Vince McMahon Sr.

Photo credit: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

Real name: Vincent James McMahon
Born: Harlem, New York
Date of birth: July 6, 1914
Date of death: May 24, 1984

Biography

– As a child, McMahon would often play backstage at Madison Square Garden whilst his father, Jess, was working there
– In November 1954, McMahon inherited his father’s share of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. McMahon and co-owner Toots Mondt saw the company grow to control around 70% of NWA booking by the early 60s
– In 1955, McMahon secured a television deal for his promotion, one of the first deals of its kind
– In 1963, McMahon and Mondt withdrew from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation, promoting Buddy Rogers as their first champion
– By 1970, the WWWF was arguably the top promotion in the United States, if not the world, a position it has retained almost ever since
– In 1971, McMahon rejoined the NWA, though kept his promotion out of the organisation
– In 1979, McMahon renamed his promotion to the World Wrestling Federation
– In 1982, McMahon sold his share of the WWF to his son, Vince Jr. The rest, as they say, is history
– In 1984, McMahon developed pancreatic cancer and died after a short battle at the age of 69
– In 1996, McMahon was inducted into the then-WWF Hall of Fame by his grandson Shane