Vince McMahon

Wrestling promoter Vince McMahon was born on August 24, 1945, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. As the son of Vince J. McMahon, founder of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, Vince was active in his father’s company, which was eventually renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Early on, he aspired to jump in the ring himself, but his father preferred him to work as the ring announcer, as well as the play-by-play announcer for televised matches. Today, he serves as the chairman of the board and majority shareholder of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE).

By 1983, thirty-eight-year-old McMahon was at the helm of the WWF, having bought out all of his father's former partners. The following year, his father passed away, and McMahon then broke away from the National Wrestling Alliance and the tired promotional tactics that went with it.

During the mid-80s, McMahon was instrumental in the career branding of WWF good guy Hulk Hogan and the ensuing "Hulkmania" that swept the country. McMahon also tapped into rock and pop stars such as Alice Cooper and Cyndi Lauper to participate in WWF storylines and raise the profile of wrestling in popular culture, resulting in the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection." This led to the first-ever WrestleMania event, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show became an annual event, held every spring.

Around the same time, McMahon publicly admitted that WWF matches were predetermined and staged, and that its wrestlers were playing character roles. Although this came as no shock to many wrestling fans (and those with an eye for the obvious), McMahon was vilified by many old-school wrestling promoters for breaking the code of silence.

In 1994, McMahon was put on trial for dispensing steroids to his wrestlers. He was acquitted of all charges, but later admitted to taking steroids himself in the 80s. The prosecution made Hulk Hogan its star witness, whom McMahon later accused of having lied about him on the witness stand, resulting in a rift between the two. McMahon was not convicted; however the trial had a poor impact on the popularity of the WWF, which was later named World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002.

In 2001, McMahon was interviewed by Playboy magazine alongside his son, Shane McMahon. More recently, in March of 2006, sixty-year-old McMahon was featured on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine.

McMahon is currently married to his childhood sweetheart, Linda McMahon. The couple divide their time between homes in New York City, Connecticut, and Florida. They have two children: Stephanie and Shane, both of whom work for WWE.

Today, the WWE empire, which McMahon has steadily built, continues to flourish, and McMahon’s worth is estimated at a staggering $1.7 billion dollars.

YUDDY