Vincent J. McMahon
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Vincent James McMahon (July 6, 1914 – May 24, 1984) was a U.S. professional wrestling promoter. His father Roderick James "Jess" McMahon was a successful boxing and concert promoter who had worked with legendary Madison Square Garden promoter Tex Rickard. He saw the tremendous potential for growth that the pro-wrestling industry had in the era following World War II, especially with the development of television and its insatiable need for new programming. Similar to boxing, wrestling took place primarily within a small ring and could be covered adequately by one or two cameras, and venues for it could readily be assembled in television studios, lessening production costs.
McMahon's group the Capitol Wrestling Corporation and later the World Wide Wrestling Federation came to dominate pro wrestling in the 1950s and 1960s in the nation's most populous area—the Northeast. (Despite its lofty and pretentious name, the WWWF was, like all pro wrestling promotions of its time, mostly a regional operation. It was, however, the one that came to dominate the most lucrative region.) He had an eye for talent and for "booking" the matches that would lead to the most drama and excitement for the fans.
Vincent J. McMahon later sold the parent company of the WWF to his son Vincent Kennedy McMahon and his company Titan Sports, Inc. The younger McMahon, much to his father's initial concern, set out to make it truly national and even truly world-wide in scope. To mark the change in the company, he had restarted the company by dropping the second "W" in the name of the group, making it simply the World Wrestling Federation. McMahon (the younger) was largely successful, and the WWF quickly became one of the most prominent exponents of "Sports Entertainment". Today, it is now known as the WWE, short for World Wrestling Entertainment. Vincent J. McMahon's grandchildren Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon also work for the company.
On May 24, 1984, he died after a four-month hospital battle with cancer. He was sixty-nine years old.
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[edit] Trivia
- Vince J. McMahon's final night at Madison Square Garden was the night Hulk Hogan won the Heavyweight title on January 23, 1984.
- McMahon is responsible for naming Hogan, Andre the Giant, the Fabulous Moolah, and Haystacks Calhoun.
- Vince Sr. was known for jingling change in his pocket whenever he was concentrating.
- Most people involved in the business agree that Vincent Kennedy waited until his father died to deliberately disobey his wishes to not take the WWF national and destroy the territories. (Vince himself has stated that his father would never have sold him the company if he knew what his son was planning to do).
- On the DVD "The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA," it is stated that after losing the WWF, Vince Sr. offered to buy the American Wrestling Association from Verne Gagne.
[edit] Accomplishments
- Founder of World Wide Wrestling Federation.
- 1984 Madison Square Garden Hall of Famer
- 1996 WWE Hall of Famer
- 1996 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame inductee
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| The McMahon wrestling family | |
|---|---|
| Jess | Vincent J. | Vincent K. | Linda | Shane | Marissa | Triple H | Stephanie | |
