Linda McMahon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Linda McMahon | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Linda McMahon Mrs. McMahon |
| Born | October 4, 1948 New Bern, North Carolina |
| Resides | Greenwich, Connecticut |
Linda Marie Edwards-McMahon (born October 4, 1948), is an entertainer and the wife of the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Vince McMahon, serves as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. She is the mother to Shane B. McMahon (EVP of Global Media) and Stephanie McMahon (EVP of Creative Development).[1]
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[edit] Backstage roles
Edwards-McMahon has served since 1980 on the Board of Directors of WWE (known until 2000 as the World Wrestling Federation or WWF). In addition, she has extensive involvement with the charitable work of WWE. In May 1993, Edwards-McMahon became the President of the WWF, a job she kept until May 2000, and would later become the CEO of the company in May 1997.[2]
[edit] Involvement in storylines
[edit] 1999–2001
Linda McMahon first debuted on WWE TV during the Corporate Ministry storyline, on a May 3, 1999 episode of Raw to confront her son Shane's recent actions in the company and towards his father and sister. She soon feuded with Vince during the summer of 1999 after it was revealed that Vince was the one behind Stephanie's abduction.
In 2000, McMahon forced Triple H to defend the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000 in a "Fatal Four-Way Elimination match". She also reinstated Mick Foley (whom Triple H had forced into retirement) and acted as his manager at WrestleMania.[3] At Backlash, she led referee Earl Hebner to ringside during a match between Triple H and The Rock, ultimately costing Triple H the WWF Championship.[4]
Later, Mick Foley returned to the WWF as Commissioner — with the blessing of McMahon. At the same time, Vince went on a hiatus, claiming that he had realized why McMahon was opposing him — she wanted another baby. Dubbing himself the "genetic jackhammer", Vince left for several months. He later returned and demanded a divorce. The following week, Vince was informed that Linda had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. With Linda in a sanatorium, the Board of Directors appointed Vince as CEO on December 18, allowing him to fire Foley. With McMahon apparently comatose as a result of her breakdown and the sedatives that Vince had administered to her, Vince began having a very public affair with Trish Stratus. As a result of the affair, Shane challenged Vince to a street-fight at WrestleMania X-Seven. At WrestleMania, with McMahon at ringside in a wheelchair and Foley as the special guest referee, Stephanie helped her father in the match.[5] At the end of the match, however, Linda stood up, apparently no longer sedated, and kicked Vince in the groin, allowing Shane to defeat him.[5] A week later, Linda resumed her duties as CEO and asked Vince for a divorce. She harassed Vince over the next few months, forcing Vince's chosen champion Steve Austin to defend the WWF Championship and supporting Shane and World Championship Wrestling, which he had just purchased. Vince and Linda would reconcile, however, in October 2001 when they realized that The Alliance of WCW and ECW (purchased by Stephanie) would attempt to destroy the WWF.
[edit] 2002–2004
On March 18, 2002, Linda announced the division of WWE into two brands ("Raw" and "SmackDown!") as a result of the rivalry between Vince and Ric Flair, who prior to the Invasion storyline had bought Shane's and Stephanie's shares in WWE to equal the power of Vince. On April 28, 2003, Linda confronted Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff after he booked Trish Stratus in a match with himself, where Stratus would be forced to sleep with Bischoff if she lost. To balance the presence of Bischoff, Linda appointed Steve Austin as the co-General Manager of Raw.
Linda accompanied her daughter Stephanie to ringside for her October 19, 2003 "I Quit" match at No Mercy.[6] When Vince choked Stephanie with a pipe, Linda threw a towel into the ring, conceding defeat.[6] On December 1, 2003, Linda once again re-instated Mick Foley, this time appointing him as an "Outside Consultant" to Raw in order to monitor Bischoff. Foley eventually resigned from his post during a heated feud with Randy Orton.
[edit] 2005–present
Linda's on-screen character turned heel for the first time on the October 10, 2005 episode of Raw when she "fired" commentator Jim Ross and delivered a low blow to him. Linda did not return to WWE television until WrestleMania 22, where she was seen in a backstage promo with the rest of the McMahons, who had joined Vince in a "prayer" (where they hoped Vince would defeat Shawn Michaels).
Linda returned to Raw on August 13, 2007 when she announced that she had (kayfabe) kicked Vince out of her home due to his summons for an illegitimate child. The storyline featured Vince claiming that his family was "all about the money". On the taped episode of Raw that aired on September 3, 2007, Linda returned with Stephanie and Shane to confront Vince on Raw.
[edit] Personal life
Edwards-McMahon attended East Carolina University. She originally claimed that she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in education.[1] She, however, later admitted that she actually majored in French.[7]
She met Vince McMahon at church.[8] After dating in high school, they married on August 6, 1966, while Linda was still in college.[9][8] Her children Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque serve as WWE executives.
Linda Edwards-McMahon became a member of the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Connecticut) in November 2004. Edwards-McMahon supports many organizations, including the USO, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the Starlight Foundation, and Community Mayors.[1] In 2005, she was appointed to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council and was presented the Arthur M. Sackler Award from the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra for WWE's support of its arts education program.[1] Edwards-McMahon is also responsible for the creation of WWE's Get R.E.A.L. educational and literacy programs and WWE's SmackDown! Your Vote! campaign.[1]
On January 29, 2007, Multichannel News named Linda McMahon to its class of "Wonder Women" for 2007.[1] The award recognized her outstanding contributions to the cable and telecommunications industries.[1] In May 2007, Edwards-McMahon appeared as the keynote speaker at the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut’s Women of Achievement Leadership Breakfast.[10] As a former Girl Scout herself, she encouraged all Girl Scouts to improve their communities.[10]
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell appointed McMahon to the Connecticut Board of Education in 2009.[11]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g "Biography for Linda McMahon". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://corporate.wwe.com/company/bios/le_mcmahon.jsp. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
- ^ "Governance Board". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://corporate.wwe.com/governance/board.jsp#LEMcMahon. Retrieved on 2007-06-15.
- ^ Powell, John (2000-04-02). "WrestleMania 2000 a flop". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingPPV/apr3_wrestlemania.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
- ^ Powell, John (May 1, 2000). "Rock victorious at Backlash, Game Over for Triple H". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingPPV/may1_backlash.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
- ^ a b Powell, John (April 2, 2001). "Austin turns heel at WM X-Seven". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingWM17/wm17_powell-can.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
- ^ a b Powell, John (October 20, 2003). "No Mercy for WWE fans". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/10/20/231323.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
- ^ "WED. UPDATE: ELIMINATION CHAMBER UPDATE; LINDA MCMAHON; NEW WWE TV DEAL; RATINGS; FLAIR NOTES". Wrestling Observer. http://www.f4wonline.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=8215. Retrieved on 2009-05-16.
- ^ a b Morath, Eric (March 29, 2007). "Q and A with Linda McMahon: The woman behind WWE". The Detroit News. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070329/ENT0101/703290389/1033. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
- ^ "Mid-South Wrestling's Profile on Vince McMahon". http://www.midsouthwrestling.com/Vince%20McMahon.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
- ^ a b Kara A. Medalis (May 18, 2007). "Linda McMahon urges Girl Scouts to stay involved". http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/lindamcmahongirlscouts. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
- ^ "Linda McMahon appointed to Connecticut Board of Education". World Wrestling Entertainment. January 12, 2009. http://www.wwe.com/inside/industrynews/9116588. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
[edit] External links
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