Who Started WWE? The History of the Wrestling Entertainment Giant

WWE has been a mainstay in the world of professional wrestling for decades. But who started WWE? The answer may surprise you.

Vince McMahon Sr.

Vince McMahon Sr. was the patriarch of the McMahon wrestling dynasty and the founder of the WWE. He was born in 1914 in Harlem, New York, the son of an Irish immigrant. Vince Sr. was a successful boxing promoter and wrestling booker. He is credited with booking the first wrestling match between Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales, which drew a then-record crowd of 26,000 fans to Madison Square Garden.

Vince McMahon Sr.’s early life

Born in 1914 in Massachusetts, Vince McMahon Sr. was the eldest of three children. His father, Jess McMahon, was a successful promoter of Irish culture who also ran a company that booked music acts. As a young man, Vince McMahon Sr. worked for his father’s company and soon developed a keen interest in the business of professional wrestling. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, McMahon Sr. returned home and took over his father’s company. He renamed it “Capitol Wrestling Corporation” and began to promote wrestling matches across New England.

Vince McMahon Sr.’s time in the wrestling business

In the early 1950s, Vince McMahon Sr. was running a successful regional wrestling promotion in the Northeast out of Washington, D.C., New York and Boston. That changed in 1952 when he was invited by Jess McMahon (no relation) to come to Philadelphia and run his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. The young McMahon agreed and relocated his family to the City of Brotherly Love.

Within a few years, Vincent J. McMahon Sr. became the majority shareholder of Capitol Wrestling Corporation and began buying up regional wrestling promotions across the country, creating a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territory that would eventually expand from Maine to Florida. He also convinced NWA president Sam Muchnick to allow him to promote NWA championship matches in his territories, giving him a larger piece of the pie when it came to profit sharing.

In 1963, McMahon Sr.’s son Vince McMahon Jr. graduated from college and came to work for his father full-time in the family business. The elder McMahon soon began grooming his son to take over the company one day, anointing him as “president” of Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1972 even though he was only 28 years old at the time.

Vince McMahon Jr.

Vince McMahon Jr. is the current WWE Chairman and CEO. He is the son of Vince McMahon Sr. and McMahon is married to Linda McMahon. He was born on August 24, 1945, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He is a third-generation wrestling promoter, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Jess McMahon and his father Vincent J. McMahon.

Vince McMahon Jr.’s early life

Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. was born on August 24, 1945 in Pinehurst, North Carolina, the only child of Vicki Askew and Vincent James McMahon Sr. Vince’s father was mostly of Irish descent, while his mother had English and Dutch ancestry. He claims no memory of his father before age 12. His parents divorced when he was still a young child, and he was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents in North Carolina until age 12, when he moved to Greenwich, Connecticut to live with his father. Vince McMahon Sr. left Vincent Jr.’s mother when he was young; the two would not see or speak to each other again until the early 1970s.

Vince McMahon Jr.’s time in the wrestling business

In the early 1970s, McMahon was a commentator and play-by-play announcer for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on TV and radio. He eventually became that company’s Senior Vice President, making him second-in-command to his father. In 1971, he founded Titan Sports, which would eventually become the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Under McMahon’s guidance, it became a global phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1980, McMahon made history by promoting the first ever WrestleMania event. This annual event has now become one of WWE’s flagship programs, and routinely sells out stadiums across the United States. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, McMahon continued to grow WWE’s presence both nationally and internationally. By the early 2000s, WWE had become a publicly traded company, with McMahon as its majority shareholder.

In recent years, McMahon has stepped away from day-to-day operations of WWE in order to focus on other business ventures. However, he still serves as the company’s Chairman and CEO, and is involved in many of its biggest decisions.

The McMahon Family Business

Vince McMahon Sr. founded WWE in 1952, when he started promoting live matches in northeastern United States. His son, Vince McMahon Jr., took over the company in 1982 and turned it into a global wrestling entertainment empire. The McMahon family has been involved in WWE for generations, and they continue to be a major force in the company today.

The early days of the WWE

The McMahon family has been involved in the professional wrestling business for generations. Vincent J. McMahon, the grandfather of current WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, founded Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. in 1952. The company was a forerunner to what is now known as WWE.

McMahon’s son, Vincent K. McMahon, took over the family business after his father’s death in 1984 and expanded it into a national phenomenon. He created WrestleMania, the biggest professional wrestling event in history, and turned WWE into a global brand.

Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon, is also involved in the family business. She is WWE’s Chief Brand Officer and leads the company’s global marketing efforts. Stephanie’s husband, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, is WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative. Together, Stephanie and Paul are considered two of the most powerful people in the professional wrestling industry.

The WWE today

The WWE today is a multi-billion dollar entertainment company. It is the largest professional wrestling company in the world, and has promoted some of the most popular wrestlers and events in history. The company produces live events, television programming, feature films, digital content, and merchandise.