Vincent Kennedy McMahon is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter, best known as the driving force behind WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, which he co-founded with his wife, Linda. Besides wrestling, McMahon has also dabbled in promoting other sports such as bodybuilding with the World Bodybuilding Federation and football with the XFL.
In 1914, Vincent James McMahon, Vince McMahon's father, was born. His birth was an important part of Vince's early life.
In 1920, Victoria Hanner, Vince McMahon's mother, was born. Her birth was an important part of Vince's early life.
In 1943, Roderick James McMahon III, Vince McMahon's older brother, was born. His birth was an important part of Vince's early life.
On August 24, 1945, Vincent Kennedy McMahon was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina. This marked the beginning of the life of the man who would later revolutionize the professional wrestling industry.
In 1963, the WWF left the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). This was prior to Vince McMahon's leadership.
In 1964, McMahon graduated from Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia. During his time there, he reportedly struggled due to dyslexia.
On August 26, 1966, Vince McMahon married Linda Edwards in New Bern, North Carolina, after meeting in church.
In 1968, McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a business degree. After working as a traveling salesman, he became eager to assume a managerial role in his father's wrestling promotion.
In 1969, McMahon began appearing on-screen for WWE. He initially served as a personable play-by-play commentator, marking the start of his on-screen presence in the company.
In 1969, McMahon made his debut as a ring announcer for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF)'s All-Star Wrestling, marking his first official role in the family business.
In 1971, McMahon was assigned to a small territory in Maine. It was in Maine where he promoted his first card. He replaced Ray Morgan as the television commentator after 1971.
In 1971, the WWF rejoined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). This was prior to Vince McMahon's leadership and before eventually splitting again in 1983.
In 1976, McMahon was involved in the Muhammad Ali versus Antonio Inoki match. This marked his involvement in prominent events within the company.
In 1979, McMahon pushed for the renaming of the company to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). This change reflected his growing influence and vision for the company's future.
On February 21, 1980, McMahon officially founded Titan Sports, marking a significant step in his career. The company's headquarters were established in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
In 1982, Titan Sports, founded by Vince McMahon, acquired control of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) from McMahon's ailing father. This acquisition was a key step in McMahon's takeover of the professional wrestling business.
In 1982, Vincent Kennedy McMahon bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon. This acquisition allowed him to implement his vision for professional wrestling, leading to national expansion and the creation of WrestleMania.
In 1983, the WWF split from the NWA. This departure signified McMahon's intent to break away from the traditional territorial system and expand nationally.
In May 1984, Vincent J. McMahon, Vince McMahon's father, passed away. Titan Sports acquired control of the CWC from McMahon's father and his partners.
In 1984, McMahon recruited Hulk Hogan. The addition of Hogan proved to be a pivotal moment, helping to grow the WWF's popularity nationally.
In 1984, Vincent James McMahon, Vince McMahon's father, passed away. His passing marked the end of a long life and family ties.
On March 31, 1985, Vince McMahon ran the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden. This event was available on closed-circuit television and helped launch the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection".
On July 16, 1986, Rita Chatterton alleged that Vince McMahon sexually assaulted her in his limousine.
In 1987, the WWF reportedly drew 93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III. The main event was Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant.
On April 3, 1992, Rita Chatterton appeared on Geraldo Rivera's show and alleged that Vince McMahon sexually assaulted her on July 16, 1986.
In 1992, Kevin Wacholz wrestled for WWF as Nailz.
In November 1993, Vince McMahon was indicted in federal court due to a steroid controversy, which led him to temporarily cede control of the WWF to his wife, Linda McMahon.
In 1993, Vince McMahon engaged in a feud with Jerry Lawler, marking the first time he physically interjected himself into a match. This angle was part of a cross-promotion between the WWF and the USWA.
In 1993, the company entered the New Generation Era. This was one of McMahon's toughest times since taking over the company as business went up and down with various projects.
In July 1994, Vince McMahon was acquitted of charges related to steroid distribution to his wrestlers, following a trial.
On the September 23, 1996 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.
The March 17, 1997 WWF Raw Is War is cited by some as the beginning of the Mr. McMahon character, 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.
On September 22, 1997, Stone Cold Steve Austin gave McMahon a Stone Cold Stunner, beginning the Austin-McMahon rivalry.
In November 1997, McMahon no longer served as play-by-play commentator for television matches. McMahon had held the role regularly since 1971.
In December 1997, on Raw Is War, Mr. McMahon demanded that Stone Cold Steve Austin defend his Intercontinental Championship against The Rock. Austin forfeited the title after attacking The Rock and knocking McMahon off the ring ropes.
In 1997, McMahon adopted the character of Mr. McMahon. This marked a significant shift in his on-screen persona, transforming him into a villainous tyrant.
In 1997, McMahon initiated a new brand strategy that eventually returned the WWF to prominence. He commenced the new era when manipulating the WWF Championship away from Bret Hart at Survivor Series (now known as the "Montreal Screwjob").
In December 1998, Mr. McMahon restarted his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, forcing Austin to face The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with Royal Rumble qualification on the line. Austin won with help from Kane.
In 1998, at Judgement Day, with no champion crowned, Mr. McMahon ordered a 14-man tournament called Deadly Games at Survivor Series to determine the WWF Champion. McMahon favored Mankind in the tournament.
On January 11, 1999, at Rock Bottom: In Your House, Mr. McMahon reversed the decision in a Mankind vs. The Rock match, returning the belt to The Rock. McMahon participated in a "Corporate Rumble" on Raw, but was eliminated by Chyna.
In May 1999, Mr. McMahon became a member of The Union. McMahon's son Shane merged the corporation with The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness to form the Corporate Ministry.
On June 24, 1999, McMahon appeared on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show and said he viewed Ted Turner as his rival, stating "All I'll say about Ted is he's a son-of-a-bitch, other than that, he's probably not a bad guy, but I don't like him at all".
In October 1999, McMahon led the WWF in an initial public offering of company stock. The stock was offered during the height of the Attitude Era.
In 1999, Mr. McMahon feuded with Triple H, focusing on Triple H's storyline marriage to Stephanie McMahon, culminating at Armageddon. Stephanie turned on McMahon, and McMahon disappeared from WWF television.
On March 13, 2000, Mr. McMahon returned to WWF television on Raw Is War, helping The Rock win his WWF title shot back from The Big Show. He also attacked Shane McMahon and Triple H.
In 2000, at King of the Ring, Mr. McMahon, Shane, and Triple H faced The Brothers of Destruction and The Rock in a six-man tag team match. Mr. McMahon was pinned by The Rock. He later fired Mick Foley as WWF Commissioner.
On February 26, 2001, Mr. McMahon and Stephanie humiliated Trish Stratus on Raw. McMahon aligned with Stephanie against Shane.
On April 1, 2001, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) filed for bankruptcy leaving WWF as the last major wrestling promotion at that time. Eventually, McMahon acquired the assets of ECW on January 28, 2003.
In 2001, WWE purchased and absorbed World Championship Wrestling (WCW). This acquisition eliminated a major competitor and solidified WWE's dominance in the professional wrestling industry.
On January 20, 2002, Mr. McMahon faced Ric Flair in a Street Fight at the Royal Rumble, which Flair won. As co-owners, McMahon became the owner of SmackDown!.
On May 5, 2002, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. announced it would be changing both its company name and the name of its wrestling promotion to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after losing a lawsuit with the World Wildlife Fund.
On June 24, 2002, McMahon officially referred to the new era as "Ruthless Aggression". The period still featured elements of the Attitude Era, including violence, sex, and profanity, but had less politically incorrect content.
Vince McMahon was reported to have since dropped off the list of Billionaires.
On January 28, 2003, McMahon acquired the assets of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). This acquisition further consolidated WWE's position in the professional wrestling market.
On February 13, 2003, Mr. McMahon tried to derail Hulk Hogan's return on SmackDown!, but Hogan knocked him out. This led to McMahon facing Hogan at WrestleMania XIX.
In 2003, WWE purchased the assets of the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). This acquisition further consolidated WWE's position in the professional wrestling market.
On December 26, 2005, Mr. McMahon personally reviewed Bret Hart's DVD on Raw. He threatened Shawn Michaels, saying, "I screwed Bret Hart. Shawn, don't make me screw you".
In late 2005, Mr. McMahon began a feud with Eric Bischoff, holding "The Trial of Eric Bischoff" where McMahon served as the judge and "fired" Bischoff.
On February 1, 2006, Vince McMahon was accused of sexual harassment by a worker at a tanning bar in Boca Raton, Florida. He was accused of showing nude photos and groping the worker. No charges were filed.
As of 2006, Vince McMahon has a $12 million penthouse in Manhattan, New York; a $40 million mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut; a $20 million vacation home; and a 47-foot sports yacht named Sexy Bitch.
In 2006, Mr. McMahon continued to feud with Shawn Michaels, including a Montreal Screwjob reference at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII and a match at WrestleMania 22.
In 2006, Mr. McMahon feuded with Triple H. Michaels saved Triple H and the two reformed D-Generation X (DX). This led to a feud between the McMahons and DX.
In 2006, unrecorded sexual misconduct claims began against Vince McMahon, eventually leading to $19.6 million in payments between 2006 and 2022.
In late 2006, Bischoff returned on Raw to announce his book release. He blasted remarks at McMahon, saying 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.
In January 2007, Mr. McMahon started a feud with Donald Trump, leading to a Hair vs. Hair match at WrestleMania 23. McMahon's hair was shaved bald after his representative lost the match.
On June 11, 2007, WWE aired a segment where Mr. McMahon entered a limousine that exploded. WWE.com reported Mr. McMahon was "presumed dead" as part of a storyline. The show went off-air shortly after.
In February 2008, John "Bradshaw" Layfield revealed that Hornswoggle was not McMahon's son but Finlay's. It turned out that the scam was thought up by Shane, Stephanie and Linda McMahon, along with Finlay.
On January 5, 2009, Chris Jericho told Stephanie McMahon that McMahon would be returning to Raw soon.
On January 4, 2010, McMahon confronted Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the first time since the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997, seemingly burying the hatchet but then kicking Hart in the groin.
On April 7, 2011, McMahon's company ceased using the full name World Wrestling Entertainment and henceforth referred to itself solely as WWE to reflect WWE's global entertainment expansion.
In 2011, Vince McMahon allegedly sexually assaulted a tanning spa worker in California, leading to a lawsuit filed in December 2022.
On June 11, 2012, McMahon returned to give a job evaluation to John Laurinaitis. After a conflict with Cena and Big Show, McMahon declared that if Big Show lost his match at No Way Out, Laurinaitis would be fired.
From June 2013, members of the McMahon family began to dispute various elements of the control of WWE, such as the fates of Daniel Bryan, and of Raw and SmackDown general managers Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero.
In 2013, during a performance review on Paul Heyman, Vince McMahon was assaulted by Brock Lesnar, who attacked him with the F-5, breaking his pelvis and requiring surgery.
Vince McMahon was reported to have since dropped off the list of Billionaires.
On May 16, 2014, Vince McMahon's net worth dropped to an estimated $750 million after his WWE stock fell $350 million due to disappointing business outcomes.
On November 3, 2014, McMahon returned to Raw, making a stipulation that if Team Cena defeated Team Authority at Survivor Series, The Authority would be removed from power.
In 2014, Vince and Linda McMahon donated $1 million to federal candidates and political action committees affiliated with the Republican Party.
In early 2014, Vince McMahon stepped aside from his on-screen authority role to evaluate Triple H and Stephanie's control of the company after they created The Authority.
On December 14, 2015, McMahon aligned himself with The Authority, confronting Roman Reigns and granting him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch with a stipulation.
In 2015, Vince McMahon returned to the billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.
On the January 4, 2016, episode of Raw, McMahon made himself special guest referee in Reigns' rematch against Sheamus, where Reigns won after McMahon was knocked out.
On the April 3, 2017, episode of Raw, McMahon returned to announce Kurt Angle as the new Raw General Manager and the upcoming Superstar Shake-up.
On January 22, 2018, McMahon returned on Raw 25 Years, calling the WWE Universe "cheap" and turning heel once again. He was later confronted and stunnered by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
On the December 17, 2018, episode of Monday Night Raw, McMahon returned with his family, promising to shake things up and announcing that the four of them would collectively run Raw and SmackDown Live.
In 2018, Vince McMahon's net worth reached $3.6 billion.
Between 2019 and 2022, Janel Grant worked at WWE global headquarters.
In 2019, Jon Moxley, formerly Dean Ambrose, left WWE for AEW, citing WWE's creative process and singling out Vince McMahon as the problem.
In 2019, Vince McMahon began making undisclosed hush money payments to two women, which continued until 2022.
In early 2019, McMahon entered in the feud between Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston, not letting that latter receive a WWE championship match at WrestleMania.
Between 2020 and 2021, Janel Grant alleged that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and trafficked by McMahon.
On April 7, 2021, AEW Dynamite emerged victorious against WWE NXT in the Wednesday Night Wars, leading to NXT moving to Tuesday nights.
McMahon appeared at WrestleMania 37 on April 10, 2021, to welcome the fans back in person after a year of halting live events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 6, 2021, production was announced for "The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon," a scripted television series centered around the steroid case, produced by WWE Studios and Blumhouse Television.
On November 22, 2021, Vince McMahon launched an investigation on Raw to find out who stole Cleopatra's Egg, given to him by The Rock. Austin Theory revealed himself as the thief, and McMahon rewarded him with a WWE Championship match against Big E.
Between 2020 and 2021, Janel Grant alleged that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and trafficked by McMahon.
In 2021, Roderick James McMahon III, Vince McMahon's brother, passed away. His passing marked the end of a long life and family ties.
In April 2022, the WWE board began investigating a $3 million hush-money settlement paid by Vince McMahon over an alleged affair with a former employee.
In June 2022, McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE. This decision came in light of claims of hush-money agreements related to affairs with former WWE employees.
In June 2022, Vince McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE, but continued to oversee content development.
On June 17, 2022, Vince McMahon voluntarily stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE pending an internal investigation, with Stephanie McMahon named interim CEO and chairwoman.
In July 2022, Vince McMahon announced his retirement from WWE, marking the end of an era.
On July 22, 2022, Vince McMahon announced his retirement from WWE, only to return six months later.
By October 2022, WWE disclosed $19.6 million in unrecorded payments made by Vince McMahon to settle sexual misconduct claims between 2006 and 2022.
In December 2022, Vince McMahon settled the sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Rita Chatterton. He maintained his innocence but settled to avoid litigation costs, reportedly agreeing to a multimillion-dollar settlement.
In December 2022, a tanning spa worker filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon alleging sexual assault that occurred in California in 2011.
At some point prior to 2022, Vince and Linda McMahon separated, but did not get a divorce.
In 2022, Bryan Alvarez and Variety criticized Vince McMahon for the declining viewership and overall decrease in wrestling popularity since he purchased WCW.
In 2022, Leonard Inzitari corroborated Rita Chatterton's allegations of sexual assault against Vince McMahon in a New York Magazine interview.
In 2022, McMahon appeared on-screen for WWE for the last time. This brought an end to McMahon's long history of on-screen performances for the company.
In 2022, Victoria McMahon, Vince McMahon's mother, passed away. Her passing marked the end of a long life and family ties.
In 2022, Vince McMahon allegedly agreed to pay Janel Grant $3 million in return for an NDA, but stopped paying after $1 million had been paid.
In 2022, Vince McMahon stopped making undisclosed hush money payments to two women.
On January 6, 2023, it was announced that McMahon was planning a return to WWE as executive chairman, ahead of upcoming media rights negotiations and also to explore a potential sale of the company. Also on January 6, Vince McMahon was appointed back to the WWE Board of Directors.
In January 2023, McMahon's return to WWE as executive chairman was confirmed. This marked a reversal of his previous departure from the company's leadership.
In 2023, Stephanie McMahon resigned from her backstage and onscreen roles at WWE.
In January 2024, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit alleging sexual coercion, trafficking, and assault by Vince McMahon. Following the report, McMahon resigned from TKO.
In January 2024, McMahon resigned from TKO after allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault. This marked a significant and controversial end to his involvement with the company.
On January 26, 2024, McMahon resigned from TKO following a report about alleged sexual assaults.
On February 1, 2024, John Laurinaitis accused Vince McMahon of sexual misconduct through his attorney, claiming McMahon exerted power and control over him.
On February 2, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that federal authorities in New York had launched an investigation into sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations made against Vince McMahon.
On September 25, 2024, Netflix released "Mr. McMahon," a documentary series detailing aspects of Vince McMahon's legacy, including his business impact and controversies.
On January 10, 2025, Vince McMahon was fined over $1.7 million by the SEC for undisclosed hush money payments dating back from 2019 to 2022.