Vince McMahon

This article is about Vincent Kennedy McMahon, current WWE Chairman. For his father, see Vincent J. McMahon.

Vince McMahon
Born	(1945-08-24) August 24, 1945 Pinehurst, North Carolina
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Vince McMahon Mr. McMahon Vince McMahon, Jr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Billed weight	248 lb (112 kg)
Debut	1971

Vincent Kennedy McMahon (born August 24 1945), popularly known by his ring name Vince McMahon or Mr. McMahon, is an American professional wrestling promoter and film producer. He is the Chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Board of Directors and majority shareholder of WWE. After acquiring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001 and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 2003, two years after its closure, McMahon's WWE became the sole remaining major American professional wrestling promotion. Currently, he mainly appears on the RAW brand but makes appearances on the SmackDown! and ECW brands as well. (Depending on which wrestler he's having a feud with or if he's holding a championship from a certain brand, he is mainly on that respective brand.) McMahon plays a character based on himself in the world of the WWE, and is known for participating in occasional in-ring competition.

Early life and career

Vincent Kennedy McMahon is 110 years old,in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Vince spent the majority of his childhood living with his mother and a string of stepfathers. In an interview with Playboy, McMahon claimed that one of his stepfathers, Leo Lupton, used to beat his mother and would attack him as well when he tried to protect her. He said, "It is unfortunate that he died before I could kill him. I would have enjoyed that."

His father, (Vincent J. McMahon), was the promoter for the Capitol Wrestling Co., but he had left the family while Vince Jr. was still a baby. He did not meet his father until age 12, and at that point became interested in following his father's footsteps in the wrestling business, as he often accompanied him on trips to Madison Square Garden.

Professional career

World Wide Wrestling Federation (1971-1979)

In 1968, he graduated from East Carolina University 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 promotion (although Vince Sr. was not thrilled with the idea of his son entering the business). Nevertheless, he was assigned to a small territory in Maine, where he promoted his first card in 1971. Early in his wrestling career, Vince served as the in-ring announcer. He later became the play-by-play announcer for television matches after he replaced Ray Morgan in 1971, a role he would regularly maintain until November 1997.

Throughout the 1970s, McMahon became the prominent force in his father's company; and over the next decade, Vince would eventually assist his father in tripling TV syndication. He pushed for the renaming of the company to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The young McMahon was also behind the famous Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki match of 1976, the year that his daughter Stephanie McMahon was born. Then in 1979, Vince purchased the Cape Cod Coliseum, where he promoted hockey games and concerts in addition to pro wrestling, as he began to prove that he was capable of running the WWWF after his father’s retirement. By 1980, Titan Sports was incorporated; and in 1982, a 37-year old Vince McMahon Jr. led Titan’s acquisition of the Capitol Wrestling Co. from his ailing father (who died in May 1984), as he and his wife Linda McMahon took control of the World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1982-Present)

1980s wrestling boom

Main article: 1980s wrestling boom

At the time of his purchase of the World Wrestling Federation, professional wrestling was a business run by regional offices; and the various promoters shared an understanding that they would not invade each other’s territories, as this practice had gone on undeterred for decades. Vince McMahon Jr. had a different vision of what the industry could become, and one of his first actions as WWF owner was to secede from the National Wrestling Alliance, which was the governing body for all the regional territories. McMahon also preferred a shift in the business from one of perceived violence to exaggerated storylines that attracted mainstream audiences; and he coined the term “sports entertainment” as a way to separate his product from his more traditional counterparts.

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 (AWA) for instance. In 1984, he recruited Hulk Hogan 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. Nevertheless, McMahon (who still also fronted as the WWF’s squeaky clean babyface announcer) was fearless in the face of opposition; and he 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. McMahon was planting the seeds for an industry explosion; on March 31, 1985, he promoted the first WrestleMania to be held at Madison Square Garden while airing on closed circuit TV throughout the U.S. Though WrestleMania was not the sport’s first supercard, McMahon looked to break the industry mold when he stacked the internationally-promoted event with celebrities, including Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Billy Martin, Liberace, and The Rockettes in an attempt to gain unprecedented publicity for the WWF. McMahon poured most of his funds into marketing the event, thus risking everything in an attempt for unbridled dominance; and in spite of several sabotage efforts by rivals, WrestleMania was an undisputed success. As a result, the WWF thus stood head and shoulders above all its competition, and Hulk Hogan soon became a full-fledged pop-culture icon and child role model.

This led to what has been considered a "Golden Age of Wrestling" with WWF seeing increased mainstream exposure, TV ratings, and house show gates all throughout the rest of the decade. During the late 1980s, McMahon shaped the WWF into a unique sports entertainment brand that reached out to family audiences while attracting fans who had never before paid attention to pro wrestling. However, it was McMahon’s introduction of closed-circuit technology and pay-per-view television that would establish his reputation as a marketing visionary. By directing his storylines towards highly-publicized supercards, McMahon initiated a brand-new revenue stream by promoting these events live on PPV television, a concept that would completely revolutionize event programming for all sports while catapulting the WWF into a multi-million dollar empire. Before long, WWF's Saturday Night's Main Event even occasionally supplanted Saturday Night Live in several highly-rated NBC broadcasts; and in 1987, McMahon drew 93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome (Which was called the "biggest crowd in Sports entertainment history") for WrestleMania III, which featured the blockbuster main event of Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant.

1990s Attitude Era

After several years struggling behind Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW), McMahon cemented his place as the industry’s preeminent promoter in the late 1990s, when he initiated an entirely new brand strategy that would eventually return the WWF to prominence. Sensing a public shift towards a more hardened and cynical fan base, McMahon redirected storylines towards a more adult-oriented model. The concept became known as WWF Attitude, and McMahon personally commenced the new era when he manipulated the WWF Championship away from Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1997 in what is now infamously known as the "Montreal Screwjob.” From then on, McMahon immersed himself into WWF storylines as the evil “Mr. McMahon;” and an instant star was born when Stone Cold Steve Austin challenged the boss’ authority in one of the great feuds in history. McMahon vs. Austin captivated audiences, and the WWF suddenly found itself back in the midst of national pop-culture, drawing millions of viewers for its weekly Monday Night RAW broadcasts, which ranked among the highest-rated shows on cable television.

WWF abbreviation lawsuit

In May 2002, after being forced to rename World Wrestling Federation to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), McMahon again ventured outside the wrestling ring and launched WWE Films.

Professional wrestling

Montreal Screwjob (1997)

At Survivor Series 1997, Bret Hart defended his WWF Championship against long-time rival Shawn Michaels in the main event. McMahon, who was the owner of the WWF, opted to be a play-by-play announcer instead of the owner. In the weeks heading into Survivor Series, McMahon had entered into a rivalry with the heel Hart. During the match, Michaels applied Hart's own signature submission maneuver The Sharpshooter on Hart. Hart refused to submit. However, McMahon got up and ordered the referee to ring the bell thus screwing Hart out of the title and made Shawn the champion. This was dubbed as the "Montreal Screwjob". McMahon thus turned "heel" and since then, he was known as "Mr. McMahon," the heel owner and chairman of the WWF.

The Corporation (1998-1999)

McMahon ordered the WWF Championship to be defended in a 14-man tournament named Deadly Games at Survivor Series 1998. McMahon made sure that Mankind reached to the finals (because Mankind had visited McMahon in hospital after McMahon was sent to hospital by Undertaker and Kane). He also awarded Mankind the WWF Hardcore Championship because his status of being a hardcore wrestling legend. However, during the main event, he was at the ringside during Mankind's tournament final match with The Rock for the WWF Championship.

Originally, McMahon acted as he would help out Mankind during the match. At one point, Rock turned his attention over McMahon. However, McMahon turned on Mankind after screwing him out of the match as Rock had caught Mankind in the Sharpshooter. Mankind hadn't submitted but McMahon ordered the referee to ring bell, thus giving Rock the WWF Championship. This was the homage to the "Montreal Screwjob" that occurred one year earlier. However, McMahon referred to Rock as "Corporate Champion" thus forming the Corporation with his son Shane and The Rock. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Mankind defeated Rock to win the WWF Championship after Rock was forced submit to the Mandible claw. However, McMahon came and 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 January 11, 1999 edition of RAW as an unscheduled participant. He was eliminated by Chyna, another unscheduled participant.

Vince restarted his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. He had put up $100,000 to anyone who was able to eliminate Austin in the Royal Rumble match. At Royal Rumble 1999, Austin was the #1 entrant while McMahon was #2. For most of the match, McMahon stayed outside the ring. After Austin eliminated a Corporation member Big Boss Man, The Rock interrupted and distracted Austin which allowed McMahon to eliminate Austin and surprisingly win the 1999 Royal Rumble match. This earned McMahon a title match at WrestleMania against WWF Champion The Rock. However, he turned down his spot and WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels awarded it to Austin. However, Austin was forced to put his title shot on the line against McMahon at In Your House: St. Valentine's Day Massacre in a steel cage match. During the match, Big Show interrupted, making his WWF debut. He threw Austin through the side of the cage thus giving him the victory. However, Big Show would become a member of Corporation.

Vince was later revealed as the "Higher Power" on April 12 edition of RAW continuing his feud with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. Vince's son Shane merged Corporation with Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness into the Corporate Ministry. Vince would become a member of a short-lived stable The Union which existed in May 1999. Austin was given 50% shares of the WWF by Linda and Stephanie McMahon. However, at King of the Ring 1999, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a handicap ladder match to regain control of the WWF. At Fully Loaded 1999, Austin defeated Undertaker in a match. As a result, McMahon was banned from coming on WWF TV.

McMahon returned as a face to programming in the fall of 1999, and actually won the WWF Championship in a match against Triple H (thanks to outside interference from Austin) on the September 16 episode of SmackDown!. He vacated the title on the following Monday's RAW is WAR, however.

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 1999, McMahon faced Triple H in a No Holds Barred match which McMahon would lose after Stephanie turned on him.

McMahon-Helmsley Era (2000-2001)

Vince returned to WWF television on March 13, 2000 edition of RAW is WAR representing The Rock once again. Two weeks later, Vince and Rock defeated Shane and 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 where each competitor had a McMahon in his corner. Triple H had his wife Stephanie who was the WWF Women's Champion in his corner, Rock had Vince in his corner, Mick Foley had Linda in his corner and Big Show had Shane in his corner. After Big Show and Foley were eliminated, it was the champion Triple H and Rock. Vince was in Rock's corner. However, he turned on Rock after whacking him with a chair which helped Triple H win the match and retain his title. This would officially begin the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

Vince, Shane and WWF Champion Triple H took on 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 man would make the scoring pinfall, he would be the WWF Champion. Vince was pinned by Rock which gave Rock the WWF Championship and his team, the victory. On December 18 edition 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 down Foley and Vince fired him. Vince and Stephanie aligned together against Shane. At WrestleMania XVII, Vince lost to Shane after Linda turned on Vince by low blowing him and giving Shane the victory. On the same night, however, McMahon formed an unlikely alliance with Stone Cold Steve Austin, helping him defeat The Rock to gain another WWF Championship. The two, along with Triple H, formed an alliance which saw Austin and Triple H hold 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. However, the alliance would be short lived, due to an injury to Triple H and a business venture by McMahon.

The Purchase of WCW & ECW (2001)

Vince purchased long-time rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001 from AOL Time Warner and signed many wrestlers from the organization starting the Invasion storyline. WCW wrestlers were known as The Alliance against WWF. On July 9, 2001 edition of RAW, some extremists returned to the organization as many ECW wrestlers returned to the organization. Stone Cold Steve Austin went on to join the Alliance as well as Shane and Stephanie would do the same. Vince would be on the WWF side. At Survivor Series 2001, Team WWF defeated Team Alliance in a Survivor Series elimination match to pick up the victory for WWF and end the Invasion storyline. Vince went on to unify several WCW titles around that time.

Such examples included the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship into the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship into the WWF Intercontinental Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship into the WWF Championship (after WCW and WWF titles were unified, the two titles became known as the "WWF Undisputed Championship").

Mr. McMahon

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

Mr. McMahon is the on-screen character of Vince McMahon, with the gimmick of an often egotistical heel boss. The character spawned from the real-life hatred many wrestling fans had for McMahon following the Montreal Screwjob, the 1997 Survivor Series incident with Bret Hart.

Although Mr. McMahon was loathed for his actions as the evil owner of the WWF, the character proved to be one of the most memorable heels in professional wrestling history. Despite Mr. McMahon's evil intentions, many fans continue to respect the character for its history, particularly with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who was Mr. McMahon's nemesis at the character's apex. Much to Mr. McMahon's horror, "Stone Cold" was announced to return and was the special guest referee at the "Battle of the Billionaires" match at WrestleMania 23.

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 towards the ring, swinging his arms and bobbing his head from side to side in a cocky manner. This is usually accompanied by a comment from Jim Ross, such as "There's only one man I know that walks like that." The power walk is used to get a reaction out of the audience (especially when he's a heel), but it also provides comic relief as well. WWE Superstar John Cena had joked on the RAW Exposed special that aired before WWE Homecoming, that Vince "somehow walks like he's got a broomstick shoved up in his ass". According to Jim Cornette, the power walk was inspired by one of Vince McMahon's favorite wrestlers as a child, Dr. Jerry Graham. However, The Fabulous Moolah claims in her autobiography that the original "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers was the inspiration.

McMahon in the USWA (1993)

File:McMahonUSWABelt.jpg

Vince McMahon wearing the USWA championship belt in 1993.

While the Mr. McMahon character marked the first time that McMahon had been portrayed as a heel in WWE, in 1993, McMahon was engaged in a bitter feud with Jerry Lawler as part of a cross-promotion between the World Wrestling Federation and the United States Wrestling Association. In Memphis, Tennessee (where the USWA was produced), Lawler was seen as a major babyface character (as opposed to his WWF persona which was seen as a cowardly heel), whereas McMahon was seen as a smug heel (similar to the "Mr. McMahon" character) to the Memphis audience, hell-bent on dethroning Lawler as the "king of professional wrestling." As part of the angle, McMahon would send various WWF wrestlers down to Memphis in order to achieve such a goal, such as Bret "Hitman" Hart, Owen "Rocket" Hart, Giant Gonzalez, "War Eagle" Tatanka and "Macho Man" Randy Savage (all of whom were seen as heels in Memphis as well). This angle also proved to be the first time that McMahon would physically interject himself into matches, as he would occasionally trip Lawler or throw punches at him while seated at ringside. The peak of the angle came with Tatanka defeating Lawler to win the Unifed World Championship with McMahon gloating at Lawler while wearing the championship belt. However, the angle came to an abrupt end when Jerry Lawler was accused of raping a young girl in Memphis and he and the WWF parted ways. It is interesting to note, however, that during the angle, McMahon was never directly acknowledged as the owner of the WWF (back in 1993, McMahon was only portrayed as the head announcer on television) and the feud between Lawler and McMahon was not acknowledged on WWF television, as the two continued to provide commentary together (along with Savage) for the television show Superstars. The feud between Lawler and McMahon would also help build towards Lawler's matches against Bret Hart at SummerSlam 1993 and Survivor Series 1993 (which ultimately did not take place).

Championship reigns

Despite their on going feud, Stone Cold Steve Austin helped Vince McMahon defeat Triple H for the WWF Championship and become a world champion on September 14, 1999 edition of WWE Smackdown! (aired September 16) This was later named the 5th most memorable moment in SmackDown! history. This made the two rivals, very good friends. However, on September 20 edition of RAW is WAR, Vince vacated the title and put it on the line six days later and included Austin into the match as Special Guest Referee. Vince ordered the title to be defended in a Six Pack Challenge match at Unforgiven 1999 between The British Bulldog, Triple H, The Rock, Kane, Big Show and Mankind. Triple H went on to win the match.

Due to Bobby Lashley's role at WrestleMania 23 in the Battle of the Billionaires match, McMahon began a rivalry with Lashley over his ECW Championship. At Backlash 2007, Vince 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 2007, McMahon defended his ECW Championship against Lashley again in a 3-on-1 handicap match. Lashley had originally 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.

Kiss My Ass Club

Following the collapse of the WCW/ECW Alliance at Survivor Series 2001, Mr. McMahon created the Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club, which consisted of various WWE superstars and an announcer being ordered to kiss his ass in the middle of the ring, usually with the threat of suspension or firing if they refuse. 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. Many people have been forced to go through with the indignity or have been in-line to do so since the club's inception, including:

#	Member	Reason
1	William Regal	Regal became the first member as a condition of being re-hired by the WWF, having betrayed the Federation to join The Alliance.
2	Jim Ross	Austin's refusal to join the club prompted uproarious laughter from Ross at ringside. Noticed by McMahon, he was forced to take Austin's place, following an unexpected beatdown from The Undertaker.
3	Trish Stratus	For betraying him at WrestleMania X-Seven, McMahon ordered her to go through with it.
4	Zach Gowen	During his feud with Gowen, McMahon ordered him to participate in order to gain a contract with WWE.
5	Marty Jannetty	In the midst of McMahon's ongoing feud with Shawn Michaels, Jannetty was in-line to join the club in order to remain in WWE. However, McMahon relented and forced Jannetty to break Chris Masters' Masterlock in order to remain in WWE. Jannetty failed and soon exited WWE.
6	Shawn Michaels	Following Jannetty's failure to participate, Shawn Michaels became a member of the club after he was knocked unconscious by Shane McMahon.
7	Shane McMahon	During his match against Michaels at WrestleMania 22, McMahon dropped his trousers as Shane prepared to thrust Michaels' face into his father's ass again. However, Michaels overpowered Shane and shoved his face into Vince's ass instead.
8	Mick Foley	Foley became only the second person (after Regal) to join the club voluntarily, on the grounds that it would save Melina's job. However, after participating, Melina promptly betrayed Foley and he was fired by McMahon.
9	Hornswoggle	As punishment for skirting the Royal Rumble Match, Mr. McMahon wanted his bastard son Hornswoggle to join the Kiss My Ass Club. When it came time for the little guy to pucker up, though, Finlay interrupted. After much yelling from Mr. McMahon, Hornswoggle finally leaned in and bit his freshly buffed buttocks. But as Mr McMahon later stated, even though Hornswoggle bit his ass, his lips still came into contact with it. Therefore he officially became a member of the Kiss My Ass Club.

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.

Firings

In numerous angles, Mr. McMahon uses his ability to terminate whomever he feels from either a position or the company. The termination is usually preceded by the aforementioned throaty exclamation of "You're fired!" This is believed by many people to be a McMahon originated catchphrase, as opposed to his WrestleMania 23 opponent Donald Trump. McMahon once stated this on TV by saying that the catchphrase originated on Monday Night RAW and not Trump's NBC show The Apprentice--a legitimate fact considering that McMahon started using the catchphrase in 1998, while The Apprentice didn't even premiere until 2004.

Feuds

On March 30, 1998 edition of RAW is WAR, Mr. McMahon presented Stone Cold Steve Austin with a new "Attitude Era" custom belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature and that things could be done "the easy way or the hard way". McMahon received a Stone Cold Stunner which began their rivalry which would become a historic and one of the most popular rivalries in the history of sports entertainment. On April 6 edition of RAW is WAR, McMahon was confronted by Austin again who punched McMahon in the "corporate grapefruits". The next week, Austin and McMahon faced each other in a match to settle their differences. It was McMahon's first wrestling match but it was declared a no contest when Dude Love interfered and tried to end the fight but accidentally knocked out Austin with a Mandible claw. He did everything possible to ruin Austin.

At Over the Edge: In Your House, Austin defended his WWF Championship against Dude Love with McMahon as the Special Guest Referee and his "Corporative Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively. Despite that, Dude Love was unable to defeat Austin. However, McMahon got a big victory over Austin by his side at King of the Ring 1998 when Kane defeated Austin in a First Blood match to win the WWF Championship. Austin would win the title, the next night on RAW.

After Austin defeated The Undertaker at SummerSlam 1998, McMahon responded by setting Austin in a triple threat match for the title at Breakdown: In Your House against both Kane and Undertaker. During the match, both Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon took advantage and immediately stripped Austin of the title. At Judgment Day: In Your House, McMahon made his rival Austin the special guest referee in a match between The Undertaker and Kane for the WWF Championship. However, as Undertaker was close of getting the victory, Austin attacked both men and claimed that he was the winner. However, McMahon reacted by "firing" Austin.

In November 2001, Ric Flair returned to WWF after an 8-year hiatus saying that he was the co-owner of the WWF. McMahon hated this and said that he was the only owner of the WWF. The two faced each other at Royal Rumble 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. However, on June 10, 2002 edition of RAW, McMahon defeated Flair to end the rivalry and become the sole owner of WWE.

On January 13, 2003 edition of SmackDown!, Vince tried to derail the return of Hulk Hogan after a five-month hiatus but got knocked out by Hogan and received an Atomic Legdrop. At No Way Out 2003, Vince interfered in Hogan's match with The Rock. Hogan had originally won the match as he hit Rock an Atomic Legdrop but the lights went out. As the lights were on, Vince came to the ringside to distract Hogan. The referee secretly gave Rock a chair and Rock hit Hogan with a chair shot and a Rock Bottom to get the victory. This lead to Vince facing Hogan in a match. At WrestleMania XIX, Vince lost to Hogan in a Street Fight. Hulkamania died but Hogan was given a new gimmick of "Mr. America". McMahon tried to prove that Mr. America was Hogan in disguise but failed at all attempts. Hogan would later quit WWE and then McMahon would later claim that Mr. America was Hogan in reality and he had "fired" him.

During his rivalry with Mr. America, Vince also feuded with the one-legged Zach Gowan. On June 12 edition of SmackDown!, Vince defeated both Mr. America and Gowan in special arm wrestling contests. On June 26 edition of SmackDown!, Vince told Gowan that if he would join his "Kiss My Ass Club", he would be getting a WWE contract. Instead of joining the club, Gowan low blowed Vince. At Vengeance 2003, he went on to defeat Gowan in a match in which McMahon was bleeding. However, McMahon came out as the winner and ended the rivalry.

McMahon wanted his daughter Stephanie to resign as SmackDown! General Manager. He gave her an opportunity on October 2 edition of SmackDown!. However, Stephanie refused to resign and this set up an "I Quit" match between the two father and daughter. At No Mercy 2003, Vince 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 2003, McMahon defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with help from Kane.

Vince McMahon began a feud with Eric Bischoff in late 2005, when he decided that Bischoff wasn't 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; Vince "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 Vince McMahon's executive assistant Jonathan Coachman so that he could announce the completion of his book Controversy Creates Ca$h. Bischoff began blasting remarks at McMahon, saying that he was fired "unceremoniously" as the RAW General Manager, that there would be no Mr. McMahon if it wasn't for Bischoff's over-the-top rebellious ideas, and that D-Generation X was nothing but a rip off of the nWo. Bischoff returned again in March 2007 to tell Vince his thoughts on Vince's WrestleMania 23 match: he couldn't wait to see him get his head shaved bald.

On December 26, 2005 edition of RAW, Vince personally reviewed Bret Hart DVD but Michaels came out and he also started talking about Hart. McMahon ended up saying "I've screwed Bret Hart. Shawn, don't make me screw you". At Royal Rumble 2006, after Michaels received his spot into the final six remaining participants by eliminating Shelton Benjamin, McMahon's entrance theme music hit as he distracted his new rival Michaels. Thanks to this distraction, Michaels was eliminated by Shane from behind. On February 27, 2006 edition of RAW, Michaels was knocked unconscious by Shane McMahon. Michaels' former Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty came to the rescue of Michaels and was forced to join Vince's "Kiss My Ass Club". On March 18 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Michaels faced Vince's son Shane in a Street Fight. Vince screwed out Michaels as Shane had Michaels in the Sharpshooter. Michaels hadn't submit but Vince ordered the referee to ring the bell, giving Shane the victory (this was the homage to Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at 1997 Survivor Series). At WrestleMania 22, Vince faced Michaels in a No Holds Barred match. Despite interference from Spirit Squad and Shane, Vince was unable to get the victory. At Backlash 2006, Vince and Shane defeated Shawn Michaels and "God" in a No Holds Barred match.

On May 15, 2006 edition of RAW, Triple H was supposed to hit Michaels with the sledgehammer but he accidentally hit Shane with the sledgehammer. The next week on RAW, Triple H had another chance to hit Michaels with the object but he instead whacked Spirit Squad. For a few weeks, Vince ignored Michaels and began a rivalry with Triple H by forcing him to join "Kiss My Ass Club" (Triple H hit Vince a Pedigree instead of joining the club) and pitting him in a gauntlet handicap match against Spirit Squad. However, Michaels saved Triple H and then the two reformed D-Generation X as the McMahons began feuding with DX. McMahons and DX continued to feud with each other throughout the months of June and July.

At SummerSlam 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 allied themselves with the ECW World Champion Big Show who destroyed DX at many points. At Unforgiven 2006, the McMahons teamed up with Big Show in a Hell in a Cell match to take on DX. Despite their 3-on-2 advantage, McMahons lost again to DX thus ending the rivalry.

In January 2007, McMahon started a feud with Donald J. 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, Donald 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.

Death storyline

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 Mr. McMahon was part of a storyline). WWE later acknowledged to CNBC that he was not truly dead.

The June 25, 2007 edition of RAW was scheduled to be a three-hour memorial to "Mr. McMahon". However, due to the actual sudden death of Chris Benoit, the show opened with Vince McMahon appearing 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 for faking sympathy and checking her father's last will and testament.

RAW 15th Anniversary

During Monday Night Raw's 15th Anniversary Show on December 10th, 2007, Mr. McMahon was embarrassed mentally and physically. During the opening segment he tried to get a family portrait with Stephanie and Shane, and his illegitimate son Hornswoggle. However, Triple H came out and made a reference that he too should be considered Vince's family, alluding to his marriage to Stephanie (something normally not acknowledged onscreen). He then proceeded to embarrass McMahon by bringing out a number of Divas who Vince had onscreen sexual antics with, including Melina, former WWE Diva Sunny and Mae Young, causing Shane to leave in disgust. He also brought out a group of men who he claimed Vince had mistaken for women, such as Pat Patterson and Bastion Booger. Stephanie then embarrassed him by kissing Triple H, who brought out the Godfather and several Ho's for Hornswoggle's benefit.

At the end of the night, Vince proclaimed himself the greatest Raw superstar ever. Mick Foley, dressed as Mankind, came down and gave Vince the Mandible Claw with Mr. Socko. After the lights went out, The Undertaker (who had been selected as the Greatest Superstar in Raw History as per a poll conducted on WWE.com) appeared and gave Vince a chokeslam. After Undertaker disappeared, Stone Cold Steve Austin came to the ring wanting to share a drink with the unconscious Vince; after helping Vince to his feet he gave him a beer followed by a Stunner. Austin then celebrated with the entire locker room in and around the ring, and kicked Vince out, pouring beer on the angry McMahon.

Return and "Illegitimate child" storyline

The "Mr. McMahon" character officially returned on the August 6 episode of Monday Night Raw. He talked about many subjects, including the investigation by the United States Congress and owing money to the IRS. Mr. McMahon also named a new Raw General Manager in a Battle Royal, which was won by William Regal. At the end of Raw, Jonathan Coachman informed him of a (storyline) paternity suit regarding an illegitimate long-lost child, who was revealed in the following weeks as being a male member of WWE roster. On the September 3 episode of Raw, Mr. 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 is not McMahon's son and that the real son would be revealed the following week on Raw. The lawyer gave the cryptic message "things are looking up." 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, JBL revealed that Hornswoggle was not Mr. McMahon's son and that he was actually Finlay's son. It turned out that the whole thing was a scam set up by Mr. McMahon's own family. Shane, Stephanie and Linda McMahon along with Finlay were in on it.

Controversies

Rita Chatterton

Rita Chatterton (ring name: "Rita Marie") was a former referee who is noted for her stint in World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s. She is known for being the first ever female referee in WWE, maybe in pro wrestling history. However, her times there were shrouded in controversy, due to sexual harassment charges against WWE owner Vince McMahon.

On April 3 1992, Chatterton made an appearance on Geraldo Rivera's television show Now It Can Be Told alleging that on July 16 1986 McMahon tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in his limousine and, after her rebuttal, subjected her to rape. McMahon was not charged with any offense relating to the alleged incident, the criminal statute of limitations having passed.

Boca Raton

On February 1 2006, McMahon was accused of sexual harassment by a worker at a Boca Raton, Florida tanning bar. The worker said that he "groped her and harassed her." At first, the charge appeared to be discredited because McMahon was in Miami for the 2006 Royal Rumble at the time. However, 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 27, a Florida television station reported that no charges would be filed against McMahon as a result of the investigation.

Involvement in storylines

McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment as a whole has been the center of controversy in the past, especially in the "Attitude Era" of what was the World Wrestling Federation - including D-Generation X for their sexual references, and Stone Cold Steve Austin for his trademark drinking of beer and flipping the middle finger.

On the McMahon DVD, Stephanie comments that she had to nix a potential incest angle. According to her, Vince was to reveal himself as the father of her baby; when she said no, he pushed for Shane to be the father, but she turned that idea down as well. She also nixed Vince's idea that her wedding to Triple H be aired live on PPV and said that the only reason Vince ever hired Eric Bischoff was to be able to say that his longtime nemesis once worked for him.

Business

Initial Public Offering, Acquisition of WCW and ECW, XFL

In October 1999, McMahon achieved the ultimate in personal success when he led the WWF in an Initial public offering of company stock. Nevertheless, McMahon continued his quest for total dominance over the sports entertainment industry; and on March 23, 2001, he purchased the fading WCW for a mere $5 million. Three days later, his “victory speech” was simulcast on both WWF RAW and WCW Nitro. After a crusade lasting two decades, Vince McMahon Jr. had finally emerged as the undisputed emperor of professional wrestling in the United States after having vanquished his lone remaining rival.

In 2000, McMahon again ventured outside the world of professional wrestling by launching the XFL. The league eventually began in February 2001 with McMahon making an appearance at the first game. The league, however, quickly folded after lack of publicity. In 2001, McMahon acquired Extreme Championship Wrestling in bankruptcy court, leaving McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation as the only major wrestling promotion left in North America.

Other media

In 2001, Vince McMahon was interviewed by Playboy and performed an interview with his son Shane McMahon for the second issue of the magazine that year.

In March 2006 (at age 60) McMahon was featured on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. In the months after its publication, it could be seen in McMahon's office during backstage segments. A large version of the cover was used as a weapon during McMahon's match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 22 and was defaced by D-Generation X upon their reunification during an episode of RAW.

On August 22 2006, a two-disc DVD set showcasing McMahon's career was released. The DVD is simply titled McMahon. The box art symbolizes the blurred reality between Vince McMahon the person and Mr. McMahon the character.

Personal life

Vince wanted to be a wrestler when he was young but his father wouldn't let him (he was told that promoters do not appear on the show and should stay apart from his wrestlers). He also overcame dyslexia in his early life.

Vince married Linda McMahon on August 26 1966 in New Bern, North Carolina. The two met in church when Linda was 13 and Vince was 16. At that time McMahon was known as Vince Lupton, using his stepfather's surname. They were introduced by Vince's mother, Vicky Lupton (now Vicky Askew). They have two children, Shane and Stephanie, who both work for WWE.

He has a $12 million penthouse in Manhattan; a $40 million mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut; and a $20 million vacation home in Boca Raton, Florida. However, in 2007 it was reported that WWE cannot back up its claim that McMahon is a billionaire.

Vince has three grandchildren: Declan James and Kenyon Jesse McMahon, sons of Shane and his wife Marissa; and Aurora Rose Levesque, daughter to Stephanie and her husband Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

Legal trial

File:Vincemcmahontrial.jpg

Vince, Linda, and Shane McMahon outside the courthouse in July 1994.

In 1989, McMahon tested the movie producing waters by co-producing the Hulk Hogan vehicle No Holds Barred. In 1990, McMahon again ventured outside of wrestling by founding a bodybuilding company called the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF).

However, around 1992, things began to change. The WBF went out of business as alleged steroid abuse among both McMahon's wrestlers and bodybuilders came under scrutiny. In 1993, he was indicted after a steroid controversy engulfed the promotion. McMahon was put on trial in 1994, accused of distributing steroids to his wrestlers. As a legal move, his wife Linda was made CEO of the WWF during the trial. He was acquitted of all charges though he admitted to taking steroids himself in the 1980s. The prosecution made Hulk Hogan its star witness, and his testimony in the trial severely damaged the two's friendship, even though Hogan's testimony defended McMahon. After Hogan's testimony, McMahon went before the media declaring that he wished that Hogan had not lied about him on the witness stand.

Although he personally escaped jail time, the WWF’s public image took a hit as pro wrestling began a slow descent from its pop-culture perch. Things were slowly turning in favor of McMahon's chief competition, Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling, especially after the rival outlet signed Hulk Hogan following his split with the WWF after the steroid trial.

In wrestling

• Finishing and signature moves
• While McMahon usually relies on outside interference to win matches, he has borrowed a number of finishers from his opponent and / or the wrestler he is in a feud with and usually renames said finishers to tie in with his "evil boss" gimmick:
  • Sitdown three-quarter facelock jawbreaker – Copied from Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • Feint leg drop into a high impact elbow drop – Copied from The Rock
  • Running leg drop – Copied from Hulk Hogan
  • Double underhook facebuster – Copied from Triple H

• Theme music
  • No Chance in Hell by Jim Johnston (Found on WWF The Music, Vol. 4 ,WWE Anthology and RAW Greatest Hits: The Music)

Championships and accomplishments

McMahon as ECW World Champion.

• World Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Entertainment
  • ECW World Championship (1 time)
  • WWF Championship (1 time)
  • Royal Rumble (1999)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1996) vs. Eric Bischoff
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1998) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1999) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • PWI Feud of the Year (2001) vs. Shane McMahon
  • PWI Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Ric Flair
  • PWI Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Hulk Hogan
  • PWI Match of the Year (2006) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 22 on April 2 2006

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Best Booker (1987)
  • Best Promoter (1988)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
  • Best Booker (1998)
  • Best Promoter (1998)
  • Feud of the Year (1998) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • Best Booker (1999)
  • Best Non-Wrestler (1999)
  • Best Promoter (1999)
  • Feud of the Year (1999) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • Best Non-Wrestler (2000
  • Best Promoter (2000)

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

• 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, he is the first person to hold a professional wrestling title to receive one .

See also

• McMahon DVD

References

• Shaun Assael & Mike Mooneyham (2002). Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. Crown Publishers. p. 255. ISBN 0609606905.

External links

• Official WWE Website
• WWE Corporate Bio
• WWE Profile
• Offical WWE Fan Nation Page