Vince McMahon, American wrestler, promoter, and entrepreneur; co-founded WWE
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American professional wrestling promoter, executive, and also media proprietor. He is currently serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of WWE, the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world. He is also the founder and owner of Alpha Entertainment.
McMahon was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in business in 1968. He commentated for his father Vincent J. McMahon's then-WWWF for most of the 1970s, bought it in 1982, and almost monopolized the industry, which previously operated as separate fiefdoms across the United States. This led to the development of the annual WrestleMania, which has since become the most successful professional wrestling event ever. WWE faced industry competition from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s, before purchasing the competing company in 2001. WWE also purchased the assets of the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 2003.
McMahon has embarked on a number of WWE-related ventures; in 2014, he launched the WWE Network, a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. McMahon also owns other WWE subsidiaries related to multimedia, such as film, music, and magazines, as well as a professional wrestling school system. Outside of wrestling, McMahon joint-owned and operated the XFL, a football league, twice; both iterations folded after a single season with the second due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also headed the short-lived World Bodybuilding Federation, and co-owns the clothing brand Tapout.
McMahon has been a familiar face to wrestling fans since the 1970s, with his public-facing career divided into two distinct periods: before 1997, when he was presented almost exclusively as a personable, play-by-play announcer, and his ownership of the promotion was only very rarely hinted at; and after, when he adapted his real-life persona to create the gimmick of Mr. McMahon. As Mr. McMahon, he is a wildly swagger-walking, suit-wearing, irascible tyrant obsessed with maintaining tight, agenda-driven control of his company at any and all cost, with the growled catch phrase "You'rrre firrred!!!" In this likeness, he has inducted several WWF/E talent into his Mr. McMahon: Kiss My Ass Club, in which he has exposed his buttocks and forced talent to kneel and kiss his butt cheeks. Under his Mr. McMahon gimmick, he occasionally competed in wrestling matches and became a two-time world champion, a Royal Rumble match winner, and multi-time pay-per-view headliner.
Vince is the eldest living member of the McMahon family that is still involved in the wrestling industry, and is a third-generation wrestling promoter, following his grandfather Jess and father Vincent. He married Linda in 1966, is the father of Stephanie and Shane, and father-in-law of Triple H.