Who Really Owns WWE?

In recent years, WWE has been the subject of much speculation and scrutiny. Who really owns WWE? Is it Vince McMahon? The McMahon family? Or is there someone else behind the scenes pulling the strings?

Vince McMahon

In 1971, Vince McMahon Sr. took over the struggling World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) from his ailing father, Vincent J. McMahon. Under the new WWWF, which would become the WWE we know today, McMahon Sr. made some key changes. He expanded nationally, creating new territories across the U.S., and brought in big names like Bruno Sammartino and Andre the Giant to attract fans.

In 1982, Vince McMahon Jr. took over the company from his father and quickly began to change the face of professional wrestling. He introduced novel concepts like Hulk Hogan’s “rock and wrestling” superstar persona and morphed the WWWF into a global juggernaut called the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In response to World Championship Wrestling’s (WCW) growing popularity in the 1990s, McMahon Jr. rebranded his company as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002.

Nowadays, WWE is a publicly traded company with Vince McMahon still at its helm as Chairman and CEO. And while he no longer steps into the ring himself, McMahon Jr. is still very much involved in WWE’s creative process, approving all scripts and storylines for Raw, SmackDown Live, and pay-per-view events.

Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon is an American businesswoman and professional wrestling personality. She is the chief brand officer (CBO) of WWE and appears as an on-screen authority figure and occasional wrestler on both the Raw and SmackDown brands. McMahon is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a member of the McMahon wrestling family. She has worked for WWE since she was a teenager modeling T-shirts and other merchandise for various WWE catalogs.

Triple H

Paul Michael Levesque, better known by his ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, professional wrestler, and actor. He has been the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE since 2013, as well as being the founder and senior producer of NXT.

The McMahon Family

Linda McMahon is the current CEO of WWE, while her husband Vince is the Chairman and their son Shane is the Executive Vice President. In addition to these three, the McMahon family also includes Vince’s daughters Stephanie and Paige, as well as Shane’s wife Marissa. All seven members of the family have had on-screen roles in WWE at some point in their lives.

The McMahons have been involved in WWE since its early days, when Vince’s father Vincent J. McMahon founded the company in 1952. Vincent Sr. handed control of WWE over to his son in 1982, and Vince has been in charge ever since. Linda McMahon first joined WWE in 1980 as a receptionist, before moving into various other roles over the next few years. She became CEO in 1998, a position she still holds today.

While the McMahons are by far the most famous family involved in WWE, they are not the only ones with a stake in the company. The Fink family has also been involved since the 1950s, with Arnold and Stephanie Fink both having on-screen roles over the years. The Fiores have also been involved since WWE’s early days, with Angelo Fiore serving as an announcer and referee and his son John working as a backstage interviewer.