"The Yellow Dog" redirects here. The Yellow Dog (or, Maigret and the Yellow Dog) is also a novel by Georges Simenon.

Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling.

Pillman had a legacy as "The Loose Cannon",^[1] a wrestling gimmick that would see him do a series of worked-shoots that would gain him a degree of infamy for his unpredictable character. He was also known for being extremely agile in the ring, although a car accident in April 1996 from which he received extensive ankle injuries limited his in-ring ability.

Football career[link]

Brian graduated from Norwood High School in Norwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. While attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Pillman played football for the then-Redskins (now RedHawks) as a Defensive Tackle where he set records in the "tackles for loss" category. A two-time Second Team All-American, he went undrafted by the National Football League, joining the hometown Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent in 1984 (where he won the Ed Block Courage Award for his team) and later the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders in 1986. He also played for the Buffalo Bills in preseason action in 1985 but was the last player cut before the start of that season. His attempts to make the roster of the Bengals were covered in a series of articles in The Cincinnati Enquirer. Pillman and John Harbaugh, current head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, were roommates and defensive teammates while at Miami.^{[citation needed]}

Professional wrestling career[link]

Stampede Wrestling (1986–1989)[link]

Following the end of his football career, Pillman remained in Canada and began training as a wrestler under Stu Hart and his sons. He debuted in November 1986 in Hart's Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion.

Pillman quickly formed a tag team with Hart's son Bruce known as Bad Company (not to be confused with Badd Company). In April 1987, Bad Company won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship, defeating Ron Starr and the Cuban Assassin in the finals of a tournament. Their reign lasted until October 1987, when the titles were held up following a controversial ending to a match between Bad Company and their opponents, Jerry Morrow and Makhan Singh. Bad Company defeated Morrow and Singh in a rematch in November 1987 to regain the titles, eventually losing them to Morrow and the Cuban Assassin in July 1988.

While in Stampede Wrestling, Pillman had his girlfriend at the time, Trisa Hayes (also known as Beulah McGillicutty), portray his sister in order to get him over as a face by seating her at ringside and having heel wrestlers taunt her so that he could rescue her.

National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling (1989–1994)[link]

In 1989, Pillman returned to America and began wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance, which evolved into World Championship Wrestling, where he was known as Flyin' Brian due to his athletic ability and variety of aerial maneuvers. He was known for his missile dropkick and diving crossbody. Along with The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty of the WWF), he was one of the first American wrestlers to incorporate a variety of Mexican lucha libre moves into his arsenal. He held the NWA United States Tag Team Championship with "The Z-Man" Tom Zenk between February 1990 and May 1990. Pillman later feuded with Barry Windham, who he harassed while dressed as the masked Yellow Dog after losing a Loser of the fall-leaves-WCW match (Pillman was eventually reinstated). He also held the short-lived WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship twice between October 1991 and February 1992, feuding with Brad Armstrong, Jushin Liger, Richard Morton, and Scotty Flamingo.

Pillman turned heel in September 1992, frustrated by Brad Armstrong's knee injury and vacating the WCW World Light Heavyweight title, when he was scheduled to wrestle Armstrong for the title at the Clash of the Champions. In November 1992, he formed a team with Barry Windham, gunning for the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championships held by Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. Windham and Pillman lost to Steamboat and Douglas at Starrcade on December 28. Their team lasted until January 1993, as Windham had his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Pillman continued the tag team title hunt by forming a tag team with "Stunning" Steve Austin known as the Hollywood Blonds. On the March 27, 1993 edition of WCW Power Hour, the duo won the championships from Steamboat and Douglas. The team quickly became popular for their brash attitudes, and critically acclaimed matches with Steamboat and Douglas through the spring of 1993.

After the feud with Steamboat and Douglas ended, they went on to feud with The Four Horsemen, mainly Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, mocking their ages and parodying Flair's interview show "A Flair for the Gold", with their own "A Flair for the Old". They would lose the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Titles to Anderson and Paul Roma at Clash of the Champions XXIV (Lord Steven Regal substituted for Pillman, who sufferd a leg injury in a tag team match on an episode of WCW Main Event prior to the Clash of Champions). After the Hollywood Blonds separated in October 1993, Pillman became a face, feuding with his old partner Austin. He would also go after the WCW World Television Championship, held by Lord Steven Regal, with whom he wrestled to a 15-minute time limit draw at Spring Stampede.^{[citation needed]}

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994)[link]

Pillman would venture into Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1994, as part of a talent exchange between ECW and WCW. His most notable match there was teaming with Shane Douglas, replacing an injured Steve Austin, with Sherri Martel as their manager, losing to Ron Simmons and 2 Cold Scorpio.

World Championship Wrestling (1994–1996)[link]

Pillman made his return in late 1994 as a face, but slowly progressed into a tweener, feuding with wrestlers such as Brad Armstrong, Eddie Guerrero, Alex Wright, and Marcus Bagwell. In September 1995 Pillman formed a team with Arn Anderson, and began feuding with Ric Flair. After costing Flair a match to Arn Anderson at Fall Brawl, Flair Recruited the help of Sting to team up against Pillman and Anderson at Halloween Havoc. Pillman and Anderson attacked Flair before the match, forcing Sting to come out alone. When Sting needed a tag the most, Flair came out at the last minute with a bandage on his head, tagged Sting, and immediately turned and attacked him removing the fake bandage from his head to show it was all plan between Pillman, Anderson and Flair from the start. These actions signaled the reuniting of the Four Horsemen. This incarnation was Flair, Anderson, Pillman, and Chris Benoit. On September 4, 1995, Pillman wrestled the first match on the very first episode of WCW Monday Nitro, defeating Jushin Liger in a SuperBrawl II rematch.

At the end of 1995, Pillman developed his "Loose Cannon" gimmick, cultivating a reputation for unpredictable behavior. During this period of time, Pillman changed his once Hollywood Blond and Flyin' Brian clean athletic look for an edgy, out of control image. Even his allies in the Horsemen, especially Anderson, were wary of his behavior and tried in vain to keep him in check. Almost all of the time Pillman could be seen wearing leather vests, sunglasses, jewelry and graphic T-shirts with skulls, monsters and sayings on them. Pillman frequently blurred fact and fiction with his worked-shoots. In a match with Eddie Guerrero on the January 23, 1996 edition of Clash of the Champions, Pillman grabbed commentator Bobby Heenan by the collar, causing Heenan (who had a history of neck problems) to blurt out "What the fuck are you doing?" live on the air (Heenan has since stated that he didn't know it was Pillman grabbing him and he blurted out the remark because he thought he was a fan grabbing him).

Pillman outed Kevin Sullivan as booker during the February 1996 SuperBrawl VI pay-per-view in an I Respect You Strap match where the loser announces that they respect the other wrestler, much like an "I Quit" match. Pillman grabbed the microphone, saying, sarcastically, "I respect you, booker man". The words "booker man" were cut from the commercial tape. Pillman was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff in February 1996 after SuperBrawl VI. In Bischoff's autobiography he said that Pillman was fired so that he could go and develop the "loose cannon" gimmick in ECW then return to World Championship Wrestling with more legitimate heat. Bischoff claims it was a plan he and Pillman came up with together. It would later backfire on Bischoff as Pillman did not return.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996)[link]

Immediately following his departure from WCW, Pillman returned to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, appearing at the annual Internet convention, ECW CyberSlam, on February 17, 1996. During an interview conducted in the ring by Joey Styles, Pillman insulted Bischoff, calling him a commentator, a "gofer", and a "piece of shit". He turned his attention to the ECW audience, derisively calling them "Smart Marks". After Styles attempted to end the interview, Pillman threatened to "yank out [his] Johnson" and urinate in the ring. Pillman was confronted by ECW owner Tod Gordon, booker Paul Heyman, and wrestler Shane Douglas, who had him removed from the ring by security guards. While being dragged from the arena, Pillman attacked a plant sitting in the audience with a fork he produced from his boot. Although he did not wrestle for ECW, Pillman made several further appearances with the promotion, engaging in a war of words with Douglas, setting up a proposed feud.

He gained the backstage ire of New Jack when he referred to the tag team consisting of New Jack and Mustafa (The Gangstas) as "Niggas with Attitudes" (not as a racist comment, but in reference to the rap group N.W.A) when crashing one of their interviews.^[2] With his "Loose Cannon" persona, Pillman became the talk for all three major promotions, as he successfully left WCW, he was on his way to the WWF, and he was scheduled to wrestle Shane Douglas in ECW, until tragedy struck on April 15, 1996 when Pillman was badly injured after falling asleep while driving his Hummer H1 in Kentucky and driving into a tree trunk, flipping the vehicle. He was in a coma for a week and suffered a shattered ankle, forcing doctors to fuse it together in a fixed position.

World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)[link]

Pillman signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation on June 10, 1996, with the signing announced in a press conference. He was the first wrestler to sign a guaranteed contract with the WWF, indicative of the period in which Vince McMahon began to protect the company from abruptly losing talent to WCW, with Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall all previously doing so. Pillman acted as a commentator while recovering from his broken ankle, transitioning to a wrestling role after attacking a fan during an episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night.

On the November 4, 1996 episode of Monday Night Raw, Pillman took part in the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" angle with Steve Austin. When Pillman initially arrived to the WWF, he aligned himself immediately with his longtime friend and former tag team partner Austin, serving as his lackey while he recovered. However when Pillman began noticeably favoring Austin's nemesis, Bret Hart, Austin had enough and brutally attacked him in the ring during an interview on an episode of WWF Superstars in October 1996. Austin and Pillman had been feuding for several weeks, and Austin had finally decided to take matters into his own hands and visit Pillman, whom he had already injured, at his home in Walton, Kentucky. WWF interviewer Kevin Kelly sat in Pillman's house with a camera crew and the Pillman family, while Pillman's friends surrounded the house to protect him. Austin was attacked by Pillman's friends as soon as he arrived but quickly subdued them. He then proceeded to break into Pillman's home and advance on his nemesis. Pillman responded by producing the same 9 mm pistol that he had displayed earlier and pointing it at a hesitant Austin, while Kelly and Pillman's wife Melanie screamed for help. The camera feed was then disrupted, with the scene fading to black. The on-scene director contacted commentator Vince McMahon and reported that he had heard "a couple explosions." The transmission was restored shortly before the end of Raw, and viewers witnessed Pillman's friends dragging Austin from the house while Pillman aimed the gun at him and announced his intention to "kill that son of a bitch!" Pillman also slipped up by making the mistake of saying "fuck" on live television, which meant that it could not be edited out. The WWF (and Pillman personally) eventually apologized profusely for the entire angle, with Pillman claiming that the profanity "just slipped out".

Following WrestleMania 13, Pillman aligned himself with his friends Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart as part of the anti-American Hart Foundation, all of whom he was familiar with from his Stampede Wrestling roots. He began feuding with his former partner, Steve Austin. In the course of the feud, Austin was given on-screen credit for damaging Pillman's ankle in October 1996 after placing it in between the seat and backrest of a folded chair and then jumping on the chair (this particular style of attack has since been dubbed "The Pillmanizer," in honor of this incident, despite Shane Douglas performing exactly the same maneuver to Raven in ECW nearly a full year earlier). After his feud with Austin, he feuded with Goldust over Marlena until his death.^[1]

Personal life and death[link]

Pillman developed multiple throat polyps as a child and had over 40 operations before the age of three.^[3]

Pillman dated Terri Runnels while they were in World Championship Wrestling together before her marriage to Dustin Rhodes. He later married Melanie on March 17, 1993. She already had two children at the time, Alexis and Jesse. At the time, he also had two children, his daughters, Danielle and Brittany. Brian and Melanie had two children together, Brian Jr. & Skylar.^[4] Pillman never learned that Melanie was pregnant with Skylar, who was born on May 5, 1998, seven months after Pillman's death in October 1997.^[5]

Pillman was scheduled to wrestle with Dude Love at the WWF pay-per-view Badd Blood: In Your House. However, Pillman was late that night. Eventually, some WWF staff searched for him and discovered his body in a Bloomington, Minnesota hotel room, where he had died sometime during the day. Pillman was 35 years old.^[3] An autopsy found that a previously undetected heart condition, arteriosclerotic heart disease, had led to his death;^[3] the condition had also led to the death of his father.^[3] Pillman's use of drugs and alcohol also contributed to his death.^[3]

In early 2008, Pillman's stepdaughter, Alexis Reed, started her wrestling career as a valet and ring girl under the name "Sexy" Lexi Pillman. Alexis died, aged 26, on Thanksgiving night, November 26, 2009, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.^[6]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Air Pillman (Springboard clothesline)^[7]

• Signature moves
  • Chop block^[7]
  • Cross armbar with neckscissors^[7][8]
  • Diving crossbody,^[7] sometimes while performing a corkscrew^[7]
  • Dropkick,^[7] sometimes from the top rope^[7]
  • Enzuigiri
  • Leaping lariat^[7]
  • Scoop powerslam
  • Snap DDT
  • Spinning heel kick
  • Tornado DDT^[7]

• Managers
  • Marlena
  • Beulah McGillicutty

• Nicknames
  • "Flyin'" Brian Pillman^[7]
  • "California" Brian Pillman^[7]
  • "Brian "F'n" Pillman"^[7]
  • "The Walking / Ticking Time Bomb"^[7]
  • "The Rogue Horseman"^[7]
  • "The Loose Cannon"^[7]

• Entrance themes
  • "Rocket" by Def Leppard (NWA / WCW; 1989–1990)
  • "Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds" by Ratt (NJPW)
  • "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (ECW; 1994)
  • "Shitlist" by L7 (ECW; 1996)
  • "Loose Cannon" by jim johnston (WWF/WWE; 1997)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[9]

• Stampede Wrestling
  • Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bruce Hart^[10]
  • Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame^[11]

• World Championship Wrestling
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tom Zenk^[12]
  • WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[13][14]
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Stunning" Steve Austin^[15]
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Stunning" Steve Austin^[16]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 5 Star Match (1991) with Sting, Rick Steiner, and Scott Steiner vs. Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious (February 24, WarGames match, WrestleWar)
  • Feud of the Year (1997) with Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • Most Underrated (1994)
  • Rookie of the Year (1987)
  • Tag Team of the Year (1993) with Steve Austin as The Hollywood Blonds

Media[link]

• Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon (DVD, September 26, 2006)

See also[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• Brian Pillman Memorial Show
• Hollywood Blonds

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• Tributes by Dave Meltzer, 2001, ISBN 1-55366-085-4.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin and Jim Ross (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-7720-0. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Brian Pillman

• Brian Pillman at the Internet Movie Database
• Brian Pillman at www.canoe.ca
• Brian Pillman at www.gerweck.net
• Brian Pillman at www.onlineworldofwrestling.com
• Brian Pillman at www.twnpnews.com

Jim Ross
Ross in 2007 at the No Mercy 2007 pay per view
Ring name(s)	Jim Ross
Billed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Billed weight	240 lb (110 kg)
Born	(1952-01-03) January 3, 1952 (age 60) [[Westville,Oklahoma ]][1]
Resides	Norman, Oklahoma
Billed from	Westville, Oklahoma[2]
Debut	1974
Website	JRsBarBQ.com

James William "Jim" Ross (born January 3, 1952^[1]) is a professional wrestling commentator, referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a talent relations consultant and on WWE NXT as a Play-by-Play announcer. Ross was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest commentators in wrestling history.^[3] He is known affectionately by wrestling fans as Good Ol' JR.^[3][4][5] In recent years, he has developed his own brand of barbecue sauces and cookbooks.^[6]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

While attending Westville High School, Ross was the first baseman on the Westville baseball team. Ross was a two-time all-conference football player for the Westville Yellowjackets in 1968–69. His maternal grandparents owned a general store in Westville, Oklahoma and his paternal grandfather Dee Ross owned an off-sale beer store and was a carpenter. Ross was also President of the Student Body, a 4 year letterman in basketball, and State Vice President of the Future Farmers of America where he was State Speech Champion in 1968. Ross was also named Honorable Mention on the 1969 High School All State Football team by the Tulsa World as a center.

During his time in college, Ross had spent some time commentating on college radio. With this experience, Ross was given a chance to be a sideline commentator when an announcer in one territory was unable to show up one night.^[7] Jim first worked in the NWA Mid-South area as a referee in 1974. He stayed as a referee there until 1977.

Shortly after Bill Watts bought out the Mid-South territory on 1982, Ross returned to work there,^[8] becoming their lead play-by-play man and Vice President of Marketing. The first World Title match he called was between Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase. When Jim Crockett, Jr. bought the Mid-South (since renamed the Universal Wrestling Federation) and merged it with his Jim Crockett Promotions group, Ross joined the new company and teamed up doing color commentary with David Crockett and Tony Schiavone as lead play-by-play man for the National Wrestling Alliance.^[8] Ross continued to hone his skills and build his legacy as Jim Crockett Promotions became NWA World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1991 the promotion left the NWA and became WCW. Jim was teamed with long-time NWA/Crockett broadcaster Bob Caudle for a couple of years. In 1992, he also spent one season as a commentator on Atlanta Falcons radio broadcasts.

Ross worked his way up the ladder, yet along the way had a contentious relationship with WCW's newest commentator (and future WCW executive) Eric Bischoff. According to Ross, Bischoff, who reported to him, did a really good job of "selling himself" to executives of WCW's owner Turner Broadcasting. According to Bischoff, Ross mistreated him and others (mostly in deference to Ross' then-supervisor Bill Watts), and when Eric was promoted to executive producer in 1993, Ross demanded, and received, his release.

Ross had a three year contract with Turner Broadcasting, but he took an immediate buy-out for fear that he would not get work elsewhere if he was taken off television for a long period of time. Mick Foley claims that Ross resigned from WCW's booking committee.^[9] Ross left WCW after being taken off the air by Eric Bischoff.^[10]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment[link]

Early career in WWF (1993–2002)[link]

Ross was hired by the World Wrestling Federation (later known as World Wrestling Entertainment and eventually shortened to WWE). He made his on-screen debut at WrestleMania IX and taking over for Gorilla Monsoon on WWF Wrestling Challenge the next weekend. Ross worked alongside Bobby Heenan on that show until Heenan left the WWF in December 1993. Ross was originally the main voice of the WWF's pay-per-view events when he was first brought in, calling both WrestleMania IX and the King of the Ring with Heenan and Randy Savage in 1993. Vince McMahon took his position at pay-per-views starting with SummerSlam 1993.

Ross was then made host of Radio WWF, alongside Gorilla Monsoon (the man he replaced at WrestleMania IX), which lasted under a year. In this role, Ross was joined by co-hosts such as Johnny Polo, and talked to various WWF Superstars and fans. Ross and Monsoon called SummerSlam and the Survivor Series at the end of 1993 and the Royal Rumble for Radio WWF.

Ross was fired by WWF on February 11, 1994 two weeks after suffering his first attack of Bell's palsy. He subsequently became an announcer for Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons (the second time he was with the Falcons as an announcer). In Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Ross was reunited with former NWA/WCW announcer Bob Caudle. The promotion was owned by longtime NWA Manager Jim Cornette and featured many former NWA/WCW wrestlers such as the Rock and Roll Express, Eddie Gilbert, and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.

When Vince McMahon was indicted by the United States federal government in 1994, he was unable to continue commentating on Monday Night Raw. After a few weeks of Gorilla Monsoon on play-by-play, the WWF rehired Ross to fill in for McMahon alongside Randy Savage throughout that summer. When McMahon was acquitted, Ross was let go by the WWF again. Ross returned to Smoky Mountain Wrestling. The WWF rehired him in early 1995 in time for WrestleMania XI. Relocated to the syndicated WWF programming for the majority of the next two years, Ross would rejoin the primary announce team in the summer of 1996. In September 1996, Ross turned heel in WWF storylines for the first and only to date time in his career. Following Diesel and Razor Ramon leaving the WWF for World Championship Wrestling and debuting there as The Outsiders, Ross began to proclaim on television that he was still in touch with "Diesel" and "Razor Ramon" and claimed that he would be bringing them back to the WWF soon. Other announcers were skeptical, and WWF President Gorilla Monsoon said that Hall and Nash were under contract with "another organization", and ordered Ross to cease and desist mentioning them on the air. On the September 23, 1996 episode of Monday Night Raw, Ross delivered a worked-shoot promo during which he ran down WWF Chairman Vince McMahon (outing him as chairman and not just a commentator for the first time in WWF storylines) and debuted his "new" Diesel and Razor, claiming that while working in the WWF "front office" he had been the man responsible for so many people leaving the company as part of his "revenge" against the WWF for how they treated him in the past. While he was kept on the air by McMahon, Ross portrayed himself to be bitter and spiteful, with repeated potshots at McMahon. However, the "New Diesel-New Razor" storyline was poorly received by fans, and Ross' heel turn was quickly dropped.

Ross was mainly used as a commentator, but occasionally hosted in-ring interviews such as here with Ken Shamrock.

After this angle, Ross went on to host various WWF programs such as Superstars, Action Zone, Raw Is War, and Shotgun Saturday Night. Ross again became the main voice of the WWF beginning at the 1997 Survivor Series. At the end of 1998, Ross took a break from Raw Is War, due to another attack of Bell's palsy which came the day after the death of his mother. He eventually returned to Raw Is War as part of a storyline alleging that Vince fired him because of his condition, but that he would not go down quietly and enlisted the services of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams as his personal "enforcer." The storyline went as far as to have Jim Ross set up his own announce table in front of the official announce table labeled "JR Is RAW." Shortly after that, Jim Ross confronted his replacement, Michael Cole, in the ring. After minutes of Cole trying to convince that he was not trying to steal Ross' job, Ross kicked Cole in the crotch and left the ring. The storyline was soon dropped as the attempt to turn Ross heel failed (the fans ended up cheering Ross and booing Cole) and he took his seat back as "official" commentator of Raw Is War starting with the main event of WrestleMania XV. Ross' Bell's palsy proved fodder for ridicule by WWF's competitor, World Championship Wrestling, in late 1999. Ed Ferrara parodied Ross, including doing a full impression including mockery of his modified voice due to his medical condition. This was received negatively by fans and wrestlers alike, with Jim Cornette threatening legitimate physical harm against Ferrara. Ferrara ceased mocking the medical condition after the first week. The angle was soon dropped by WCW, but not before "Oklahoma", Ferrara's parody of JR, won the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, even defending it on Pay-Per-View, at WCW Souled Out in 2000 against female Wrestler, Madusa.

Raw (2002–2008)[link]

Ross was the "voice of Raw Is War" throughout the Monday Night Wars alongside Jerry Lawler and cemented his legacy as one of the great wrestling commentators as WWE became the sole major wrestling promotion in North America. After the WWE Brand Extension, Ross worked exclusively for the Raw brand, cutting down to doing play-by-play on Raw-only pay-per-views, while SmackDown!-only pay-per-views were announced by SmackDown!'s announce team.

Jerry Lawler (left) and Jim Ross (right) at the Raw commentators table.

For most of the next six years Ross was involved in very few storylines. Also during this time, Ross served as an Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for the WWF/WWE, a codified extension of his long-time backstage role (dating back to the mid-'90s) as a key individual in charge of hiring new talent. By 2005, Ross had stepped down from his executive and management roles. According to repeated statements on his official blog, the move away from management proved beneficial in terms of decreased work-load, giving him more time to focus on his health, his family, and his entrepreneurial endeavors.

Still working as the voice of Raw, Ross was again "fired" (kayfabe) from his play-by-play job by Vince and Linda McMahon on October 10, 2005. Doctors had discovered a serious issue with Ross's colon, and his storyline termination provided an explanation for his absence. While recovering from his colon surgery, Joey Styles (best known for his commentary work for Extreme Championship Wrestling) called the weekly Raw. After recovering, Ross helped produce the Raw announcers from backstage, and was brought back for Saturday Night's Main Event in 2006, then the Raw-brand matches at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago, before taking back his play-by-play job on Raw on May 8, 2006, after Styles quit Raw in the storyline, declaring his hatred for "sports entertainment".

Ross' contract with WWE expired in October 2006. At that point, neither side had signed a new contract and instead worked week to week under the terms of the expired contract. In November 2006, Jim Ross stated on his official blog that he had signed a new one-year contract with WWE and would continue to work year-to-year.^[11] On March 31, 2007, Ross was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

SmackDown (2008–2010)[link]

On June 23, 2008 during the 2008 WWE Draft, Ross was drafted from Raw to the SmackDown brand while Michael Cole was drafted from SmackDown to Raw, trading positions as commentators on each brand.^[12] This ended Ross' position as Monday Night Raw's play-by-play commentator after a nearly 12 year run. The following day Ross posted a blog on his official website saying initially he was not happy with the move and considered quitting the company since he was not told beforehand about the move, but that he will work "to make Smackdown the best program the WWE produces".^[13][14]

On September 23, 2008 episode of ECW, Ross made an appearance on the ECW brand filling in for a sick Todd Grisham along side Matt Striker.^[15]

On April 5, 2009, WrestleMania XXV, Ross commented on Rey Mysterio's mask which had been made to represent Heath Ledger's role as The Joker. His comment was, 'I think Rey's career is alive and well King'. Jim Ross has apologized on his JR's BBQ website explaining that, "it was the wrong choice of words to use and on live television mistakes can happen."

Ross (right) during his run on SmackDown with fellow commentator Todd Grisham.

On April 8, 2009, Ross announced on his WWE Universe blog that with the departure of Tazz from World Wrestling Entertainment, he would assume the role of SmackDown's color analyst, with ECW announcer Todd Grisham moving over to the brand as the play-by-play announcer.^[16] At Backlash, Santina Marella, Santino's "twin sister" revealed that she loves Ross rather than The Great Khali. Ross was not told about the joke but posted in his blog "Let bygones be bygones". October 6, 2009 was his last broadcasting as a full-time announcer for the WWE.

Ross missed the SmackDown tapings on October 13, 2009, as he asked for a day off due to an anniversary. This was the first time he ever asked for a day off. Seven days later, on October 20, Ross suffered his third Bell's palsy episode en route to Columbia, South Carolina for a SmackDown taping. After initially planning on working the tapings and reuniting with Lawler, Ross instead flew back to Oklahoma, missing the show—Lawler and Cole commentated SmackDown—and leaving his plans for WWE Bragging Rights in the air. On October 21, 2009, Jim Ross announced that he would not be commentating the WWE Bragging Rights pay-per-view, but Grisham mentioned that SmackDown would give Ross the Bragging Rights trophy as a "get well" gift. According to Ross in his personal blog, he will be out of action, recovering from his current bout with Bell's palsy. On March 31, 2010, Jim Ross confirmed on his Twitter page that his health is in good order. On May 1, 2010, his talent contract with WWE expired but recently has had his contract renewed. He still works for the WWE and is a consultant for the Talent Relations department dealing with talent payroll, scouting and talent development.

Sporadic appearances and feud with Michael Cole (2010–2011)[link]

On the November 15, 2010, live three hour special Old School Raw from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Ross made a guest appearance on commentary with Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole, calling a match between Daniel Bryan and Jack Swagger. This was Ross' first television appearance in over one year. Cole would insult Ross throughout the match, which resulted in Ross hitting Cole over the head with his hat after the match had finished.

On the March 14, 2011 episode of Raw from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, Ross made another guest appearance, trying to talk some sense into Cole, who over the last few months began a feud with Jerry 'The King' Lawler. Ross would get insulted some more by Cole,^[17] which made Ross challenge Cole to a fight, only for Jack Swagger to come out and attack both Lawler and Ross.

Ross came back at WrestleMania XXVII to call the final four matches on the card, including the Cole/Lawler match. He also made an appearance on the following night's Raw program, alongside Jerry Lawler, whom he called the last three matches of WrestleMania with the night previous. He left Raw later that night after Cole squirted him with his BBQ sauce, which legitimately got in his eye and caused Ross to need one of his eyes flushed by the Medical Trainers backstage.^[18]

Since returning to the Announce Table the night after WrestleMania XXVII on Raw, Ross once again became an unofficial Raw commentator, reuniting with Jerry Lawler, then the next week, managing Lawler in his re-rematch with Jack Swagger. Following the match, which King won, thus gaining the right to pick the type of match and stipulation for a rematch between him and Michael Cole at Extreme Rules, he chose a tag team match, where he and JR would face Michael Cole and the man Cole pushed, poked and slapped after losing to King that night, Jack Swagger. JR then called the rest of the show with Lawler and Josh Mathews, serving in the role he portrayed when he was last a full-time commentator on WWE programming providing a mix of both color and play-by-play commentary.

On the April 18 episode of Raw eminating from the United Kingdom, during Michael Cole's knighting ceremony, Ross was forced to kiss Cole's fungus-infected foot and miss the remaining two matches that night after also, once again, receiving an Ankle lock from Jack Swagger.

The next week on Raw, the 2011 WWE Draft version of the show, Ross faced Michael Cole in the only match of the night not worth a Draft pick for a Brand. The match was almost five minutes long, most of which was Cole taunting Ross, most notably with the Kamala belly pat and wearing JR's hat, only to take it off and step on it in the ring and kick it out of the ring. Ross legitimately broke his hand, as well as cut himself on his right knuckle and bust Cole's lip, causing Cole to bleed from inside his mouth. Ross won the match by disqualification when Swagger came in and attacked him. Lawler, who was at ringside with Ross to counteract Swagger's being at ringside for Cole, got in after being attacked by Swagger on the outside of the ring earlier and took out Swagger after Cole whipped Ross' back with his belt, which Swagger took off of him before putting him in the Ankle Lock. Lawler whipped Cole on his behind with the same belt, which prompted the Anonymous Raw General Manager to make the Tag Match between the four at that Sunday's Extreme Rules a Country Whippin' Match, the second of Ross' career. Cole ran off holding his behind as JR showed Lawler his busted knuckle, as well as the blood on his right cheek. Lawler & Ross ended up losing at Extreme Rules, when Cole pinned Ross with a roll-up.

At Over The Limit on May 22, Ross showed up to gain revenge on Cole for squirting him with his own BBQ sauce a couple of months before on Raw. JR brought his own bottle of sauce to the ring with him and proceeded to pour it all out over Cole's face, hair and clothes. Things only got worse from there for Cole, as Bret Hart made a surprise appearance and locked in the Sharpshooter, while Lawler made Cole kiss his foot.^[19] After that, he joined the announcer's table alongside Josh Mathews and Booker T to call the "I Quit Match" of John Cena and The Miz.

Brief return to Raw (2011)[link]

On July 25, 2011, the new COO of WWE, Triple H re-hired Ross to a full time commentating position on Monday Night Raw to reform the partnership between himself and Jerry "The King" Lawler (alongside Michael Cole). On September 19, Jim Ross interviewed Mark Henry on winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton at Night of Champions, but only to be attacked by him. Jerry Lawler tried to stop him but he received a World's Strongest Slam. Ross and Lawler were replaced by Josh Mathews for the rest of the night.

On the October 10 episode of Raw, Ross was fired by the new RAW Interim General Manager, John Laurinaitis, for walking out on Triple H the week before. Ross later revealed that he was given no prior notification that he was to be publicly fired like he was. On the October 17 episode of Raw, Ross returned in a tag team match with John Cena in a win over Michael Cole and Alberto Del Rio.^[20] A week later, Cole would challenge Ross to a "Michael Cole Challenge" match, where if Cole would lose, he would quit.^[21] Despite this, on the Halloween special episode of Raw, Ross "no-showed" the "Michael Cole Challenge" due to inflammatory bowel disease.^[22] The Michael Cole challenge was rescheduled for the following week, but again was cancelled.^[23] The challenge was yet again scheduled for the November 14 episode, and was slated to kick off that night's episode. In the episode Ross won two of the three challenges which were arm wrestling and dancing but lost the final challenge which was who weighed less. Subsequently, he was "fired" again.^[24]

On April 1st 2012, at WrestleMania XXVIII, Ross returned to call the 'End of an Era' Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and The Undertaker per Undertaker's request behind the scenes.

WWE NXT (2012- )[link]

On May 17th at the first taping of the rebranded WWE NXT at Full Sail University JR returned to WWE programming as the new Play-by-Play Announcer working alongside William Regal, Byron Saxton and Chris Russo.

Wrestling career[link]

Although Ross' career has predominantly been as a commentator, Ross has participated in matches, with some notable success, including a victory over Triple H in a no-DQ match (albeit with help from Batista).

Ross' most notable wrestling appearance was in a tag team match with broadcast partner Jerry "The King" Lawler against Al Snow and Jonathan Coachman at the 2003 Unforgiven pay-per-view, with their Raw broadcast jobs on the line. They lost the contest to Snow and Coachman due to interference by Chris Jericho, however two weeks later Ross and Lawler regained their jobs when Ross defeated Coachman in a Country Whippin' match, using a stunner finishing maneuver. Ross has participated in more contests alongside Lawler and has appeared in a few extreme stipulation matches. Ross competed against Michael Cole on the April 25th episode of Raw, where he defeated Cole by disqualification after Cole's manager for the match, Jack Swagger, attacked Ross while he had Cole mounted and was landing punches on him.

Jim Ross has been involved in multiple conflicts as well with superstars such as Triple H, Val Venis, Jack Swagger, Vladimir Kozlov, Mankind, Stone Cold Steve Austin, bloodied in a Match by then-RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff, and was even set on fire by Kane. Ross even main-evented the WWF's first-ever show from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA, an episode of Raw is War that took place on October 11, 1999. Ross teamed with Stone Cold Steve Austin to take on WWF Champion Triple H and his partner Chyna.

As part of storylines, Ross has been regularly targeted by Vince McMahon in rather harsh circumstances throughout his time with WWE: most notably in 2005 when Vince McMahon's character, Mr. McMahon, featured in a series of segments which made fun of Ross' legitimate colon surgery.

In 2011, after his firing as an announcer by John Laurinaitis, he returned to team up with John Cena to face Michael Cole and Alberto Del Rio in a tag-team match on Raw in a winning effort. This was the first time Raw had been broadcasted in Mexico.

Personal life[link]

Ross is married to his wife Jan and has two daughters (from a previous marriage) and two granddaughters.^[25][26]

He suffers from Bell's palsy, which sometimes results in temporary paralysis of Ross' facial muscles. In late 1998, following the death of his mother, Ross took a break from Raw as the effects of his grief reportedly worsened his Bell's palsy, and Michael Cole filled in for Ross. Despite his condition, Ross has established himself as one of the all-time greatest wrestling commentators, often compared to Gordon Solie.^[27] J.R.'s influence was Gordon Solie and Bill Watts.^[28]

In 2007, spurred on by sales of his line of barbecue sauces and beef products, Ross opened up J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q, a barbecue restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma.^[29] The restaurant was closed as of May 2010.

He is an avid Oklahoma Sooners sports fan and is a regular football season-ticket holder; this is reflected in his entrance music, which is "Boomer Sooner" (OU's fight song). He can be spotted at every OU home game and when the Sooners play top teams around the country.^[30]

In other media[link]

Ross has provided his voice for many WWE Video Games and is also a playable character in WWE 12.

In wrestling[link]

Finishing moves

• • • JR Stunner (Stunner)
    • The Sauce It (Hip Attack)

• Nicknames
  • "J.R."
  • "Good Ol' J.R."
  • "The Voice of Raw"
  • "The Voice of the WWE"
  • "Hambone McGraw"
  • "J.R Is Wrestlemania*"
  • "Rossie" (During his days with World Championship Wrestling)
  • "Buckethead" (During his days with World Championship Wrestling)

• Signature Phrases
  • "Boomer Sooner"
  • "Good God (Almighty)"
  • "Slobberknocker"
  • "Business is about to pick up"
  • ".... is being whipped/beaten like a government mule"
  • "Stone Cold, Stone Cold!"
  • "He's stomping a mudhole, and walking it dry!"
  • "Rock Bottom, Rock Bottom!"
  • ".... is running like a scolded dog"
  • ".... is as crazy as a pet 'coon"
  • "Spine on the Pine" (spinebuster)
  • "Through Hellfire and Brimstone" (When referring to Kane making his entrance)

• Job titles
  • NWA Mid-South referee
  • UWF/Mid-South play-by-play announcer
  • UWF/Mid-South Vice President of Marketing
  • WCW Executive Vice President of Broadcasting
  • WCW play-by-play announcer
  • Atlanta Falcons play-by-play announcer
  • Radio WWF host
  • WWE Raw Former play-by-play announcer and color commentator
  • WWE NXT Current play-by-play announcer
  • SMW play-by-play announcer
  • XFL play-by-play announcer
  • WWE SmackDown play-by-play announcer and color commentator
  • WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations
  • WWE Executive Vice President of Business Strategies
  • WWE Talent Relations Consultant

• Wrestlers managed
  • Kane
  • "Doctor Death" Steve Williams

• Entrance themes
  • "Boomer Sooner" by The Pride Of Oklahoma '98

Awards and accomplishments[link]

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)^[31]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Stanley Weston Award (2002)^[32]
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)
  • Slammy Award for “Tell me I didn’t just see that" Moment of the Year (2011) dancing during the "Michael Cole Challenge"
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Best Television Announcer (1988–1993, 1998–2001, 2006–2007, 2009)
  • Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2011) mistreatment by WWE despite their anti-bullying campaign.
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2005) vs. McMahon Family
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1999)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Foley, Mick (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. p. 511. ISBN 0-06-103101-1. 

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jim Ross

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jim Ross

• J.R's Family Bar-B-Q
• WWE profile
• Jim Ross on Twitter
• Jim Ross at the Internet Movie Database

Vince McMahon
Born	Vincent Kennedy McMahon (1945-08-24) August 24, 1945 (age 66) Pinehurst, North Carolina, United States
Other names	Vince McMahon, Jr.
Alma mater	East Carolina University
Occupation	Chairman and CEO, WWE
Salary	$1.1 million[1]
Net worth	US$1.1 billion (2000)[2] $700 million (2001)[3]
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	248 pounds (112 kg)[4]
Title	Chairman (1980–present) President (1980–1993) CEO (1980–1993; 2009–present)
Spouse	Linda McMahon (m. 1966) «start: (1966-08-26)»"Marriage: Linda McMahon to Vince McMahon" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Vince_McMahon)
Children	Shane McMahon (born 1970) Stephanie McMahon-Levesque (born 1976)
Parents	Vincent James McMahon Vicky H. Askew
Website
WWE Corporate Bio

Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon (born August 24, 1945)^[5] is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE. Upon acquiring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), McMahon's WWE became the sole remaining major American professional wrestling promotion (until the national expansion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor).

As an on-camera character, he can appear on all WWE brands (though the majority of the time, he appears on Raw). McMahon plays a character known by the ring name Mr. McMahon, based on his real life persona. In the world of WWE, he is a two-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship and ECW World Championship. He was also the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble.

Vince is the husband of Linda McMahon, with whom he ran WWE from its establishment in 1980 until she resigned as the CEO in September 2009.^[6]

Early life[link]

McMahon was born on August 24, 1945 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. McMahon's father, Vincent James McMahon, had left the family while McMahon was still a baby. McMahon did not meet his father until age 12. Vince spent the majority of his childhood living with his mother and a string of stepfathers.^[7] According to an interview with Playboy, he attended and graduated, in 1964, from Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia. McMahon claimed that one of his stepfathers, Leo Lupton, used to beat his mother and would attack him as well when he tried to protect her.^[8] He said, "It is unfortunate that he died before I could kill him. I would have enjoyed that."^[8] In his early life, McMahon also overcame dyslexia.^[9][10]

Business career[link]

World Wide Wrestling Federation: 1971–79[link]

McMahon first met the promoter for Capitol Wrestling Corporation, his father Vincent J. McMahon's company, at the age of 12. At that point, McMahon became interested in following his father's professional wrestling footsteps and often accompanied him on trips to Madison Square Garden. McMahon also wanted to be a wrestler but his father would not let him, explaining that promoters did not appear on the show and should stay apart from their wrestlers.^{[citation needed]}

In 1968, McMahon graduated from East Carolina University^[11] 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 (although the elder McMahon was not thrilled with the idea of his son entering the business).^{[citation needed]} In 1969, McMahon made his debut as an in-ring announcer for the WWWF's All-Star Wrestling.^[12] In 1971, he was assigned to a small territory in Maine, where he promoted his first card. He later became the play-by-play announcer for television matches after he replaced Ray Morgan in 1971, a role he would regularly maintain until November 1997.

Throughout the 1970s, McMahon became the prominent force in his father's company, and over the next decade, Vince assisted his father in tripling TV syndication.^{[citation needed]} He pushed for the renaming of the company to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The young McMahon was also behind the Muhammad Ali versus Antonio Inoki match of 1976.^{[citation needed]} In 1979, Vince purchased the Cape Cod Coliseum, where he promoted hockey games and concerts in addition to pro wrestling, as he began to prove that he was capable of running the WWF after his father’s retirement.^{[citation needed]} By 1980, McMahon had become chairman of the company,^[13] and Titan Sports was incorporated; in 1982, a 37-year old McMahon led Titan’s acquisition of the Capitol Wrestling Co. from his ailing father (who died in May 1984), as he and his wife Linda took control of the World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment: 1982–present[link]

1980s wrestling boom[link]

At the time of his purchase of the WWF, professional wrestling was a business run by regional offices. The various promoters shared an understanding that they would not invade each other’s territories, as this practice had gone on undeterred for decades.^{[citation needed]} McMahon had a different vision of what the industry could become. In 1963, the WWF split from the National Wrestling Alliance, which was the governing body for all the regional territories across the country and as far away as Japan.

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 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. Nevertheless, 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 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 promoted the first WrestleMania to be held at Madison Square Garden while airing on closed circuit TV throughout the U.S. WrestleMania was an undisputed success. As a result, the WWF thus stood head and shoulders above all its competition, and Hulk Hogan soon became a full-fledged pop-culture icon and child role model.^{[citation needed]}

During the late 1980s, McMahon shaped the WWF into a unique sports entertainment brand that reached out to family audiences while attracting fans who had never before paid attention to pro wrestling. By directing his storylines towards highly-publicized supercards, McMahon initiated a brand-new revenue stream by promoting these events live on PPV television, a concept that would completely revolutionize event programming for all sports while catapulting the WWF into a multi-million dollar empire.^{[citation needed]} In 1987, McMahon 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 versus André the Giant.^[14]

1990s Attitude Era[link]

After several years struggling behind Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW), McMahon cemented his place as the industry’s preeminent promoter in the late 1990s, when he initiated an entirely new brand strategy that would eventually return the WWF to prominence. Sensing a public shift towards a more hardened and cynical fan base, McMahon redirected storylines towards a more adult-oriented model. The concept became known as "WWF Attitude", and McMahon personally commenced the new era when he manipulated the WWF Championship away from Bret Hart at Survivor Series in what is now known as the "Montreal Screwjob."^[15] From then on, McMahon, who for years had downplayed his ownership of the WWF and was thus better known as merely an affable announcer and foil to heel color commentators, immersed himself into WWF storylines as the evil “Mr. McMahon,” who later began a feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who challenged the boss’s authority. As a result, the WWF suddenly found itself back in the midst of national pop-culture, drawing millions of viewers for its weekly Monday Night Raw broadcasts, which ranked among the highest-rated shows on cable television.^[14]

Other business dealings[link]

In the early 1980s, McMahon briefly promoted ice hockey in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. His Cape Cod Buccaneers played at the Cape Cod Coliseum and were founding members of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, an AA circuit. Historically, the ACHL is considered a forgotten link between the rough and tumble loops of the 1970s like the NAHL, lampooned in the classic movie Slap Shot, and today's more credible East Coast Hockey League.^{[citation needed]} In October 1999, McMahon led the WWF in an initial public offering of company stock. On March 23, 2001, he purchased the fading WCW for $5 million. Three days later, his “victory speech” was simulcast on both WWF Raw and WCW Nitro.

In 2000, McMahon again ventured outside the world of professional wrestling by launching the XFL. The league eventually began in February 2001 with McMahon making an appearance at the first game. The league, however, quickly folded after lack of publicity.^[16] In the summer of 2003, McMahon acquired Extreme Championship Wrestling in bankruptcy court, leaving McMahon and the WWF as the only major wrestling promotion left in North America.

In 2010, McMahon announced plans to launch a brand new cable network by summer 2011.^[17][18][19]

Professional wrestling[link]

Mr. McMahon is the on-screen character of Vince McMahon, with the gimmick of being an often egotistical and conniving boss. The character was spawned from the real-life hatred many wrestling fans had for McMahon following the Montreal Screwjob, at the 1997 Survivor Series.^[15]

Several other gimmicks have become integral parts of McMahon's on-camera persona, such as his throaty exclamation of "You're fired!", and his "power walk"—an over-exaggerated strut toward the ring, swinging his arms and bobbing his head from side to side in a cocky manner. According to Jim Cornette, the power walk was inspired by one of McMahon's favorite wrestlers as a child, Dr. Jerry Graham. The Fabulous Moolah, however, claims in her autobiography that "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers was the inspiration for the walk.^[20] McMahon has occasionally dropped his character performance upon real-life events affecting WWE, such as the death of Owen Hart at Over the Edge in 1999, the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the death of Chris Benoit.

United States Wrestling Association: 1993[link]

While the Mr. McMahon character marked the first time that McMahon had been portrayed as a villain in WWF, in 1993, McMahon was engaged in a feud with Jerry Lawler as part of a cross-promotion between the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). As part of the angle, McMahon sent various WWF wrestlers to Memphis in order to dethrone Lawler as the "king of professional wrestling." This angle also proved to be the first time that McMahon would physically interject himself into matches, as he would occasionally trip Lawler or throw punches at him while seated at ringside. During the angle, McMahon was never directly acknowledged as the owner of the WWF (back in 1993, McMahon was only portrayed as the head announcer on television) and the feud between Lawler and McMahon was not acknowledged on WWF television, as the two continued to provide commentary together (along with Savage) for the television show Superstars. The feud between Lawler and McMahon would also help build towards Lawler's match against Hart at SummerSlam in 1993.^[21] The peak of the angle came with Tatanka defeating Lawler to win the Unified World Championship with McMahon gloating at Lawler while wearing the championship belt.^[22] This storyline came to an abrupt end when Lawler was accused of raping a young girl in Memphis, and he was dropped from the WWF. He returned shortly afterward, however, as the girl later stated that the rape accusations were lies.^[23]

Montreal (1997)[link]

At Survivor Series in 1997, Bret Hart defended his WWF Championship against long-time rival Shawn Michaels in the main event. McMahon had previously opted to be a play-by-play announcer instead of acting as the owner on-screen. In the weeks heading into Survivor Series, McMahon had entered into a rivalry with Hart. During the match, Michaels applied Hart's own signature submission maneuver The Sharpshooter on Hart. Hart refused to submit. McMahon, however, got up and ordered the referee to ring the bell thus screwing Hart out of the title and making Michaels the champion. This incident was subsequently dubbed the "Montreal Screwjob".^[15]

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Mr. McMahon: 1997–1999[link]

In December 1997 on Raw is War, the night after D-Generation X: In Your House, McMahon talked about the behavior and attitude of Stone Cold Steve Austin, such as Austin having assaulted WWF Official Commissioner Slaughter, and how he has attacked WWF announcers such as Jim Ross and McMahon himself. Mr. McMahon demanded that Austin defend his Intercontinental championship against The Rock in a rematch. As in the previous match, Stone Cold used his pickup truck as a weapon against The Rock and the Nation of Domination gang. Austin decided to forfeit the title to The Rock but, instead, Austin gave The Rock a Stone Cold Stunner and knocked McMahon off the ring ropes.

On the March 30 episode of Raw is War, the night after Austin won the WWF Title at WrestleMania XIV, McMahon presented him with a new title belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature. In April 1998, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no contest when Dude Love made an appearance. This led to a match between Love and Austin at Unforgiven, where Mr. McMahon would sit at ringside during the title match. Dude Love won the match by disqualification when Austin hit McMahon with a chair. In a rematch at In Your House: Over The Edge for the WWF Championship, Austin managed to retain the title despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively.

McMahon ordered the WWF Championship to be defended in a 14-man tournament named Deadly Games at Survivor Series in 1998. McMahon made sure that Mankind reached the finals because Mankind had visited McMahon in hospital after McMahon was sent to the hospital by the Undertaker and Kane.^[24] He also awarded Mankind the WWF Hardcore Championship due to his status as a hardcore wrestling legend. Originally, McMahon was acting as he if he was helping out Mankind during the match. At one point, The Rock turned his attention to McMahon. McMahon turned on Mankind after a screwjob, however, as The Rock had caught Mankind in the Sharpshooter. Mankind had not submitted but McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell, thus giving The Rock the WWF Championship. This was an homage to the "Montreal Screwjob" that occurred one year earlier.^[24] McMahon referred to The Rock as the "Corporate Champion" thus forming the Corporation with his son Shane and The Rock.^[25] At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Mankind defeated The Rock to win the WWF Championship after The Rock passed out to the Mandible Claw. McMahon, however, screwed Mankind once again by reversing the decision and returning the belt to his chosen champion, The Rock.^[26] McMahon went on to participate in a "Corporate Rumble" on the January 11, 1999 episode of Raw as an unscheduled participant, but he was eliminated by Chyna.

McMahon restarted a long-running feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin when, in December 1998, he made Austin face the Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with the Royal Rumble qualification on the line. Austin defeated the Undertaker with help from Kane. McMahon had put up $100,000 to anyone who could eliminate Austin from the Royal Rumble match.^[27] At Royal Rumble, with help from the Rock, McMahon won the match and earned a title match at WrestleMania XV against the WWF Champion The Rock. He turned down his spot, however, and WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels awarded it to Austin.^[28] Austin decided to put his title shot on the line against McMahon so he could get a chance to fight Vince at In Your House: St. Valentine's Day Massacre in a steel cage match. During the match, Big Show—a future member of the Corporation—interrupted, making his WWF debut. He threw Austin through the side of the cage thus giving him the victory.^[25][29]

The Corporation started a feud with The Undertaker's new faction the "Ministry of Darkness," which led to a storyline introducing McMahon's daughter Stephanie. Stephanie played an "innocent sweet girl" who was kidnapped by The Ministry twice. The first time she was kidnapped, she was found by Ken Shamrock on behalf of McMahon in a basement of the stadium. The second time she was kidnapped, The Undertaker attempted to marry her whilst she was forcefully tied to the Ministry's crucifix, but she was saved by Stone Cold Steve Austin. This angle saw a brief friendship develop between McMahon and Austin, cooling their long running feud. A previously unknown character was developed as a result called the "Higher Power", invented by Shane McMahon and The Undertaker. McMahon, however, was later revealed as the "Higher Power" on the June 7 episode of Raw, reigniting his feud with WWF Champion Austin. McMahon's son Shane merged the Corporation with Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness to form the Corporate Ministry. McMahon would become a member of the stable The Union which existed for a brief time, during May 1999. As a result of McMahon being the "Higher Power", Austin was given 50% shares of the WWF by Linda and Stephanie McMahon out of their kayfabe disgust at him.

At King of the Ring, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a handicap ladder match to regain control of the WWF.^[30] While CEO, Austin had scheduled a WWF Title match, to be shown on Raw after King Of The Ring. During the match, Austin defeated the Undertaker once again to become the WWF Champion. At Fully Loaded, Austin was again scheduled for a match against The Undertaker. If Austin lost, he would be banned from wrestling for the WWF Championship again; if he won, Vince McMahon would be banned from appearing on WWF TV. Austin defeated The Undertaker, and McMahon was banned from WWF TV.^[31]

McMahon returned as a face in the fall of 1999 and won the WWF Championship in a match against Triple H, thanks to outside interference from Austin on the September 16 episode of SmackDown!. However He decided had to vacated the title during the following Monday's Raw is War because he is not allowed on WWF TV because of the stipulations of the Fully loaded 1999 contract he signed. However Steve Austin reinstated him in return for a WWF title shot. Over the next few months McMahon and Triple H feuded, with the linchpin of the feud being Triple H's storyline marriage to Stephanie McMahon. The feud culminated at Armageddon in 1999; McMahon faced Triple H in a No Holds Barred match which McMahon lost. Afterward, Stephanie turned on him.^[32]

McMahon-Helmsley Era: 2000–01[link]

McMahon returned to WWF television on the March 13, 2000 episode of Raw is War helping The Rock win his WWF title shot back from the Big Show, He also attacked Shane McMahon and Triple H.^[33] Two weeks later, McMahon and The Rock defeated Shane McMahon and The Big Show in a tag team match with help from special guest referee Mankind.^[33] At WrestleMania 2000, Triple H defended the WWF Championship in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match in which each competitor had a McMahon in his corner. Triple H had his wife Stephanie McMahon who was also the WWF Women's Champion in his corner, The Rock had Vince McMahon in his corner, Mick Foley had Linda McMahon in his corner, and Big Show had Shane in his corner. After Big Show and Foley were eliminated, Triple H and The Rock were left. Although Vince was in The Rock's corner, he turned on The Rock after hitting him with a chair turning heel for the first time since his feud with Steve Austin, which helped Triple H win the match and retain his title.^[34] This would officially begin the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

At King of the Ring, McMahon, Shane, and WWF Champion Triple H took on the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) and The Rock in a six-man tag team match for the WWF Championship. The stipulation of this match was that whoever made the scoring pinfall would become the WWF Champion. McMahon was pinned by The Rock which gave Rock the WWF Championship and his team, the victory.^[35] On the December 18 episode of Raw, McMahon faced Kurt Angle in a non-title match which was fought to no contest when Mick Foley interfered and attacked both men. After the match, both men beat Foley and McMahon fired him.^[33] McMahon and Stephanie then aligned together against Shane. At WrestleMania X-Seven, McMahon lost to Shane after Linda—who had been emotionally abused to the point of a nervous breakdown; the breakdown left her helpless as Vince began a public extramarital affair with Trish Stratus; finally, she was heavily sedated, in the storyline—hit Vince with a low blow.^[36][37] On the same night, McMahon formed an alliance with Stone Cold Steve Austin, helping him defeat The Rock to gain another WWF Championship. It also marked the second time he would screw the Rock over at WrestleMania. The two, along with Triple H, formed an alliance which saw Austin and Triple H and they put the Rock out of action after a kayfabe brutal assault and kayfabe suspension(this was done so the Rock could go and film The Scorpion King), Austin and Triple H held all three major WWF titles (Austin's WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship which Triple H won, and the Tag Team Championship) at the same time. The alliance was short lived, due to an injury to Triple H and a business venture by McMahon.

The Invasion: 2001–2005[link]

McMahon purchased long-time rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001 from AOL Time Warner and signed many wrestlers from the organization. This marked the beginning of the Invasion storyline, in which the former WCW wrestlers regularly fought matches against the WWF wrestlers. On the July 9, 2001 episode of Raw, some extremists as well as several former ECW wrestlers on the WWF roster, joined with the WCW wrestlers to form The Alliance. Stone Cold Steve Austin joined the Alliance, along with Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Vince McMahon led Team WWF. At Survivor Series, Team WWF defeated Team Alliance in a Survivor Series elimination match to pick up the victory for WWF and end the Invasion storyline.^[38] Following the collapse of The Alliance, McMahon created the "Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club", also known as the "Mr. McMahon Kiss My Ass Club", which consisted of various WWE individuals being ordered to kiss his ass in the middle of the ring, usually with the threat of suspension or firing if they refused. The club was originally proclaimed closed by The Rock after McMahon was forced to kiss Rikishi's ass on an episode of SmackDown!;^[39] however, the club segment has resurfaced several times over the years. The gimmick has also spawned its own Internet based cartoon entitled "Mr. McMahon's Kiss My Ass Club – The WWE's Most Valuable Asset." The cartoon series, produced by Animax Entertainment, debuted on WWE.com on November 22, 2006. The cartoon was later canceled as part of a settlement between WWE and Cartoon Network due to the show's similarities with Cartoon Network's show Assy McGee.^[40] To date there have been 6 members and 5 who have escaped membership and they are: Stone Cold Steve Austin(saved himself), Trish Stratus(saved by The Rock), Zach Gowen(saved himself), Triple H(saved himself), & Marty Jannetty(saved by Shawn Michaels).

Kiss My Ass Club Members

The Undertaker, McMahon, Brock Lesnar, and Sable on SmackDown!

In November 2001, Ric Flair returned to WWF after an eight year hiatus declaring himself the co-owner of the WWF, which infuriated McMahon. The two faced each other at the January 2002 Royal Rumble in a Street Fight which Flair won.^[43] Due to their status as co-owners, McMahon became the owner of SmackDown! while Flair became the owner of Raw. However, on the June 10, 2002 episode of Raw, McMahon defeated Flair to end the rivalry and become the sole owner of WWE.^[44]

On the February 13, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon tried to derail the return of Hulk Hogan after a five-month hiatus but was knocked out by Hogan and received an Atomic Legdrop.^[45] At No Way Out, McMahon interfered in Hogan's match with The Rock. Hogan had originally won the match as he hit The Rock with an Atomic Legdrop but the lights went out. When the lights came back on, McMahon came to the ringside to distract Hogan. Sylvain Grenier, the referee, gave The Rock a chair, which he then hit Hogan with. He ended the match with a Rock Bottom to defeat Hogan.^[46] This led to McMahon facing Hogan in a match at WrestleMania XIX, which McMahon lost in a Street Fight.^[47] McMahon then banned Hogan from the ring but Hogan returned under the gimmick of "Mr. America". McMahon tried to prove that Mr. America was Hogan under a mask but failed at these attempts. Hogan later quit WWE and at which point McMahon claimed that he had discovered Mr. America was Hulk Hogan and "fired" him.^[48]

McMahon asked his daughter Stephanie to resign as SmackDown! General Manager on the October 2, 2003 episode of SmackDown!. Stephanie, however, refused to resign and this set up an "I Quit" match between the two.^[49] At No Mercy, McMahon defeated Stephanie in an "I Quit" match when Linda threw in the towel.^[50] Later that night, he helped Brock Lesnar retain the WWE Championship against The Undertaker in a Biker Chain match.^[51] This started a rivalry between McMahon and Undertaker. At Survivor Series, McMahon defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with help from Kane.^[52]

McMahon began a feud with Eric Bischoff in late 2005, when he decided that Bischoff was not doing a good job as General Manager of Raw. He started "The Trial of Eric Bischoff" where McMahon served as the judge. Bischoff ended up losing the trial; McMahon "fired" him, and put him in a garbage truck before it drove away. Bischoff stayed gone for months. Almost a year later on Raw in late 2006, Bischoff was brought out by McMahon's executive assistant Jonathan Coachman so that he could announce the completion of his book Controversy Creates Cash. Bischoff began blasting remarks at McMahon, saying that he was fired "unceremoniously" as the Raw General Manager, that there would be no McMahon if not for Bischoff's over-the-top rebellious ideas, and that D-Generation X was nothing but a rip off of the New World Order.

Feuds with D-Generation X and Donald Trump: 2005–07[link]

McMahon as the ECW World Champion in 2007

On the December 26, 2005 episode of Raw, Vince personally reviewed Bret Hart's DVD. Shawn Michaels came out and he also started talking about Hart. McMahon replied, "I screwed Bret Hart. Shawn, don't make me screw you".^[15][53] At the 2006 Royal Rumble, when Michaels was among the final six remaining participants after eliminating Shelton Benjamin, McMahon's entrance theme music distracted Michaels, allowing Shane McMahon to eliminate him.^[54] On the February 27, 2006 episode of Raw, Michaels was knocked unconscious by Shane. When Michaels' former Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty came to the rescue of Michaels, he was forced to join McMahon's "Kiss My Ass Club".^[55] On the March 18 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Michaels faced Shane in a Street Fight. McMahon screwed Michaels while Shane had Michaels in the Sharpshooter. Michaels had not submitted, but McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell, giving Shane the victory (another Montreal Screwjob reference).^[15][56] At WrestleMania 22, Vince McMahon faced Michaels in a No Holds Barred match. Despite interference from the Spirit Squad and Shane, McMahon was unable to beat Michaels.^[57] At Backlash, Vince McMahon and his son Shane defeated Michaels and "God" (characterized by a spotlight) in a No Holds Barred match.^[58]

On the May 15, 2006 episode of Raw, Triple H hit Shane with a sledgehammer meant for Michaels.^[59] The next week on Raw, Triple H had another chance to hit Michaels with the object but he instead whacked the Spirit Squad.^[60] For a few weeks, McMahon ignored Michaels and began a rivalry with Triple H by forcing him to join "Kiss My Ass Club" (Triple H hit McMahon with a Pedigree instead of joining the club) and pitting him in a gauntlet handicap match against the Spirit Squad.^[61][62] Michaels, however, saved Triple H and the two reformed D-Generation X (DX). This led to a feud between the McMahons and DX, throughout the following summer.^[63] At SummerSlam in 2006, the McMahons lost to DX in a tag team match despite interference by Umaga, Big Show, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, and William Regal.^[64] The McMahons also allied themselves with the ECW World Champion Big Show.^[63] At Unforgiven, the McMahons teamed up with The Big Show in a Hell in a Cell match to take on DX. Despite their 3-on-2 advantage, the McMahons lost again to DX thus ending the rivalry.^[65]

In January 2007, McMahon started a feud with Donald Trump, which was featured on major media outlets. Originally Trump wanted to fight McMahon himself but they came to a deal: both men would pick a representative who would fight at WrestleMania 23 in a Hair vs. Hair match. The man whose representative lost the match would have his head shaved bald. After the contract signing on Raw, Trump pushed McMahon over the table in the ring onto his head after McMahon provoked Trump with several finger pokes to the shoulders. Later at a press conference, McMahon, during a photo opportunity, offered a shake of hands with Trump but retracted his hand as Trump put out his. McMahon went on to fiddle with Trump's tie and flick Trump's nose. This angered Trump as he then slapped McMahon across the face. McMahon was then restrained from retaliating by Trump's bodyguards and Bobby Lashley, Trump's representative.^[66] At WrestleMania 23, McMahon's representative (Umaga) lost the match.^[67] As a result, McMahon's hair was shaved bald by Trump and Lashley with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was the special guest referee of the "Battle of the Billionaires" match.^[67]

McMahon then began a rivalry with Lashley over his ECW Championship. At Backlash, McMahon pinned Lashley in a 3-on-1 handicap match teaming up with his son Shane and Umaga to win the ECW Championship.^[68][69] At Judgment Day, McMahon defended his ECW Championship against Lashley again in a 3-on-1 handicap match. Lashley won the match as he pinned Shane after a Dominator but McMahon said that he was still the champion because Lashley could only be champion if he could beat him.^[70] McMahon finally lost the ECW Championship to Lashley at One Night Stand in a Street Fight despite interference by Shane and Umaga.^[71]

Numerous incidents: 2007–09[link]

On June 11, 2007, WWE aired a segment at the end of Raw that featured McMahon entering a limousine moments before it exploded. The show went off-air shortly after, and WWE.com reported the angle within minutes as though it were a legitimate occurrence, proclaiming that McMahon was "presumed dead".^[72] Although this was the fate of the fictional "Mr. McMahon" character, no harm came to the actual person, the "presumed death" of McMahon was part of a storyline.^[73] WWE later acknowledged to CNBC that he was not truly dead.^[74]

The June 25, 2007 episode of Raw was scheduled to be a three-hour memorial to "Mr. McMahon". However, due to the actual death of Chris Benoit, the show opened with McMahon standing in an empty arena, acknowledging that his reported death was only of his character as part of a storyline.^[75] This was followed by a tribute to Benoit that filled the three-hour timeslot.^[76] His last appearance on WWE television until August 6, 2007 was the next night on ECW on Sci Fi in which after acknowledging that a tribute to Benoit had aired the previous night, he announced that there would be no further mention of Benoit due to the circumstances becoming apparent, and that the ECW show would be dedicated to those that had been affected by the Benoit murders. On the August 6 show, McMahon said that he faked his death to see what people really thought of him, with Stephanie accused of faking mourning while checking her father's last will and testament to see how it would benefit her.

Vince McMahon commands Hornswoggle to join his "Kiss My Ass Club" in 2008

The "Mr. McMahon" character officially returned on the August 6 episode of Monday Night Raw. He talked about many subjects, including an investigation by the United States Congress and owing money to the IRS. McMahon also declared a battle royal to determine a new Raw General Manager, which was won by William Regal. At the end of Raw, Jonathan Coachman informed McMahon of a (storyline) paternity suit regarding an illegitimate long-lost child,^[77] who was revealed in the following weeks as being a male member of the WWE roster. On the September 3 episode of Raw, McMahon appeared and was confronted by his family. They were interrupted by Mr. Kennedy who claimed to be McMahon's "illegitimate son", but he was also interrupted by a lawyer claiming Kennedy was not McMahon's son and that the real son would be revealed the following week on Raw.^[78] His illegitimate son was finally revealed on September 10 on Raw to be Hornswoggle.^[79] In February 2008, after months of "tough love" antics towards Hornswoggle, John "Bradshaw" Layfield revealed that Hornswoggle was not McMahon's son and that he was actually Finlay's son. It turned out that the scam was thought up by Shane, Stephanie and Linda McMahon, along with Finlay.

McMahon, at the Hall of Fame, introducing Stone Cold Steve Austin.

On the June 2 episode of Raw, McMahon announced that starting the following week, he would give away US$1,000,000 live on Raw. Fans were able to register online, and each week, randomly selected fans would receive a part of the $1,000,000. McMahon's Million Dollar Mania lasted just three weeks and was suspended after the 3-hour Draft episode of Raw on June 23. After giving away $500,000, explosions tore apart the Raw stage, which fell and collapsed on top of McMahon. On June 30, Shane addressed the WWE audience before Raw, informing the fans that his family had chosen to keep his father’s condition private. In addition, he also urged the WWE to stand together during what he described as a "turbulent time". The McMahons made several requests to the wrestlers for solidarity, before finally appointing Mike Adamle as the new general manager of Raw in order to restore order to the brand.

Return, feuds with Randy Orton and Bret Hart (2009–10)[link]

On the January 5, 2009, episode of Raw, Chris Jericho would tell Stephanie McMahon that McMahon would be returning to Raw soon.^[80] The following week, Jericho was (kayfabe) fired from WWE by Stephanie. On January 19, 2009, episode of Raw, McMahon returned, as a face, and supported his daughter's decision on Jericho, but Stephanie would rehire him. Randy Orton would then come out and assault McMahon after harassing Stephanie. McMahon would return on the March 30 Raw with his son, Shane, and son-in-law Triple H to confront Orton. The night following WrestleMania XXV, McMahon appeared on Raw to announce that Orton would not be receive another championship opportunity at Backlash but would compete in a 6-man tag team match with his Legacy stablemates to face the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon and himself. Raw General Manager Vickie Guerrero would make the match for the WWE Championship. Orton then challenge McMahon to a match that night, which saw Legacy assault him, with Orton also hitting the RKO. After being assisted by Triple H, Shane and a returning Batista, McMahon announced that Batista would replace him in match at Backlash.

On the June 15 episode of Raw, McMahon announced that he had sold the Raw brand to businessman Donald Trump, though the following week, during the Trump is Raw show, McMahon would buy the brand back from Trump. On the June 29 episode of Raw, McMahon would announce that every week, a celebrity guest host would control Raw for the night. McMahon would then make appearances on the SmackDown brand, putting Theodore Long in probation for his actions.

On August 24, episode of Raw, McMahon had a birthday bash which was later interrupted by The Legacy, and competed in a 6-man tag team match with his long-time rival team DX, in which they won after the interference of John Cena. He continued to appear on SmackDown, making occasional matches and reminding Long that he is still on probation. On the November 16 episode of Raw McMahon was called out by guest host Roddy Piper, who wanted a match with McMahon that night in Madison Square Garden. McMahon would decline the challenge announce his "retirement" from in ring competition.^[81]

On the January 4, 2010 episode of Raw, McMahon confronted special guest host Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the (televised) first time since the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997, with the intention of burying the hatchet from the above mentioned Montreal Screwjob. The two appeared to finally bury the hatchet, but after shaking hands, Vince kicked Hart in the groin and left the arena to a loud chorus of boos and the crowd chanting "You screwed Bret! You screwed Bret!".^[81] A match was then booked between the two at Wrestlemania XXVI, which saw Hart defeat McMahon in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack match. After WrestleMania it was announced that McMahon would no longer appear on WWE television as his character Mr. McMahon, making official his retirement from in-ring competition.^[82] On the May 31 episode of Raw, McMahon returned to congratulate Hart on becoming the new Raw General Manager. On the June 22 episode of Raw, McMahon fired Hart for not dealing with NXT season one rookies, known as The Nexus. That same night he announced the new General Manager would be anonymous and make decisions via email, which would be read out by Michael Cole. The General Manager's first decision was McMahon to be the guest referee for a WWE Championship match that night between John Cena and Sheamus. The match was interrupted by The Nexus who then attacked McMahon.

Part-time appearances (2010–2011)[link]

McMahon made an appearance on the November 1 episode of Raw, where it was revealed that he had fallen into a coma because of the attack by The Nexus. During the segment, McMahon woke up from his coma and his doctor (played by Freddie Prinze, Jr.) told him what had happened since he had been in a coma. The segment ended with Stephanie McMahon waking up, dreaming the whole thing.

McMahon would return to the WWE on the February 7, 2011, episode of Raw, were he announced that the guest host for WrestleMania XXVII would be revealed the following week, with the person being The Rock. On the May 2 episode of Raw, McMahon appeared on a birthday celebration themed Raw to wish The Rock a happy birthday. On the June 6 episode of WWE Tough Enough, McMahon would announce the winner of the show with Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon would also make an appearance on the June 6 episode of Raw, being interrupted by R-Truth, The Miz, Alex Riley and John Cena. McMahon would make the main event of the night to be Cena and Riley going against Truth and Miz in a tag team match with Steve Austin as the guest referee.

McMahon returned on the July 4 episode of Raw as a heel, addressing the suspension of CM Punk following comments made by Punk the week before. Cena would convince McMahon to reinstate Punk and make the WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank official again. However, McMahon would tell Cena that if he were to lose the title at the pay-per-view, he would personally go to the ring and fire Cena. The following week on Raw, McMahon would try and get Punk to sign a new contract with the WWE, but Punk would tear the contract up, saying he is still leaving after his match at the pay-per-view.

At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, McMahon told John Laurinaitis to end the match while Cena had Punk in the STF, trying to duplicate the Montreal Screwjob (otherwise known as the Chicago Screwjob), but Cena knocked out Laurinaitis before he could get to the bell. After Punk had defeated Cena, McMahon then ordered Alberto Del Rio, Raw's Money in the Bank ladder match winner to cash in and challenge Punk for the title. Del Rio got attacked by Punk before he could cash in. Punk then fled through the crowd with the WWE Championship.

At the end of the July 18, 2011 broadcast of Raw, Triple H returned on behalf of WWE's board of directors to relieve Mr. McMahon of his duties as WWE Chairman. This was followed by the announcement that he had been assigned to take over as Chief Operating Officer of WWE.^[83]

McMahon returned on the October 10 broadcast of Raw, relieving Triple H of his duties of running Raw, due to the Board of Directors labeling Triple H as a financial catastrophe, and as a result of the no confidence vote by a majority of the WWE employees the previous week. He then declared that no member of his family could run Raw due to conflict of interest. He subsequently named John Laurinaitis as interim general manager.^[84]

Other media[link]

In 2001, McMahon was interviewed by Playboy and performed an interview with his son Shane for the second issue of the magazine that year. In March 2006, (at age 60) McMahon was featured on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. On August 22, 2006, a two-disc DVD set showcasing McMahon's career was released. The DVD is simply titled McMahon. The box art symbolizes the blurred reality between Vince McMahon the person and Mr. McMahon the character. McMahon features a profiling of the Mr. McMahon character, such as the rivalries with wrestlers, on-screen firings, and antics. In addition, the DVD features the profiling of Vince's business life, such as acquiring WCW and ECW and the demise of the XFL. McMahon's top nine matches of his professional wrestling career are also included in McMahon.

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

McMahon married Linda McMahon on August 26, 1966 in New Bern, North Carolina. The two met in church when Linda was 13 and Vince was 16. At that time McMahon was known as Vince Lupton, using his stepfather's surname. They were introduced by Vince's mother, Vicky H. Lupton (now Vicky Askew). They have two children, Shane and Stephanie, both of whom have spent time in the WWF/E both onscreen and behind the scenes. Shane left the company as of January 1, 2010; while Stephanie continues to be active in a backstage role.

McMahon has six grandchildren: Declan James and Kenyon Jesse McMahon and a grandson born in 2010, sons of Shane and his wife Marissa; and Aurora Rose, Murphy Claire & Vaughn Evelyn Levesque, daughters of Stephanie and her husband Paul "Triple H" Levesque.^[85]

Wealth[link]

McMahon has a $12 million penthouse in Manhattan, a $40 million mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, a $20 million vacation home,^[86] and a 47-foot sports yacht named Sexy Bitch.^[86][87] Forbes has noted McMahon's wealth at 1.1 billion dollars, backing up the WWE's claim he is a billionaire for the year of 2001,^[88][89] though he is reported to have since dropped off the list.^[90]

Harassment allegations[link]

Rita Chatterton (ring name: "Rita Marie") was a former referee who is noted for her stint in the WWF in the 1980s. She is known for being the first ever female referee in the WWF, possibly in pro wrestling history.^[91] Her times there, however, were shrouded in controversy, due to sexual harassment charges against owner McMahon. On April 3, 1992, Chatterton made an appearance on Geraldo Rivera's television show Now It Can Be Told alleging that on July 16, 1986 McMahon tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in his limousine and, after her rebuttal, subjected her to rape.^[92]

On February 1, 2006, McMahon was accused of sexual harassment by a worker at a Boca Raton, Florida tanning bar.^[93] At first, the charge appeared to be discredited because McMahon was in Miami for the 2006 Royal Rumble at the time. It was soon clarified that the alleged incident was reported to police on the day of the Rumble, but actually took place the day before.^[94] On March 27, a Florida television station reported that no charges would be filed against McMahon as a result of the investigation.^{[citation needed]}

Legal trial[link]

In 1993, he was indicted after a steroid controversy engulfed the promotion.^[95] McMahon was put on trial in 1994, accused of distributing steroids to his wrestlers.^[96] One former wrestler, Nailz, was called by the prosecution to testify against McMahon, stating that Vince encouraged him to start using steroids.^[97] His wife Linda became CEO of the WWF during the trial. He was acquitted of all charges though he admitted to taking steroids himself in the 1980s. The prosecution made Hulk Hogan its star witness, however, when called to testify, Hogan stated that at no time did Vince McMahon ever sell steroids.

In wrestling[link]

McMahon as ECW World Champion.

• Finishing moves
  • Pedigree (Double underhook facebuster) – adopted from Triple H
  • People's Elbow / Corporate Elbow (Feint leg drop transitioned into a high impact elbow drop to the opponent's chest, with theatrics) – adopted from The Rock
  • Running jumping guillotine leg drop – parodied from Hulk Hogan
  • McStunner/Mr. McMahon Stunner (Three-quarter facelock jawbreaker) – adopted from Stone Cold Steve Austin

• Nicknames
  • "The Boss"
  • "The Chairman"
  • "The Genetic Jackhammer"
  • "The Higher Power"
  • "Vinnie Mac"

• Wrestlers Managed
  • Stephanie McMahon
  • Shane McMahon
  • Triple H
  • Umaga
  • The Corporation
  • Corporate Ministry

• Entrance themes
  • WWF/E
    • "No Chance in Hell" by Peter Bursuker (1999–present; WWF The Music, Vol. 4, WWE Anthology, Raw Greatest Hits: The Music)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Vince McMahon receiving his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Vince McMahon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • (Class of 2011)^[98]

• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • ECW World Championship (1 time)^[99]
  • WWF Championship (1 time)^[100]
  • Royal Rumble (1999)^[101]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1996) vs. Eric Bischoff^[102]
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin^[102]
  • PWI Feud of the Year (2001) vs. Shane McMahon^[102]
  • PWI Match of the Year (2006) vs. Shawn Michaels in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 22^[103]
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Best Booker (1987, 1998, 1999)
  • Best Non-Wrestler (1999, 2000)
  • Best Promoter (1988, 1998–2000)
  • Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shane McMahon vs. D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

• Other accomplishments and honors
  • Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame
  • Sport's Illustrated 'Sportsman of the Year' 2006 Nominee
  • Created WrestleMania
  • The cover of "Muscle & Fitness" (2006)
  • On May 13, 2007, Vince McMahon served as the commencement speaker at Sacred Heart University, receiving the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.^[104][105]
  • He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Notes[link]