The McMahon family (/məkˈmæn/) is an Irish-American family best known for being the former owners of the world's largest professional wrestling company, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Vince McMahon, a third-generation wrestling promoter, served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WWE from 1982 until 2023. Shane McMahon is a 4th generation wrestling promoter.

McMahon
Current regionConnecticut and New York, U.S.
Place of originCounty Galway, Ireland
MembersVincent K. McMahon
Linda McMahon
Shane McMahon
Stephanie McMahon
Triple H (via marriage to Stephanie McMahon)
Connected membersJess McMahon
Vincent J. McMahon

In April 2023, Vince McMahon sold WWE to Endeavor, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The sale was finalized in September 2023, resulting in the merger of WWE and UFC to become divisions of TKO with Vince McMahon retiring in January 2024 amidst an ongoing sex trafficking scandal.[1] The McMahon family has also branched out into movie production and American football via the XFL.

History

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Vincent J. McMahon and Vincent K. McMahon, c. 1970s

The family's wrestling business started when Jess McMahon (1882-1953), a descendant of the Thomond McMahon clan of Western Ireland,[2] began promoting wrestling shows in 1915. Jess and his son, Vincent J. McMahon, formed the Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1953, which was renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and then the World Wrestling Federation.[2]

Vince J. McMahon Sr. married twice, first to Victoria Askew and then to Juanita Johnston.[3][4][5] When he retired in 1982, his son from his first marriage, Vince McMahon Jr., took over the business. Vince McMahon Jr. served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company until July 2022, when he resigned during a sex scandal investigation.[6] The company has been known as World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) since 2002 and Alpha Entertainment, LLC since 2017.[7][8][9]

 
Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Stephanie McMahon in 2014

Vince and Linda's children are Shane and Stephanie.[10] Shane is married to Marissa Mazzola.[11] 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 McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE to run for the United States Senate in Connecticut. Their son, Shane, also departed WWE in 2010 to become Chairman and CEO of YOU On Demand Inc., a New York City-based company that operates primarily in China. Shane returned to 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. As of June 2016, the WWE had 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. She held the position from 2017 to 2019.[14]

Since January 2023, there had been speculation that WWE had been placed for sale.[15] Hours before WrestleMania 39 Night two 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, with Endeavor holding a 51% stake.[16] The sale was confirmed the next day on April 3, 2023. WrestleMania 39 subsequently became the final WrestleMania event under McMahon family ownership, though Vince maintained his position as executive chairman of WWE.[17] The sale was finalized on September 12, with the 2023 Payback being the final major event produced by WWE under the McMahon family ownership. WWE and UFC subsequently became divisions under a new entity called TKO Group Holdings.[18] By early 2024, Vince McMahon, no longer the majority stockholder in WWE, severed ties with the company amid a sex trafficking scandal involving a former employee.[19]

Family tree

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Roderick McMahon
(1844–1922)
Elizabeth Dowling
(1846–1911)
Roderick James "Jess" McMahon
(1882–1954)
Rose E. Davis
(1891–1958)
Victoria H. Hanner
(1920–2022)[20]
Vincent James McMahon
(1914–1984)
Juanita W. Johnston
(1916–1998)[21]
Vincent Kennedy McMahon
(born 1945)
Linda Marie Edwards
(born 1948)
Stephanie Marie McMahon
(born 1976)[22]
Paul Michael Levesque
(born 1969)[23]
Shane Brandon McMahon
(born 1970)
Marissa Mazzola
(born 1973)[24]
Aurora Rose Levesque
(born 2006)
Murphy Claire Levesque
(born 2008)[25]
Vaughn Evelyn Levesque
(born 2010)
Declan James McMahon
(born 2004)
Kenyon Jesse McMahon
(born 2006)
Rogan Henry McMahon
(born 2010)

McMahon job titles

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Farrell, James (2024-01-27). "WWE Founder Vince McMahon Resigns After Sex Trafficking Accusations—Here Are The Previous Allegations Against Him". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  2. ^ a b "Vince McMahon, Sr. biography". WWE. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  3. ^ Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-741-3.
  4. ^ Nation, Ryan (August 22, 2007). "Anyone for tennis? Mr. McMahon!". CANOE. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Petrie, John (January 19, 1998). "WWF Raw recap". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on May 21, 2001. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  6. ^ Adams, Matt (July 22, 2022). "WWE owner Vince McMahon announces his retirement amid a sex scandal investigation". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Alpha Entertainment LLC". alphaentllc.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "WWE'S Linda McMahon Resigns to Run for U.S. Senate" (PDF) (Press release). World Wrestling Entertainment. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  9. ^ "Vince McMahon biography". IGN. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  10. ^ a b "Linda McMahon biography". WWE. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  11. ^ a b "Shane McMahon biography". NNDB. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  12. ^ "It's a girl". WWE. 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  13. ^ "WWE 12.31.13 10K Doc". www.sec.gov.
  14. ^ "Senate confirmation vote PN48". February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Sherman, Alex (January 7, 2023). "Vince McMahon is back at WWE to ensure a smooth sale process. Here's who might want to buy it". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Sherman, Alex (April 2, 2023). "WWE near deal to be sold to UFC parent Endeavor, sources say". CNBC. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  17. ^ Valinsky, Jordan (April 3, 2023). "WWE is combining with UFC to form a new company". CNN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  18. ^ "Endeavor and WWE® Deal to Create TKO Group Holdings Expected to Close September 12". Business Wire. September 7, 2023. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Draper, Kevin (January 26, 2024). "Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after sex abuse suit". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "Victoria Askew Obituary". Askew-Houser Funeral Home. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  21. ^ "Juanita W. McMahon". Genealogy Bank. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  22. ^ "Stephanie McMahon profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  23. ^ John Milner and Jason Clevett (2004-12-05). "Triple H biography". CANOE. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "Marissa Mazzola profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  25. ^ "Stephanie McMahon gives birth to second child". IGN. 2008-07-28. Archived from the original on 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-07-28.