American family prominent in the fields of professional wrestling, business and politics
The McMahon family is an Irish-American family, primarily known for their involvement in the professional wrestling business. They were the founders, owners, and promoters of the wrestling company, WWE. Vince McMahon, a third-generation wrestling promoter, was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company. Vince joined his father's regional wrestling company, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), in 1969 and purchased the promotion 13 years later, which had been renamed to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. The company went public in 1999 and was then renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002, with "WWE" becoming its public trade name in 2011. Today, its programs are broadcast in 150 countries and more than 30 languages.[1] The company has also branched out into movie production and—separate from WWE—American football, with two incarnations of the XFL. In April 2023, Vince sold the company to Endeavor but remained as WWE's Executive Chairman.
History
The family’s involvement in wrestling started when Jess McMahon, a descendant of the Thomond McMahon clan of Western Ireland,[2] began promoting wrestling shows in 1915. He died in 1954. Jess and his son, Vincent J. McMahon, formed the Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1953, which would subsequently be renamed twice during his tenure (as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and then the World Wrestling Federation).[2] Vince Sr. had two wives, Victoria Askew, and Juanita Johnston.[3][4][5] When he retired in 1982, his son from his first marriage, Vince McMahon, purchased the business and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company until July 2022, when he retired during a sex scandal investigation.[6] The company is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) since 2002 and Alpha Entertainment, LLC since 2017.[7][8][9]
Vince and Linda's children are Shane and Stephanie.[10] Shane is married to Marissa Mazzola,[11] and Stephanie is married to Paul Levesque, best known by his wrestling moniker Triple H.[10] Stephanie and Paul have three daughters named Aurora Rose, Murphy Claire, and Vaughn Evelyn.[12] Shane and Marissa have three sons, Declan James, Kenyon Jesse, and Rogan Henry.[11] Linda stepped down as CEO to run for United States Senate in Connecticut. Their son, Shane also departed WWE at the beginning of 2010 to become Chairman and Principal executive officer of YOU On Demand Inc., a New York City-based company that primarily operates in China, but would later return to the WWE in 2016 as an on-screen talent. Vince, Stephanie, and Shane were the only three members born into the McMahon family working under the brand as of 2021. Every member holds a collective 90% of WWE stock through WWE's Class B shares, which the family controls completely. As of June 2016, the WWE has a market cap of over $1.38 billion.[13]
In December 2016, Linda was nominated to be the Administrator of the Small Business Administration by President Donald Trump, and she served from 2017 through 2019.[14]
Since January 2023, there had been speculation that WWE had been placed up for sale. Hours before WrestleMania 39 Night 2 began, CNBC reported via multiple sources that a deal between WWE and Endeavor, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was imminent. The deal involved a merger of WWE with the UFC into a new publicly-traded company TKO Group Holdings, with Endeavor holding a 51% stake.[15] The sale was confirmed the next day on April 3, 2023. WrestleMania 39 subsequently became the final event in which WWE was owned and controlled by the McMahon family, but Vince maintained his position as executive chairman of WWE.[16]
