Vince McMahon

This article is about Vincent K. McMahon. For his father, see Vincent J. McMahon.
"Mr. McMahon" redirects here. For the 2024 documentary series, see Mr. McMahon (miniseries). For other people with the surname, see McMahon (surname).

Vince McMahon
McMahon in 2006
Born
Vincent Kennedy McMahon

(1945-08-24) August 24, 1945 (age 79)
Pinehurst, North Carolina, U.S.
Other namesVinnie Lupton
Vince McMahon Jr.
Vincent K. McMahon
EducationEast Carolina University (BA)
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • media proprietor
  • professional wrestling executive
Spouse
​
(m. 1966)​
Children
FatherVincent J. McMahon
RelativesMcMahon family
Ring name(s)Mr. McMahon
Vince McMahon
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1]
Billed weight248 lb (112 kg)[1]
Billed fromGreenwich, Connecticut[2]
Debut1969 (ring announcer)
1971 (commentator)
1998 (wrestler)
Signature

Vincent Kennedy McMahon (/məkˈmæn/; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his wife Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE,[a] the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL football league. He is the owner of Alpha Entertainment.

McMahon graduated from East Carolina University 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, 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 (WCW) in the 1990s before purchasing and absorbing WCW in 2001. WWE also purchased the assets of the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 2003.

McMahon appeared on-screen for WWE from 1969 until 2022,[3] initially as a personable play-by-play commentator. In 1997, he adopted the character 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.[4] Under the villainous Mr. McMahon gimmick, he competed in wrestling matches and became a one-time WWE Champion, a one-time ECW Champion, a Royal Rumble winner, and a multi-time pay-per-view headliner.[2]

Following claims of hush-money agreements McMahon paid over affairs with former WWE employees,[5] 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.[6][7] The following month, McMahon announced his retirement from WWE,[8] but his return to WWE as executive chairman was confirmed in January 2023.[9] That April, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a merger between WWE and Zuffa, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts promotion; McMahon served as the executive chairman of the new merged company, TKO Group Holdings (TKO).[10] McMahon later resigned from TKO in January 2024 after allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault. McMahon is currently under a federal probe.[11][12]

  1. ^ a b Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  2. ^ a b "Mr. McMahon – WWE Bio". WWE. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  3. ^ Clark, Anne Victoria (February 23, 2024). "What's Going On With Vince McMahon and the WWE This Time?". Vulture. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Foley, Mick (January 1, 2007). "The Hardcore Diaries". World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. United States. ISBN 978-1-84739-591-7. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "WWE Board Probes Secret $3 Million Hush Pact by CEO Vince McMahon, Sources Say". The Wall Street Journal. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  6. ^ "WWE & Board of Directors Joint Release". WWE. June 17, 2022. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "Vince Mcmahon Steps Back As Wwe Ceo & Chairman Of The Board, Stephanie Mcmahon Returns To Company". PWInsider.com. June 17, 2022. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Vince McMahon Retires". WWE. July 22, 2022. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference McMahon EC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Vince McMahon Agrees to Sell WWE to Endeavor to Form $21B+ Live Sports Brand with UFC". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  11. ^ "WWE founder Vince McMahon is under federal investigation surrounding sex trafficking allegations, sources say". NBC News. February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Chiari, Mike. "Report: WWE Founder Vince McMahon Under Federal Investigation for Sexual Misconduct". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 7, 2024.


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