Mr. McMahon

This redirect is about the character. For the real person portraying him, see Vince McMahon.

Mr. McMahon
Mr. McMahon as ECW World Champion.
Born	(1945-08-24) August 24, 1945 Pinehurst, North Carolina, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Mr. McMahon Vince McMahon
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Billed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Billed from	Greenwich, Connecticut
Debut	1971

Mr. McMahon is the on-screen character of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, with the gimmick of being an often egotistical and conniving boss. The character was spawned from the real-life hatred many wrestling fans had for McMahon following the Montreal Screwjob, at the 1997 Survivor Series.

Several other gimmicks have become integral parts of McMahon's on-camera persona, such as his throaty exclamation of "You're fired!", and his "power walk"—an over-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, however, claims in her autobiography that "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers was the inspiration for the walk. McMahon has occasionally dropped his character performance upon real-life events affecting WWE, such as the death of Owen Hart at Over the Edge in 1999, the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the death of Eddie Guerrero.

Generally-speaking, the character has been portrayed as a heel, though on occasion the character has been a face as well.

History

Announcer (1971–1997)

McMahon appears on WTBS Superstation to announce the World Wrestling Federation's takeover of the World Championship Wrestling program.

Prior to the evolution of the Mr. McMahon character, McMahon was primarily an announcer on television, with his behind-the-scenes involvement generally kept off TV for kayfabe-based reasons. While he did publicly identify himself as the owner of the WWF outside of WWF programming, on TV his ownership of the WWF was considered an open secret through the mid-1990's.

McMahon made his announcing debut in 1971 when he replaced Ray Morgan after Morgan had a pay dispute with McMahon's father, Vince McMahon, Sr., shortly before a scheduled TV taping. The elder McMahon let Morgan walk instead of giving into his demands and needed a replacement on the spot, offering it to his son. For the younger McMahon, it was also somewhat as a compromise, as it allowed him to appear on television. McMahon wanted to be a wrestler but his father would not let him, explaining that promoters did not appear on the show and should stay apart from their wrestlers.

McMahon would eventually become the regular play-by-play announcer and would maintain that role until November 1997, portraying himself as an easily-excited, over-the-top announcer. In addition to matches, McManhon would also host other WWF shows, and also introduced WWF programming to TBS on Black Saturday upon the WWF's acquisition of Georgia Championship Wrestling and its lucrative Saturday night timeslot. (McMahon would sell the timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions after the move backfired on McManhon; he would eventually acquire JCP's successor company World Championship Wrestling from AOL Time Warner in 2001.) At the 1987 Slammy Awards, McMahon would perform in a musical number and sing the song "Stand Back". The campy "Stand Back" video has since resurfaced several times over the years as a running gag between McMahon and any face wrestler he is feuding with at that particular time, and was included on the 2006 McManhon DVD.

As with most play-by-play announcers, McMahon would be a babyface "voice of the fans" in contrast to the "heel sympathizer" color commentator. During this time McMahon would mostly be paired up with Jesse "The Body" Ventura and later Jerry "The King" Lawler, both of whom would play the "heel sympathizer" in contrast to McMahon. On occasion, McManhon would also be paired up with "heel sympathizer" Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, although Heenan was usually paired up with Gorilla Monsoon.

United States Wrestling Association (1993)

While the Mr. McManhon character marked the first time that McManhon had been portrayed as a villain in WWF, in 1993, McManhon was engaged in a feud with Jerry Lawler as part of a cross-promotion between the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). As part of the angle, McManhon sent various WWF wrestlers to Memphis in order to dethrone Lawler as the "king of professional wrestling". This angle also proved to be the first time that McManhon would physically interject himself into matches, as he would occasionally trip Lawler or throw punches at him while seated at ringside. During the angle, McManhon was never directly acknowledged as the owner of the WWF and the feud between Lawler and McMahon was not acknowledged on WWF television, as the two continued to provide commentary together (along with "Macho Man" Randy Savage) for the television show Superstars. The feud between Lawler and McMahon would also help build towards Lawler's match against Bret Hart at SummerSlam in 1993. The peak of the angle came with Tatanka defeating Lawler to win the Unified World 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, however, as the girl later stated that the rape accusations were lies.

Formation of Mr. McMahon (1997)

See also: Montreal Screwjob

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 announcer. On the September 23, 1996 episode of Monday Night Raw, Jim Ross delivered a worked shoot promo during which he ran down McMahon, outing him as chairman and not just a commentator for the first time in WWF storylines. This was followed up on the October 23, 1996 episode of Raw with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin referring to then-WWF President Gorilla Monsoon as "just a puppet" and that it was actually McManhon "pulling all the strings." The March 17, 1997 episode of WWF Raw is War is cited by some as the beginning of the Mr. McMahon character, as after Bret Hart lost to Sycho Sid in a steel cage match for the WWF Championship, Hart engaged in an expletive-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 an announcer after the Bret Hart incident on Raw. On September 22, 1997, on the first-ever Raw to be broadcast from Madison Square Garden, Bret's brother Owen Hart was giving a speech to the fans in attendance. During his speech, Stone Cold Steve Austin entered the ring with five NYPD officers following, and assaulted Hart. As it looked Austin was going to fight the officers, McMahon ran into the ring to lecture Austin about why he couldn't be "physically" able to compete. (At the time, Austin was recovering from a legitimate neck injury after Hart botched a piledriver in his match against Austin at SummerSlam; the injury ultimately forced Austin to retire in 2003.) 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 in 1997, Bret Hart defended his WWF Championship against long-time rival Shawn Michaels in the main event. In the months heading into Survivor Series, McMahon had entered into a rivalry with Hart. During the match, Michaels applied Hart's own signature submission maneuver The Sharpshooter on Hart. Hart refused to submit. McMahon, however, got up and ordered the referee to ring the bell thus screwing Hart out of the title and making Michaels the champion and making McMahon turn heel for the first time on WWF television. This incident was subsequently dubbed the "Montreal Screwjob". Following the incident, McMahon left the announce table for good (Jim Ross replaced McMahon as lead announcer) and the Mr. McMahon character was under way.

Feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997–1999)

Main article: The Corporation

In December 1997 on Raw is War, the night after D-Generation X: In Your House, McMahon talked about the behavior and attitude of Stone Cold Steve Austin, such as Austin having assaulted WWF Official Commissioner Slaughter, and how he has attacked WWF announcers 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, Stone Cold used his pickup truck as a weapon against The Rock and the Nation of Domination 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.

On the March 30 episode of Raw is War, the night after Austin won the WWF Title at WrestleMania XIV, McMahon presented him with a new title belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature. In April 1998, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no contest when Dude Love made an appearance; off-screen, this marked the first time since June 10, 1996 that Raw beat WCW Monday Nitro in the ratings. This led to a match between Love and Austin at Unforgiven, where Mr. McMahon would sit at ringside during the title match. Dude Love won the match by disqualification when Austin hit McMahon with a chair. In a rematch at In Your House: Over The Edge for the WWF Championship, Austin managed to retain the title despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively.

McMahon ordered the WWF Championship to be defended in a 14-man tournament named Deadly Games at Survivor Series in 1998. McMahon made sure that Mankind reached the finals because Mankind had visited McMahon in hospital after McMahon was sent to the hospital by the Undertaker and Kane. He also awarded Mankind the WWF Hardcore Championship due to his status as a hardcore wrestling 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, however, as The Rock had caught Mankind in the Sharpshooter. Mankind had not submitted but McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell, thus giving The Rock the WWF Championship. This was an homage to the "Montreal Screwjob" that occurred one year earlier. McMahon referred to The Rock as the "Corporate Champion" thus forming the Corporation with his son Shane 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. McMahon, however, screwed Mankind once again by reversing the decision and returning the belt to his chosen champion, The Rock. McMahon went on to participate in a "Corporate Rumble" on the January 11, 1999 episode of Raw as an unscheduled participant, but he was eliminated by Chyna.

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, 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 an elimination to occur along with the 'Shawn Michaels Rule', in which both feet must touch the floor after going over the top rope) and the Rock distracting Austin, McMahon lifted Austin over the top rope from behind, thus winning the match and earning a title shot at WrestleMania XV against the WWF Champion The Rock. He turned down his spot, however, 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. During the match, Big Show—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's new faction the "Ministry of Darkness," which led to a storyline introducing McMahon's daughter Stephanie. 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 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 Stone Cold Steve Austin. This angle saw a brief friendship develop between McMahon and Austin, cooling their long running feud. A previously unknown character was developed as a result called the "Higher Power", invented by Shane McMahon and The Undertaker. McMahon, however, was later revealed as the "Higher Power" on the June 7 episode of Raw, reigniting his feud with WWF Champion Austin. McMahon's son Shane merged the Corporation with Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness to form the Corporate Ministry. McMahon would become a member of the stable The Union which existed for a brief time, during May 1999. As a result of McMahon being the "Higher Power", Austin was given 50% shares of the WWF by Linda and Stephanie McMahon out of their kayfabe disgust at him.

At King of the Ring, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a handicap ladder match to regain control of the WWF. While CEO, Austin had scheduled a WWF Title match, to be shown on Raw 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 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 TV. Austin defeated The Undertaker, and McMahon was banned from WWF TV.

McMahon returned as a face in the fall of 1999 and won the WWF Championship in a match against Triple H, thanks to outside interference from Austin on the September 16 episode of SmackDown!. However he had decided to vacate the title during the following Monday's Raw is War because he was not allowed on WWF TV because of the stipulations of the Fully Loaded 1999 contract he signed. However Steve Austin reinstated him in return for a WWF title shot. Over the next few months McManhon and Triple H feuded, with the linchpin of the feud being Triple H's storyline marriage to Stephanie McMahon. The feud culminated at Armageddon in 1999; McMahon faced Triple H in a No Holds Barred match which McMahon lost. Afterward, Stephanie turned on him, revealing her true colors.

McMahon-Helmsley Era (2000–2001)

Main article: McMahon-Helmsley Era

McMahon returned to WWF television on the March 13, 2000 episode of Raw is War helping The Rock win his WWF title shot back from the Big Show, He also attacked Shane McMahon and Triple H. Two weeks later, McMahon and The Rock defeated Shane McMahon and The Big Show in a tag team match with help from special guest referee Mankind. At WrestleMania 2000, Triple H defended the WWF Championship in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match 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 Steve Austin, which helped Triple H win the match and retain his title. This would officially begin the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

At King of the Ring, McMahon, Shane, and WWF Champion Triple H took on the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) and The Rock in a six-man tag team match for the WWF Championship. The stipulation of this match was that whoever made the scoring pinfall would become the WWF Champion. McMahon was pinned by The Rock which gave Rock the WWF Championship and his team, the victory. On the December 18 episode of Raw, McMahon faced Kurt Angle 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 and Stephanie then aligned together against Shane. At WrestleMania X-Seven, McMahon lost to Shane after Linda—who had been emotionally abused to the point of a nervous breakdown; the breakdown left her helpless as Vince began a public extramarital affair with Trish Stratus; finally, she was heavily sedated, in the storyline—hit Vince with a low blow. On the same night, McMahon formed an alliance with Stone Cold Steve Austin, helping him defeat The Rock to gain another WWF Championship. It also marked the second time he would screw the Rock over at WrestleMania. The two, along with Triple H, formed an alliance which saw Austin and Triple H and they put the Rock out of action after a kayfabe brutal assault and kayfabe suspension(this was done so the Rock could go and film The Scorpion King), Austin and Triple H held all three major WWF titles (Austin's WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship which Triple H won, and the Tag Team Championship) at the same time. The alliance was short lived, due to an injury to Triple H and a business venture by McMahon.

The Invasion and the Kiss My Ass Club (2001–2005)

Main article: The Invasion

McMahon purchased long-time rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001 from AOL Time Warner and signed many wrestlers from the organization. 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, 2001 episode of Raw, 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 joined the Alliance, along with Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Vince McMahon led Team WWF. At Survivor Series, Team WWF defeated Team Alliance in a Survivor Series elimination match to pick up the victory for WWF 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 ass in the middle of the ring, usually with the threat of suspension or firing if they refused. The club was originally proclaimed closed by The Rock after McMahon was forced to kiss Rikishi's ass on an episode of SmackDown!; however, the club segment has resurfaced several times over the years. The gimmick has also spawned its own Internet based cartoon entitled "Mr. McMahon's Kiss My Ass Club – The WWE's Most Valuable Asset". The cartoon series, produced by Animax Entertainment, debuted on WWE.com on November 22, 2006. The cartoon was later canceled as part of a settlement between WWE and Cartoon Network due to the show's similarities with Cartoon Network's show Assy McGee.

Kiss My Ass Club Members

#	Members	Date Joined	Location	Event	Notes
1	William Regal	November 19, 2001	Charlotte, North Carolina	WWE Raw	Made Regal join to be rehired after he had previously joined The Alliance.
2	Jim Ross	November 26, 2001	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	WWE Raw	Was forced to join the club by The Undertaker after laughing at McMahon who Stone Cold Steve Austin just beat up after saving himself from membership.
3	Shawn Michaels	February 27, 2006	Charlotte, North Carolina	WWE Raw	Was forced to join the club by Shane McMahon after Shane knocked him unconscious with a chair after Michaels saved Marty Jannetty from membership.
4	Shane McMahon	April 2, 2006	Chicago, Illinois	Wrestlemania 22	Was forced to join the club by Shawn Michaels after he over powered Shane who was trying to make Michaels rejoin the club.
5	Mick Foley	August 21, 2006	Bridgeport, Connecticut	WWE Raw	Joined the club to save Melina's job, but she was actually tricking Foley and he was later fired by McMahon.
6	Hornswoggle	February 4, 2008	Austin, Texas	WWE Raw	Was being forced to join to show loyalty to the McMahon family. The induction to the club was interrupted by Finlay and Hornswoggle bit McMahon's ass, but McMahon stated since Hornswoggle's lips came in contact he was a member.

The Undertaker, McMahon, Brock Lesnar, and Sable on SmackDown!

In November 2001, Ric Flair 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 January 2002 Royal Rumble 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. However, on the June 10, 2002 episode of Raw, McMahon defeated Flair to end the rivalry and become the sole owner of WWE.

On the February 13, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon tried to derail the return of Hulk Hogan after a five-month hiatus but was knocked out by Hogan and received an Atomic Legdrop. At No Way Out, McMahon interfered in Hogan's match with The Rock. Hogan had originally won the match as he hit The Rock with an Atomic Legdrop but the lights went out. When the lights came back on, McMahon came to the ringside to distract Hogan. Sylvain Grenier, 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, which McMahon lost in a Street Fight. McMahon then banned Hogan from the ring but Hogan returned under the gimmick 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 on the October 2, 2003 episode of SmackDown!. Stephanie, however, refused to resign and this set up an "I Quit" match between the two. At No Mercy, McMahon defeated Stephanie in an "I Quit" match when Linda threw in the towel. Later that night, he helped Brock Lesnar retain the WWE Championship against The Undertaker in a Biker Chain match. This started a rivalry between McMahon and Undertaker. At Survivor Series, McMahon defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with help from Kane.

McMahon began a feud with Eric Bischoff in late 2005, when he decided that Bischoff was not doing a good job as General Manager of Raw. 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 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 was nothing but a rip off of the New World Order.

Feuds with D-Generation X and Donald Trump (2005–2007)

McMahon as the ECW World Champion in 2007

On the December 26, 2005 episode of Raw, Vince personally reviewed Bret Hart's DVD. Shawn Michaels came out and he also started talking about Hart. McMahon replied, "I screwed Bret Hart. Shawn, don't make me screw you". At the 2006 Royal Rumble, when Michaels was among the final six remaining participants after eliminating Shelton Benjamin, McMahon's entrance theme music distracted Michaels, allowing Shane McMahon to eliminate him. On the February 27, 2006 episode of Raw, Michaels was knocked unconscious by Shane. When Michaels' former Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty came to the rescue of Michaels, he was forced to join McMahon's "Kiss My Ass Club". On the March 18 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, 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 reference). At WrestleMania 22, Vince McMahon faced Michaels in a No Holds Barred match. Despite interference from the Spirit Squad and Shane, McMahon was unable to beat Michaels. At Backlash, Vince McMahon and his son Shane defeated Michaels and "God" (characterized by a spotlight) in a No Holds Barred match.

On the May 15, 2006 episode of Raw, Triple H hit Shane with a sledgehammer 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 instead of joining the club) and pitting him in a gauntlet handicap match against the Spirit Squad. Michaels, however, saved Triple H and the two reformed D-Generation X (DX). This led to a feud between the McMahons and DX, throughout the following summer. At SummerSlam in 2006, the McMahons lost to DX in a tag team match despite interference by Umaga, Big Show, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, and William Regal. The McMahons also allied themselves with the ECW World Champion Big Show. At Unforgiven, the McMahons teamed up with The Big Show in a Hell in a Cell 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, 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 who would fight at WrestleMania 23 in a Hair vs. Hair match. The man whose representative lost the match 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 a shake of 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, Trump's representative. At WrestleMania 23, McMahon's representative (Umaga) lost the match. As a result, McMahon's hair was shaved bald by Trump and Lashley with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was the special guest referee of the "Battle of the Billionaires" match.

McMahon then began a rivalry with Lashley over his ECW Championship. At Backlash, McMahon pinned Lashley in a 3-on-1 handicap match teaming up with his son Shane and Umaga to win the ECW Championship. At Judgment Day, McMahon defended his ECW Championship against Lashley again in a 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 Championship to Lashley at One Night Stand in a Street Fight despite interference by Shane and Umaga.

Various storylines (2007–2009)

On June 11, 2007, WWE aired a segment at the end of Raw that featured McMahon entering a limousine moments before it exploded. The show went off-air shortly after, and WWE.com reported the angle 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, 2007 episode of Raw was scheduled to be a three-hour memorial to "Mr. McMahon". However, due to the 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. His last appearance on WWE television until August 6, 2007 was the next night on 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 due to the circumstances becoming apparent, and that the ECW show would be dedicated to those that had been affected by the Benoit murders. On the August 6 show, McMahon said that he faked his death to see what people really thought of him, with Stephanie accused of faking mourning while checking her father's last will and testament to see how it would benefit her.

Vince McMahon commands Hornswoggle to join his "Kiss My Ass Club" in 2008

The "Mr. McMahon" character officially returned on the August 6 episode of Monday Night Raw. He talked about many subjects, including an investigation by the United States Congress and owing money to the IRS. McMahon also declared a battle royal to determine a new Raw General Manager, which was won by William Regal. At the end of Raw, Jonathan Coachman informed McMahon of a (storyline) paternity suit regarding an illegitimate long-lost child, who was revealed in the following weeks as being a male member of the WWE roster. On the September 3 episode of Raw, McMahon appeared and was confronted by his family. They were interrupted by Mr. Kennedy who claimed to be McMahon's "illegitimate son", but he was also interrupted by a lawyer claiming Kennedy was not McMahon's son and that the real son would be revealed the following week on Raw. His illegitimate son was finally revealed on September 10 on Raw to be Hornswoggle. In February 2008, after months of "tough love" antics towards Hornswoggle, John "Bradshaw" Layfield revealed that Hornswoggle was not McMahon's son and that he was actually Finlay's son. It turned out that the scam was thought up by Shane, Stephanie and Linda McMahon, along with Finlay.

McMahon, at the Hall of Fame, introducing Stone Cold Steve Austin.

On the June 2 episode of Raw, McMahon announced that starting the following week, he would give away US$1,000,000 live on Raw. Fans were able to register online, and each week, randomly selected fans would receive a part of the $1,000,000. 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. In addition, he also urged the WWE 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 in order to restore order to the brand.

Return, feuds with Randy Orton and Bret Hart: 2009–10

On the January 5, 2009, episode of Raw, Chris Jericho would tell Stephanie McMahon that McMahon would be returning to Raw soon. The following week, Jericho was (kayfabe) fired from WWE by Stephanie. On January 19, 2009, episode of Raw, McMahon returned, as a face, and supported his daughter's decision on Jericho, but Stephanie would rehire him. Randy Orton would then come out and assault McMahon after harassing Stephanie. McMahon would return on the March 30 Raw with his son, Shane, and son-in-law Triple H to confront Orton. The night following WrestleMania XXV, McMahon appeared on Raw to announce that Orton would not be receive another championship opportunity at Backlash but would compete in a 6-man tag team match with his Legacy stablemates to face the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon and himself. Raw General Manager Vickie Guerrero would make the match for the WWE Championship. Orton then challenge McMahon to a match that night, which saw Legacy assault him, with Orton also hitting the RKO. After being assisted by Triple H, Shane and a returning Batista, McMahon announced that Batista would replace him in match at Backlash.

On the June 15 episode of Raw, McMahon announced that he had sold the Raw brand to businessman Donald Trump, though the following week, during the Trump is Raw show, McMahon would buy the brand back from Trump. On the June 29 episode of Raw, McMahon would announce that every week, a celebrity guest host would control Raw for the night. McMahon would then make appearances on the SmackDown brand, putting Theodore Long in probation for his actions.

On August 24, episode of Raw, McMahon had a birthday bash which was later interrupted by The Legacy, and competed in a 6-man tag team match with his long-time rival team DX, in which they won after the interference of John Cena. He continued to appear on SmackDown, making occasional matches and reminding Long that he is still on probation. On the November 16 episode of Raw McMahon was called out by guest host Roddy Piper, who wanted a match with McMahon that night in Madison Square Garden. McMahon would decline the challenge and announce his "retirement" from in ring competition.

On the January 4, 2010 episode of Raw, McMahon confronted special guest host Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the (televised) first time since the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997, with the intention of burying 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!". A match was then booked between the two at Wrestlemania XXVI, which saw Hart defeat McMahon in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack match. After WrestleMania it was announced that McMahon would no longer appear on WWE television as his character Mr. McMahon, making official his retirement from in-ring competition. On the May 31 episode of Raw, McMahon returned to congratulate Hart on becoming the new Raw General Manager. On the June 22 episode of Raw, McMahon fired Hart for not dealing with NXT season one rookies, known as The Nexus. That same night he announced the new General Manager would be anonymous and make decisions via email, which would be read out by 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.

Part-time appearances (2010–present)

McMahon made an appearance on the November 1 episode of Raw, where it was revealed that he had fallen into a coma because of the attack by The Nexus. During the segment, McMahon woke up from his coma and his doctor (played by Freddie Prinze, Jr.) told him what had happened since he had been in a coma. The segment ended with Stephanie McMahon waking up, dreaming the whole thing.

McMahon would return to the WWE on the February 7, 2011, episode of Raw, were he announced that the guest host for WrestleMania XXVII would be revealed the following week, with the person being The Rock. On the May 2 episode of Raw, McMahon appeared on a birthday celebration themed Raw to wish The Rock a happy birthday. On the June 6 episode of WWE Tough Enough, McMahon would announce the winner of the show with Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon would also make an appearance on the June 6 episode of Raw, being interrupted by R-Truth, The Miz, Alex Riley and John Cena. McMahon would make the main event of the night to be Cena and Riley going against Truth and Miz in a tag team match with Steve Austin as the guest referee.

McMahon returned on the July 4 episode of Raw as a heel, addressing the suspension of CM Punk following comments made by Punk the week before. Cena would convince McMahon to reinstate Punk and make the WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank official again. However, McMahon would tell Cena that if he were to lose the title at the pay-per-view, he would personally go to the ring and fire Cena. The following week on Raw, McMahon would try and get Punk to sign a new contract with the WWE, but Punk would tear the contract up, saying he is still leaving after his match at the pay-per-view.

At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, McMahon told John Laurinaitis to end the match while Cena had Punk in the STF, trying to duplicate the Montreal Screwjob (otherwise known as the Chicago Screwjob), but Cena knocked out Laurinaitis before he could get to the bell. After Punk had defeated Cena, McMahon then ordered Alberto Del Rio, Raw's Money in the Bank ladder match winner to cash in and challenge Punk for the title. Del Rio got attacked by Punk before he could cash in. Punk then fled through the crowd with the WWE Championship.

At the end of the July 18, 2011 broadcast of Raw, Triple H returned on behalf of WWE's board of directors to relieve Mr. McMahon of his duties of running Raw and Smackdown, though retaining his role as Chairman of the company. This was followed by the announcement that he had been assigned to take over as Chief Operating Officer of WWE.

McMahon returned on the October 10 broadcast of Raw, relieving Triple H of his duties of running Raw, due to the Board of Directors labeling Triple H as a financial catastrophe, and as a result of the no confidence vote by a majority of the WWE employees the previous week. He then declared that no member of his family could run Raw due to conflict of interest. He subsequently named John Laurinaitis as the Interim General Manager of Raw and later Smackdown.On June 11, 2012 McMahon returned as a face to give a job evaluation to John Laurinaitis, in which if he did not do well, he would have been fired by McMahon later that night. Later that night McMahon came out to give his final evaluation and as soon as he was going to fire Laurinaitis, Big Show came out and threatened McMahon. Then John Cena came out and hit the Big Show, but in the midst of the moment, McMahon unsuccessfully tried to separate the two, but he ended up getting knocked out by Big Show's WMD. As a result of this he announced that if Big Show loses his match at No Way Out, John Laurinaitis will be fired. On June 17, 2012, John Cena defeated Big Show in a steel cage match at No Way Out. After the match, in accordance with the match's stipulations, McMahon fired Laurinaitis; Cena then performed the AA on Laurinaitis and put him through the Spanish announcers' table.

McMahon appeared on the 1000th episode of Raw to deliver the opening speech, and later to announce that AJ was the new general manager of Raw. He also appeared on August 3rd episode of Smackdown to announce Booker T as the new general manager.

McMahon appeared on the October 8th, 2012 episode of Raw in a match against CM Punk. There was no clear cut winner, but McMahon had Punk on the ropes in the match. After the match Ryback came out and CM Punk fled the ring only to be tossed in by John Cena. CM Punk escaped a Shell Shock into the crowd. McMahon then gave him the choice of Cena or Ryback at Hell in a Cell. If Punk can't come up with an opponent then McMahon will on the next episode of Raw.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Double underhook facebuster – Parodied from Triple H
  • Running delayed high-impact elbow drop, with theatrics – Parodied from The Rock
  • Running leg drop – Parodied from Hulk Hogan
  • Stunner – Parodied from Stone Cold Steve Austin

• Nicknames
  • "The Boss"
  • "The Chairman"
  • "The Genetic Jackhammer"
  • "The Higher Power"
  • "Vinnie Mac"

• Wrestlers managed
  • Stephanie McMahon
  • Shane McMahon
  • Triple H
  • Umaga
  • The Corporation
  • Corporate Ministry

• Entrance themes
  • "No Chance in Hell" by Peter Bursuker (1999–present)

Championships and accomplishments

Vince McMahon receiving his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Vince McMahon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • (Class of 2011)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1996) vs. Eric Bischoff
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
  • PWI Feud of the Year (2001) vs. Shane McMahon
  • PWI Match of the Year (2006) vs. Shawn Michaels in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 22

• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • ECW World Championship (1 time)
  • WWF Championship (1 time)
  • Royal Rumble (1999)
  • Chairman of the Board of Directors & CEO - current

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Best Booker (1987, 1998, 1999)
  • Best Non-Wrestler (1999, 2000)
  • Best Promoter (1988, 1998–2000)
  • Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shane McMahon vs. D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

• Other accomplishments and honors
  • Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame
  • Sport's Illustrated 'Sportsman of the Year' 2006 Nominee
  • Created WrestleMania
  • The cover of "Muscle & Fitness" (2006)
  • On May 13, 2007, Vince McMahon served as the commencement speaker at Sacred Heart University, receiving the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
  • He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

External links

• Vince McMahon on WWE.com