McMahon family

The McMahon family are an Irish-American family, best known as being businesspeople and entertainment promoters, and the founders/owners of the world's most prominent professional wrestling and sports entertainment company World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE).

Family legacy

The dynasty began when Roderick McMahon, who was descended from the McMahon family of Western Ireland, known as "Jess",^[1] started promoting wrestling shows in 1925. He, along with Toots Mondt formed the Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1953.^[2] When he died in 1954, his son, Vincent J. McMahon, took over the business, which would subsequently be renamed twice during his tenure (as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and then the World Wrestling Federation).^[1] Vincent J. had two wives, Victoria (Vickie) and Juanita, with Vickie still living today.^[2][3][4] When Vincent J. retired in 1982, his son from his first marriage, Vincent K. McMahon, purchased the business and currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer of the company, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since 2002.^[5][6]

4th and 5th generation

Vince and Linda's children are Shane and Stephanie.^[7] Shane is married to Marissa Mazzola^[8] and Stephanie is married to Paul Levesque, better known by his wrestling moniker Triple H.^[7]

Stephanie and Paul have three daughters named Aurora Rose, Murphy Claire, and Vaughn Evelyn.^[9] Shane and Marissa have three sons, Declan James, Kenyon Jesse, and Rogan Henry.^[8]

Linda would step down as CEO to run for United States Senate in Connecticut. Their son, Shane also eventually departed WWE at the beginning of 2009 to become Chairman and Principal executive officer of You on Demand Inc, a New York City based company with its primary business in China. Vince and Stephanie are the only two members born into the McMahon family still working under the brand as of 2015, although every member holds a collective 90% of WWE stock through WWE's Class B shares, which the family controls completely. As of July, 2015 the WWE has a USD market cap of over $1.3 Billion^[10]

Family tree

Wrestling as a family

Team McMahon

Villainous Alliances (1998–2008)

Though Vince and Shane had paired up before in numerous operations and stables over the years since their authority in the company was acknowledged on-screen in 1998, it was not until 2006 that the pair became a regular tag team. The team formed as heels when Shane returned to aid his father's rivalry with Shawn Michaels. Shane appeared on Raw to force Michaels to join Vince's "Kiss My Ass club". He also faced Michaels in a street fight on the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event and, in a fashion similar to the Montreal Screwjob, Shane put Michaels in the Sharpshooter as Vince called for the bell, giving Shane the victory. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 22, Vince recruited the services of Triple H (seemingly a revival of The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, but with no implications of their relationship), and Michaels enlisted the aid of WWE Champion John Cena (whom Triple H was feuding with at the time) to help him against the McMahons. Michaels got his revenge at WrestleMania by defeating Vince in a No Holds Barred match and forcing Shane to join his father's "Kiss My Ass Club" in the process.

The McMahons' rivalry with Michaels took a religious turn after WrestleMania, when Vince, claiming that Michaels' victory was a result of "divine intervention", booked himself and his son in a match at Backlash against Shawn Michaels and his tag team partner, "God". Around this time, Vince began to act strangely, and at one point began considering himself a god in a personal religion called "McMahonism". Shane teamed with Vince to defeat Shawn Michaels "and God" at Backlash, due to help from The Spirit Squad, a team of male cheerleaders whom the McMahons had recently encouraged to join with them. Triple H later turned away from the McMahons and walked out of a WWE Championship match for which he was referee, leading to Michaels taking over and helping Cena retain his championship against Spirit Squad member Kenny. Triple H accidentally hit Shane with his sledgehammer while aiming for Michaels, putting Shane out of the ring for a while. When Triple H then attempted to lead the Spirit Squad in an attack on Michaels, he was disrespected by Kenny, and as a result, turned on the Squad. Triple H began his rivalry with the McMahons shortly after, leading to his siding with Shawn Michaels in the reformation of D-Generation X (DX). Vince booked a match for Vengeance on June 25, 2006, where DX defeated the Spirit Squad in a 5-on-2 handicap match. Vince also booked a match at another Saturday Night's Main Event on the July 15 edition in a 5-on-2 elimination match, where DX was again victorious. This loss frustrated the McMahons to a point where Vince made a match at SummerSlam between himself and Shane against DX. Despite interference from various villains including the Spirit Squad, Mr. Kennedy, Finlay, William Regal, Big Show and Umaga, DX were again victorious.

The McMahons then recruited ECW Champion, Big Show to join their force against DX. Vince booked a match at Unforgiven on September 17 where he teamed up with his son Shane and Big Show to take on DX in a 3-on-2 handicap Hell in a Cell match. At Unforgiven, DX defeated the McMahons and Big Show and embarrassed Vince by putting his face in Big Show's lower backside, ending the rivalry once and for all. The McMahons were then seen together in March 2007, scheming for Shane McMahon to be the guest referee at WrestleMania 23 in his father's "Battle of The Billionaires" match. Ultimately, their quest was denied as Stone Cold Steve Austin was announced as the guest referee. Shane and Vince then reunited once again, this time at WrestleMania where Shane tried to help his father win his match against Donald Trump by helping knock out Austin and revealing himself as being a second referee. But their efforts failed when Bobby Lashley, who was Trump's representative pinned Mr. McMahon's representative, Umaga, and as a result, Vince had to have his head shaved bald. After WrestleMania, Shane then helped his father out once again by siding with him in his ongoing feud with Bobby Lashley. The McMahons, along with Umaga, faced Lashley at Backlash for his ECW Championship in a 3-on-1 Handicap match. At Backlash, Shane helped his father claim his first ECW Championship. At One Night Stand, Vince lost the title back to Lashley, despite interference from Shane and Umaga. Vince would go insane from losing the title, even for his own persona's standards, in a storyline which would become infamous for a limo explosion scene through which the Mr. McMahon character became "presumed dead". Shane, Stephanie, and their mother/Vince's wife Linda McMahon would become key figures pushing the storyline investigation. However, this angle suddenly preempted with the real-life death of Chris Benoit, as in paying what was thought to be proper tribute before the grisly details behind Benoit's passing came to light, Vince effectively retconned his own character's death by appearing on Raw in an empty arena and disclosing on-air that it was a faked event. In September 2007 until the beginning of 2008, Vince and Shane seemingly didn't appear very often on Raw, except for the short-lived angle involving Hornswoggle, which ended at Survivor Series in November, but started up again in February 2008.

Hiatus (2008–2009)

In 2008, McMahon had to no alliances formed as he hosted "McMahon's Million Dollar Mania" for the first half and was inactive the rest of the year, as the Million Dollar Mania storyline ended with yet another "death" for McMahon in the form of a pyrotechnic accident. This angle was a work, but was made to look real as possible with Triple H coming to Vince's aid, and Vince calling him by his real first name "Paul." In late 2008/early 2009, Vince returned, but only to be punted by Randy Orton. Weeks later, Shane and Stephanie would suffer the same fates. This would be the beginning of the fan favorite alliance of Team McMahon.

Face team (2009)

On the March 30, 2009 edition of Raw, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and WWE Champion Triple H (now openly acknowledged as Stephanie McMahon's husband) joined forces to attack Randy Orton and The Legacy (Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes). This was part of the current feud between Triple H and Orton, which was spurred on by Orton's attacks on Vince, Shane, and eventually Stephanie, to get to Triple H over the preceding months. This marked the first time that Vince McMahon has been in a fan favorite group since Team WWF during the Invasion storyline, and the first time that Vince and Shane McMahon have ever been aligned together as hero characters. The night after Triple H's victory over Orton at WrestleMania XXV, Vince and Shane continued to stand by Triple H in his feud against Orton, even booking themselves alongside him in a six-man tag team match against Legacy at Backlash (albeit one in which a Legacy win would grant Orton the WWE Championship). However, when Orton beat Vince down to near-incapacitation in a match on the same night, Batista returned from an injury at the hands of Orton (in storyline) seeking revenge. Vince allowed Batista to take his place at Backlash. Shane, Batista, and Triple H worked as a unit against Legacy the entire month leading up to and including the match, but had some moments of dissension due to all wanting to destroy Orton themselves. One of those miscues, involving Batista and a steel chair at Backlash, actually allowed Orton to punt Triple H, pin him for the WWE Championship, and hospitalize him in storyline for two months.

Second heel run (2009)

With Shane and Stephanie disappearing from on-screen involvement as well, Batista would carry on alone in his fight with Orton and Legacy. He eventually won the WWE Championship in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules, but would be sidelined with another injury credited in storyline to an Orton assault the next night on Raw. Before Orton could take the title back by forfeit, however, Triple H returned and beat Orton down. Orton would win the now-vacant championship back again the following week by pinning Big Show in a fatal-four-way also involving Triple H and John Cena, though Triple H would win a 10-man battle royal the same night to remain number one contender. That same night, Vince McMahon diverged into a business deal storyline with Donald Trump in which he would become somewhat villainous again. The week afterwards, Triple H challenged Orton to a draw in a last man standing match, after which Vince, fresh off "buying back" the Raw brand that he had "sold" to Trump, forced Orton into another title defense against Triple H, this one being Three Stages of Hell at The Bash. The McMahons have only gotten involved one time in Triple H and Orton's feud since, when Vince, in the midst of his storyline on SmackDown of being unfair towards General Manager Theodore Long, would team up with DX for one night only against the Legacy on his birthday. The match would dissolve into a fight, following which John Cena, who was Orton's direct rival at the time, got involved and aligned himself with Team McMahon. After this, though, Vince would continue his villainous role on SmackDown in his storyline with Long and consultant Vickie Guerrero, making reappearances on Raw in roles of enmity with fan-favorite legend guest hosts Roddy Piper and Bret Hart, as well as John Cena, an avid supporter of Hart. Batista would begin a feud with Cena, initially because Vince wanted to punish Cena for supporting Hart. Vince's involvement in the feud waned as it became more personal, stemming from Batista and Cena's similar histories, with both wrestlers debuting in 2002, winning world championships at WrestleMania 21 in 2005 (both successfully defending their first reigns for 9 months as well), and becoming top stars in the company since. The McMahon vs. Hart and Batista vs. John Cena feuds would conclude at WrestleMania XXVI with Hart and Cena winning their matches. As of now Team McMahon hasn't been a stable since Vince was kayfabe injured by the Nexus.

The Authority (2013 - present)

Triple H returned at the end of the July 18, 2011 edition of Raw after the WWE's board of directors relieved his father-in-law Vince McMahon of his duties thus becoming the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the WWE.^[18] At that time, it was during a storyline where then-leader of the The New Nexus CM Punk had won the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank event and left the company. He was later then stripped of his authoritative powers by McMahon in October 2011, though he remained COO, but was replaced by John Laurinaitis who was the General Manager of Raw.^[19]

Two years later, in June 2013, a dispute (kayfabe) between members of the McMahon family for control of the WWE began. The CEO and chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon, his daughter Stephanie, and son-in-law Triple H decided to control Raw as a team. However, they differed between the three decisions. On the July 8 edition of Raw, Triple H, Vince, and Stephanie would decide the fate of the Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero. While Vince wanted to promote her as the definitive General Manager of the show, Triple H voted for the resignation of Guerrero. Stephanie then upheld the decision of the husband, and Vickie resigned. Immediately after the resignation of Guerrero, Vince promoted Vickie's assistant, Brad Maddox, as the new General Manager of Raw.^[20] On the July 19 edition of SmackDown, Vince announced that Guerrero would be the General Manager of the show.^[21]

During the July 15 edition of Raw, WWE Champion John Cena chose to face Daniel Bryan for the title at SummerSlam.^[22][23] In the following weeks, Bryan has undergone a physical transformation which included a haircut and use of a suit to appease Vince McMahon, who hadn't seen him as a top player for the company, while Triple H saw him as a future star. He folded the transformations by refusing to cut his beard. Also, Triple H was announced as the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.^[24]

At SummerSlam, Bryan defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship. However, immediately after the match Triple H gave to Bryan a Pedigree, so that Randy Orton could cash in his Money in the Bank contract, turning heel for the first time since 2006.^[25] Vince McMahon then appeared in December at the end of the TLC pay-per-view, celebrating with Randy Orton and The Authority.[95] In early 2014, McMahon stepped aside from his on-screen authority role in order to evaluate Triple H and Stephanie's control of the company. McMahon returned on the November 3, 2014 episode of Raw as a fan favorite, making a stipulation that if Team Cena had defeated Team Authority at Survivor Series, The Authority would be removed from power.[96] Team Cena won the match, but McMahon gave John Cena the option to reinstate The Authority. While the stable has a very particular idea of what they want the WWE to look like, who ranks at the top and who ranks at the bottom. In this regard, they play very tyrannical, power-abusing, and sadistic co-owners, justifying all of their actions as being "what's best for business.", the entire stable consisted of Seth Rollins, who represented Triple-H and Stephanie's selected future of the business and up-and-coming younger talent as well as a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, J&J Security; Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury, who acted as Rollins personal bodyguards, Big Show; who represented the authorities muscle, and Kane, who formerly acted as the "Director of Operations".

In 2015, Vince McMahon returned on the December 14, 2015 episode of Raw as a heel, aligning himself with The Authority, and making himself the new leader due to Triple h been injured.

McMahon job titles

• Vince McMahon – Chairman and CEO, WWE
• Linda McMahon – Member of the Board of Trustees, Sacred Heart University, former CEO, WWE
• Shane McMahon – Chairman and Principal Executive Officer, You on Demand Inc., former Executive VP, WWE
• Stephanie McMahon – Chief Brand Officer and WWE board member, former Executive VP, WWE

McMahon family fortune

• Vince McMahon – $1.2 Billion ^[26]
• Linda McMahon – $855 Million ^[27][28]
• Shane McMahon – $35 Million ^[29]
• Stephanie McMahon – $67 Million ^[30]

References