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62-683: The World Wrestling Alliance is used by several regional and independent professional wrestling promotions, which include: World Wrestling Alliance, a failed 1987 split from the National Wrestling Alliance formed by Kansas City-based Bob Geigel; see Heart of America Sports Attractions World Wrestling Alliance (Massachusetts) , an American independent promotion based in New England and founded by Mike Sparta and Brittany Brown World Wrestling Alliance, alleged sanctioning body for

124-519: A worked shoot promo during which he ran down McMahon, outing him as chairman and not just a commentator for the first time in WWF storylines. This was followed up on the October 23 Raw with Stone Cold Steve Austin referring to then-WWF President Gorilla Monsoon as "just a puppet" and that it was McMahon "pulling all the strings". The March 17, 1997 WWF Raw Is War is cited by some as the beginning of

186-574: A 51% stake in TKO, with WWE's shareholders having a 49% stake, valuing WWE at $ 9.3 billion. McMahon will serve as the executive chairman of TKO and oversee the new company's WWE and UFC divisions. Upon completion of the deal, McMahon was expected to personally own 34% of TKO Group. The merger between WWE and UFC as TKO was completed on September 12, 2023, with WWE and UFC continuing to operate as separate divisions of TKO by focusing on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts respectively. On October 15, it

248-600: A commentator or host. First, in 1977, when he and Arnold Skaaland were struck from behind by Captain Lou Albano , as part of a kayfabe "Manager Of the Year" storyline, when Albano was disgruntled over losing to Skaaland. In 1985, Andre the Giant grabbed him by the collar during an interview on Tuesday Night Titans . Andre had become irritated at McMahon's questions regarding his feud with Big John Studd and their match at

310-672: A filing with the SEC , appointing Vince McMahon by himself, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson back to the WWE Board of Directors. On January 10, McMahon assumed the role of executive Chairman of the WWE. On April 3, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a deal under which WWE would merge with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to form a new publicly traded company trading under the symbol "TKO". Endeavor will hold

372-716: A new direction for WWE where he stated that it would "be a bit edgier, but still remain in the PG environment". In another conference call on July 29, 2021, McMahon stated that he doesn't consider AEW competition and that he was "not so sure what their investments are as far as their talent is concerned". WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite competed in the Wednesday Night Wars , from October 2, 2019, to April 7, 2021, which ended with AEW Dynamite emerging victorious and NXT moving to Tuesday nights. This eventually led WWE to revamp NXT with major changes to "NXT 2.0" starting from

434-450: A pay dispute with McMahon's father, Vincent J. McMahon , shortly before a scheduled television taping. The elder McMahon let Morgan walk instead of giving in to his demands and needed a replacement on the spot, offering it to his son. For the younger McMahon, it was also somewhat of a compromise, as it allowed him to appear on television. McMahon wanted to be a wrestler but his father did not let him, explaining that promoters did not appear on

496-507: A result, the WWF was able to expand its fanbase into a national mainstream audience as the promotion was featured heavily on MTV programming. On March 31, 1985, he ran the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden , available on closed-circuit television in various markets throughout the United States. McMahon's success of birthing WrestleMania in the 1980s had a significant impact on the 1980s professional wrestling boom during

558-576: A ring announcer for the WWWF's All-Star Wrestling . In 1971, he was assigned to a small territory in Maine, where he promoted his first card. He later became the play-by-play commentator for television matches after replacing Ray Morgan in 1971, a role he regularly maintained until November 1997. In the 1970s, McMahon became a prominent force in his father's company and, over the next decade, assisted his father in tripling TV syndication. The younger McMahon

620-587: A tennis facility in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania . The McMahons have supported the Special Olympics since 1986, first developing an interest through their friendship with NBC producer Dick Ebersol and Susan Saint James , who encouraged them to participate. Before the evolution of the Mr. McMahon character, McMahon appeared as a commentator on television. His executive role was not publicized to maintain

682-567: A version of the World Heavyweight Championship recognised in British Wrestling 1979-1988 See also [ edit ] World Wrestling Association (disambiguation) WWA (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title World Wrestling Alliance . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

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744-421: A wrestler, but his father did not allow him, explaining that promoters did not appear on the show and should stay apart from their wrestlers. In 1968, McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a business degree and after a nondescript career as a traveling salesman, he was eager to assume a managerial role in his father's World Wide Wrestling Federation promotion. In 1969, McMahon made his debut as

806-442: Is feuding with at that particular time, and was included on the 2006 McMahon DVD. As a commentator, McMahon was a babyface "voice of the fans", a contrast to the heel color commentator , usually Jesse Ventura , Bobby Heenan or Jerry Lawler . While most of McMahon's on-screen physicality took place under his "Mr. McMahon" persona later in his career, he was involved in physical altercations on WWF television several times as

868-520: The American Wrestling Association (AWA). In 1984, he recruited Hulk Hogan to be the WWF's charismatic new megastar, and the two quickly drew the ire of industry peers as the promotion began traveling and broadcasting into rival territories. McMahon, who still also fronted as the WWF's squeaky clean babyface announcer, created The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection by incorporating pop music stars into wrestling storylines. As

930-617: The WWE Network . In 2017, McMahon established Alpha Entertainment, a separate entity from WWE. Vince and Linda McMahon donated over $ 8 million in 2008, giving grants to the Fishburne Military School , Sacred Heart University , and East Carolina University . Nonprofit Quarterly noted the majority of the McMahons' donations were toward capital expenditures . In 2006, they paid $ 2.5 million for construction of

992-659: The World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL football league. He is the owner of Alpha Entertainment. McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in business in 1968, and began his tenure in professional wrestling as a commentator for WWE (then called the World Wide Wrestling Federation or WWWF) for most of the 1970s. He bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon , in 1982 and almost monopolized

1054-468: The XFL , a professional American football league. The league began in February 2001, with McMahon making an appearance at the first game, but folded after one season due to low television ratings. This wasn't until January 25, 2018, when he announced its resurrection . The league filed for bankruptcy on April 13, 2020. In February 2014, McMahon helped launch an over-the-top streaming service called

1116-426: The evil Mr. McMahon, who began a legendary feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin , who challenged his authority. As a result, the WWF suddenly found itself back in national pop-culture, drawing millions of viewers for its weekly Monday Night Raw broadcasts, which ranked among the highest-rated shows on cable television. In October 1999, McMahon led the WWF in an initial public offering of company stock. Also, during

1178-652: The " Montreal Screwjob "). McMahon announced the beginning of the Attitude Era on the December 15th, 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw, where McMahon stated "This is a conscious effort on our part to 'open the creative envelope', in order to entertain in a more contemporary manner, extends far beyond the strict confines of sports presentation into the wide open environment of broad based entertainment. We borrow from such programs niches like soap-operas and others widely accepted forms of television entertainment and tired of

1240-524: The "Midwest Wrestling Association" before the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance it controlled and booked shows territories in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa and was seen as a cornerstone of the NWA. It joined the NWA in October 1948. The territory was promoted by Pinkie George and the first official NWA World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown ( Sonny Myers being the preceding unofficial one) from

1302-507: The "World Wrestling Alliance" in an attempt to compete with the national expansion of Jim Crockett and Vince McMahon . The move did not pay off and Geigel closed the WWA in 1989. The NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship is currently controlled by the NWA affiliate Central-States Championship Wrestling (CCW). The promotion's classic tape library is currently owned by WWE , who obtained through their purchase of World Championship Wrestling,

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1364-546: The Attitude Era and "ushered in a new era of refined and compelling storytelling". McMahon also had the most say in the WWE company's creative direction. The move into the PG Era made the promotion more appealing to corporate sponsors . On April 7, 2011, McMahon's company ceased using the full name World Wrestling Entertainment and henceforth referred to itself solely as WWE, making the latter an orphan initialism . This

1426-581: The Attitude Era, the company embraced this period by incorporating foul language, graphic violence, and controversial stipulations such as Bra and Panties matches. On June 24, 1999, McMahon appeared on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show and said he viewed Ted Turner as his rival, stating "All I'll say about Ted is he's a son-of-a-bitch, other than that, he's probably not a bad guy, but I don't like him at all". McMahon later came out victorious against Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in

1488-468: The Golden Age Era. During the late 1980s, McMahon shaped the WWF into a unique sports entertainment brand that reached out to family audiences while attracting fans who hadn't paid attention to pro wrestling before. By directing his storylines toward highly publicized supercards, McMahon capitalized on a fledgling revenue stream by promoting these events live on pay-per-view television. In 1987,

1550-556: The May 26, 1990, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling , after Hulk Hogan was attacked by Earthquake during a segment of The Brother Love Show , when Hogan was not moved out of the arena quickly enough. Throughout late 1996 and into 1997, McMahon slowly began to be referred to as the owner on WWF television while remaining as the company's lead play-by-play commentator. On the September 23, 1996 Monday Night Raw , Jim Ross delivered

1612-503: The McMahons to join the International Association of Arena Managers, learning the details of the arena business and networking with other managers through IAAM conferences, which Linda later called a great benefit to WWE's success. In 1990, McMahon founded the World Bodybuilding Federation organization, which folded in 1992. In 2000, McMahon again ventured outside the world of professional wrestling by launching

1674-433: The September 14, 2021, episode. McMahon voluntarily stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE on June 17, 2022, pending an internal investigation, with his daughter Stephanie McMahon being named the interim CEO and interim chairwoman of the WWE. McMahon continued to oversee WWE creative and content development. On July 22, Vince McMahon officially announced his retirement from WWE and named his daughter Stephanie McMahon,

1736-741: The TKO board earlier due to a lawsuit alleging abuse and sexual exploitation, owns approximately 15 million shares of TKO Group's Class A shares after the recent transactions. In 1979, Vince and Linda purchased the Cape Cod Coliseum and the Cape Cod Buccaneers of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League . In addition to pro wrestling and hockey, they began selling out rock concerts (including Van Halen and Rush ) in non-summer months, traditionally considered unprofitable due to lack of tourists. This venture led

1798-523: The WWF as the preeminent wrestling promotion in the late 1990s when initiating a new brand strategy that eventually returned the WWF to prominence. Sensing a public shift toward a more hardened and cynical fan base, McMahon redirected storylines toward a more adult-oriented model. The concept became known as "WWF Attitude" and McMahon commenced the new era when manipulating the WWF Championship away from Bret Hart at Survivor Series (now known as

1860-645: The WWF reportedly drew 93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome (which was called the "biggest crowd in sports-entertainment history") for WrestleMania III , which featured the main event of Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant . In 1993, the company entered the New Generation Era, one of McMahon's toughest times since taking over the company as business went up and down with various projects in the company. After struggling against Ted Turner 's World Championship Wrestling (WCW), McMahon cemented

1922-500: The age of 12. McMahon's paternal grandfather was the boxing promoter Roderick James "Jess" McMahon , whose parents were Irish immigrants from County Galway . His paternal grandmother, Rose Davis, was also of Irish descent. McMahon was raised under the name Vinnie Lupton and spent the majority of his childhood living with his mother and various stepfathers. He later claimed that one of his stepfathers, Leo Lupton, beat his mother and attacked him when he tried to protect her; he said of

World Wrestling Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-481: The assets of ECW on January 28, 2003. In September 2020, professional wrestling promoter, WWE Hall of Famer , and former WCW president Eric Bischoff revealed that during this period of the Monday Night War in television ratings battles between WWE and WCW "Vince was petitioning a lot for Ted. He was trying to embarrass Ted, trying to create some anxiety with the shareholders of Turner Broadcasting. Vince

2046-546: The board of directors and even served as chairman of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1978 until 1987, the period that is considered the last "glory years" of the NWA. Central States Wrestling did not become a household name across the United States until 1973, when Harley Race brought attention to CSW (and its "sister promotion" the St. Louis Wrestling Club ) by winning the NWA World Heavyweight Title for

2108-509: The company and his wife, Linda, became the "co-chief executive". In 1982, Titan acquired control of the CWC from McMahon's ailing father (who died in May 1984) and his partners. When he purchased the WWF in 1982, professional wrestling was a business run by regional promotions. Various promoters understood that they would not invade each other's territories, as this practice had gone on undeterred for decades. The National Wrestling Alliance became

2170-606: The company had lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF trademark. The name change officially occurred the following day on May 6. Although mainly caused by the ruling in favor of the World Wildlife Fund regarding the "WWF" initialism, the company noted it provided an opportunity to emphasize its focus on entertainment. Shortly after its name change, WWE transitioned into its Ruthless Aggression Era; McMahon officially referred to

2232-410: The company's new permanent chairwoman and co-CEO (alongside Nick Khan ). Triple H then replaced Vince McMahon as Head of WWE creative. It was announced on January 6, 2023 by The Wall Street Journal that McMahon was planning a return to WWE as executive chairman, ahead of upcoming media rights negotiations in 2024 and also to explore a potential sale of the company. On January 6, WWE published

2294-454: The creation of the NWA until 1958. The MWA World Heavyweight Championship began in 1940, preceding the consolidation with the CSW and WWA. In 1963, wrestler/promoter Bob Geigel took over and partnered up with Pat O'Conner and promoters George Simpson and Gust Karras to form "Heart of America Sports Attractions, Inc." The promotion continued to be a cornerstone of the NWA with Geigel sitting on

2356-429: The defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 2003. McMahon appeared on-screen for WWE from 1969 until 2022, initially as a personable play-by-play commentator. In 1997, he adopted the character of Mr. McMahon, portrayed as an irascible, villainous, swaggering tyrant who obsessed over maintaining control of his wrestling company and often growled the catchphrase "you're fired!" when dismissing an employee. Under

2418-702: The experience, "It is unfortunate that [Lupton] died before I could kill him. I would have enjoyed that." He graduated in 1964 from Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia , where he reportedly struggled due to dyslexia . Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s McMahon first met the promoter for Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), his father, Vincent J. McMahon, when 12. At that point, McMahon became interested in following in his father's professional wrestling footsteps and often accompanied him on trips to Madison Square Garden . McMahon wanted to be

2480-550: The first WrestleMania . On the September 28, 1991, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling , when Roddy Piper mistakenly hit him with a folding chair aimed at Ric Flair (requiring McMahon to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher ), and again on the November 8, 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw , when Randy Savage hurled him to the floor in an attempt to attack Crush after McMahon attempted to restrain him. McMahon can be seen screaming at medics and WWF personnel during

2542-400: The first time. In 1986, Geigel sold the promotion to Jim Crockett Promotions owner Jim Crockett, Jr. , who ran the territory from September 1986 until February 1987, where Bob Geigel bought the promotion back and co partnered with George Petraski. After stepping down as chairman of the NWA, Geigel withdrew his promotion from the NWA in late 1987 and formed a new sanctioning body known as

World Wrestling Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-431: The governing body for all the regional territories across the country and as far away as Japan. McMahon had a different vision of what the industry could become. In 1983, the WWF split from the NWA again (it had left the NWA in 1963 but rejoined in 1971). He began expanding the company nationally by promoting in areas outside of the company's Northeast U.S. stomping grounds and by signing talent from other companies, such as

2666-493: The illusion of wrestling's staged story lines, or kayfabe . While McMahon did publicly identify himself as the owner of the WWF outside of WWF programming, on television his ownership of the WWF was considered an open secret through the mid-1990s. Jack Tunney was portrayed as the president of WWF instead of McMahon. In 1969, McMahon began appearing on untelevised WWWF events as a ring announcer. McMahon made his commentary debut in 1971 when he replaced Ray Morgan after Morgan had

2728-403: The industry , which previously operated as separate entities across the United States. This led to the development of the annual event WrestleMania , which became one of the world's most successful professional wrestling events . WWE then faced industry competition from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s before purchasing and absorbing WCW in 2001. WWE also purchased the assets of

2790-407: The late 1990s and early 2000s was the result of competition from WCW and forced the company to "go for the jugular". Due to WCW's demise in 2001, McMahon says that they "don't have to" appeal to viewers in the same way and that during the "far more scripted" PG Era, WWE could "give the audience what they want in a far more sophisticated way". McMahon also stated that the move to PG cut the "excess" of

2852-413: The launch of the WWE Network (at the time scheduled to launch in 2012; later pushed back to 2014). The legal name of the company remained World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. for the time. In 2019, Tony Khan 's All Elite Wrestling (better known as AEW) emerged as the second largest professional wrestling promotion in the market after WWE, and during a conference call on July 25, 2019, McMahon announced

2914-421: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_Wrestling_Alliance&oldid=1233932241 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Heart of America Sports Attractions Originally known as

2976-401: The new era as "Ruthless Aggression" on June 24, 2002. This period still featured many similar elements of its predecessor the Attitude Era, including the levels of violence, sex, and profanity, but there was less politically incorrect content, and a further emphasis on wrestling was showcased. In July 2008, all WWE programs shifted to TV-PG ratings. McMahon also stated that the Attitude Era of

3038-638: The new merged company, TKO Group Holdings (TKO). McMahon later resigned from TKO in January 2024 after allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault . McMahon is currently under a federal probe. McMahon was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina , on August 24, 1945, to Victoria (née Hanner; 1920–2022) and Vincent James McMahon (1914–1984), who left the family when McMahon was still a baby and took McMahon's older brother Roderick James McMahon III (1943–2021) with him. McMahon did not meet his father until

3100-488: The previous owners of the library. Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( / m ə k ˈ m æ n / ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda , is a co-founder of the modern WWE , the world's largest professional wrestling promotion . Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included

3162-402: The same old simplistic theory of 'good guys versus bad guys'. Surely the era is definitely, passe. Therefore, we’ve embarked on a far more innovative and contemporary creative campaign, that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before". McMahon, who, for years, had downplayed his ownership of the company and was mostly known as a commentator, became involved in WWF storylines as

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3224-476: The show and should stay apart from their wrestlers. McMahon eventually became the regular play-by-play commentator and maintained that role until November 1997, portraying himself originally as mild-mannered and diplomatic until 1984. In addition to matches, McMahon hosted other WWF shows, and introduced WWF programming to TBS on Black Saturday , upon the WWF's acquisition of Georgia Championship Wrestling and its lucrative Saturday night timeslot . McMahon sold

3286-466: The television ratings in the Monday Night War after an initial 84-week television ratings loss to WCW and afterward acquired the fading WCW from Turner Broadcasting System on March 23, 2001, with an end to the Monday Night War. On April 1, 2001, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) filed for bankruptcy leaving WWF as the last major wrestling promotion at that time. McMahon later acquired

3348-430: The time slot to Jim Crockett Promotions after the move backfired on him. He eventually acquired JCP's successor company, World Championship Wrestling , from AOL Time Warner in 2001. At the 1987 Slammy Awards , McMahon performed in a musical number and sang the song "Stand Back". The campy "Stand Back" video has since resurfaced several times over the years as a running gag between McMahon and any face wrestler he

3410-471: The villainous Mr. McMahon gimmick, he competed in wrestling matches and became a one-time WWE Champion , a one-time ECW Champion , a Royal Rumble winner, and a multi-time pay-per-view headliner. Following claims of hush-money agreements McMahon paid over affairs with former WWE employees, McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE in June 2022, pending the conclusion of an internal investigation. He

3472-621: Was also behind the Muhammad Ali versus Antonio Inoki match of 1976. He pushed for the renaming of the company to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. On February 21, 1980, McMahon officially founded Titan Sports and the company's headquarters were established in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts , using the now-defunct Cape Cod Coliseum as a home base for the company. McMahon then became chairman of

3534-401: Was announced that Endeavor Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel made the call to remove McMahon from WWE creative power and then granted the responsibility to Triple H to drive 99.9% of the creative moving forward. As a result, McMahon is no longer involved in the WWE creative direction of the company. On January 26, 2024, one day after a report about alleged sexual assaults committed by McMahon

3596-473: Was pretty obvious what Vince was trying to do. We all just chuckled about it". In a conference call in 2021, McMahon described the "situation where 'rising tides' because that was when Ted Turner was coming after us with all of Time Warner's assets as well". On May 5, 2002, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. announced that it would be changing both its company name and the name of its wrestling promotion to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after

3658-498: Was published by The Wall Street Journal , Deadline confirmed that McMahon had resigned from TKO. In a statement, he said the decision was made "out of respect for the WWE Universe, TKO, shareholders, and business partners." In March 2024, McMahon filed to sell $ 411.95 million worth of TKO stock amidst allegations of sexual assault, following a previous sale of shares worth $ 670.3 million in November. McMahon, who resigned from

3720-403: Was replaced by his daughter, Stephanie McMahon . The following month, McMahon announced his retirement from WWE, but his return to WWE as executive chairman was confirmed in January 2023. That April, Endeavor Group Holdings announced a merger between WWE and Zuffa , owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts promotion; McMahon served as the executive chairman of

3782-400: Was said to reflect WWE's global entertainment expansion away from the ring with the ultimate goal of acquiring entertainment companies and putting a focus on television, live events, and film production. WWE noted that their new company model was put into effect with the relaunch of Tough Enough , being a non-scripted program (contrary to the scripted nature of professional wrestling) and with

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3844-469: Was trying to create some unrest and anxiety by being very, very critical about WCW" and "whenever you'd see blood in WCW, Vince would write these letters from the king's court to Ted criticizing him, and WCW, and the health and welfare of the talent by saying it's gross, it's crap, and all this. And then he'd turn around and do the same thing a month later. None of us took any of those letters very seriously, and it

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