. They have two children,
Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born ...
and
Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Pol ...
, both of whom became involved in the family’s wrestling business. Shane held various executive and on-screen roles before departing the company in 2010 and returning in 2016. Stephanie played a prominent role in WWE both behind the scenes and as a television performer until stepping down in 2023. Through their children, the McMahons have six grandchildren. Shane and his wife, Marissa Mazzola, have three sons: Declan, Kenyon, and Rogan. Stephanie and her husband, Paul Levesque—better known by his ring name,
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
—have three daughters: Aurora, Murphy, and Vaughn.


Wealth

McMahon has accumulated substantial personal wealth over the course of his business career. As of 2006, he owned a $12 million penthouse in Manhattan, a $40 million estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, a $20 million vacation property, and a 47-foot yacht named ''Sexy Bitch''. His net worth has fluctuated alongside the fortunes of WWE, particularly its publicly traded stock. He first appeared on the The World's Billionaires, Forbes list of billionaires in 2001 but was removed from the list in subsequent years. In 2015, he reentered the rankings with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. By 2018, his wealth was estimated at approximately $3.6 billion.


Political activity

McMahon and his wife have been long-standing supporters of Republican Party (United States), Republican political causes. In 2014, they donated approximately $1 million to federal candidates and Political action committee, political action committees, including American Crossroads and the research group America Rising. They also donated $5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation, the now-defunct charitable organization affiliated with
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
.


Filmography


Championships and accomplishments

* ''The Baltimore Sun'' ** Best Non-wrestling Performer of the Decade (2010) * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum ** Class of 2011 * ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' ** PWI Feud of the Year, Feud of the Year (1996) vs.
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
** Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs.
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
** Feud of the Year (2001) vs.
Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE. The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
** PWI Match of the Year, Match of the Year (2006) vs.
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
in a Professional Wrestling Death match, No Holds Barred match at
WrestleMania 22 WrestleMania 22 was a 2006 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 22nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rose ...
* WWE, World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment ** WWE Championship, WWF Championship (List of WWE Champions, 1 time) **
ECW World Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted profe ...
(List of ECW World Heavyweight Champions, 1 time) ** Royal Rumble (Royal Rumble (1999), 1999) * ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards'' ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Booker, Best Booker (1987, 1998, 1999) ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Promoter of the Year, Promoter of the Year (1988, 1998–2000) ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Non-Wrestler, Best Non-Wrestler (1999, 2000) ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Feud of the Year, Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2003) for "McMahons all over the product" ** Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2022) for "appearing on television for a crowd pop after sexual misconduct allegations came out" ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Obnoxious, Most Obnoxious (1983–1986, 1990, 1993) ** Worst Feud Award, Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shane McMahon vs.
D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...
(Shawn Michaels and
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
)
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worst Match of the Year, Worst Match of the Year (2022) vs. Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38 ** Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame#Inductees, Class of 1996)


Other awards and honors

* Boys & Girls Clubs of America Hall of Fame (Class of 2015) * Guinness World Records – Oldest WWE Champion (September 1999) * Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholi ...
* Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2008)


''Luchas de Apuestas'' record


Notes


References


Citations


General sources

* (via Google Books) *


External links


Alpha Entertainment official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McMahon, Vince 1945 births 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American billionaires American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives American color commentators American entertainment company founders American football executives American ice hockey administrators American male professional wrestlers American mass media owners American people of Irish descent American disabled sportspeople American political fundraisers American professional wrestling trainers American television talk show hosts Businesspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut Businesspeople from Manhattan Businesspeople from North Carolina Connecticut Republicans East Carolina University alumni ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions Entertainers with dyslexia Fishburne Military School alumni Living people McMahon family People acquitted of crimes People from Pinehurst, North Carolina People who faked their own death Professional wrestlers billed from Connecticut Professional wrestlers from North Carolina American professional wrestling announcers Professional wrestling authority figures Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling promoters Royal Rumble match winners The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Champions WWE executives Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winners XFL (2001) XFL (2020–2023) owners