Vince McMahon: A Look At The Man Behind The Wrestling Empire

Vince McMahon's Net Worth and Salary: How Much Does He Really Have?

Listen, if you're talking about the biggest names in professional wrestling, one name stands out above the rest: Vince McMahon. This guy isn’t just some guy in the wrestling world; he’s the guy who made wrestling a global phenomenon. With a net worth of $3.2 billion, Vince McMahon is the mastermind behind World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). As the CEO, he wasn’t just the face of the company—he was the heartbeat of it. Before WWE was sold to Endeavor in April 2023 for a staggering $9.3 billion, Vince was the largest individual shareholder. We’ll break down his equity stake and value in just a bit. But here’s the kicker: even amid a sexual harassment scandal that made headlines, Vince announced his retirement on July 22, 2022. Yet, like a true wrestling champion, he came back in January 2023 as the Executive Chairman. That’s resilience, folks.

Fast forward to September 2023, WWE and UFC merged into a powerhouse company called TKO, which went public. Now, Vince owns 16% of TKO, roughly 28.84 million shares. When TKO first hit the market, its market cap was $14.5 billion. That means Vince’s stake was worth $2.32 billion. Yes, that’s part of his net worth. But let’s not forget, Vince stepped down from his role in January 2024 due to sexual assault allegations. The drama never stops in wrestling, does it?

WWE Sale: What Happened Next?

Alright, here’s the deal. On April 3, 2023, it was announced that WWE was being bought out by talent agency Endeavor for $9.3 billion. If it had been an all-cash deal, Vince’s 38% equity stake would’ve given him a $3.5 billion pre-tax windfall. But wait, there’s more. Instead of cash, it was an all-stock merger, creating a new company called TKO. Now, Vince owns 34% of TKO and sits on its board of directors as Executive Chairman. To top it off, he got a cool $100 million one-time dividend bonus for the successful IPO. Not bad for a guy who started promoting wrestling shows in a small town.

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How Many WWE Shares Did Vince McMahon Own?

When Vince sold WWE, he had 28.7 million shares of the company’s stock. These weren’t just any shares; they were class B shares that gave him control over 80% of WWE’s voting power and about 38% of its total outstanding shares. Back in April 2019, when the share price hit an all-time high of $96, his shares were worth $2.76 billion. But as they say in wrestling, things can change in the blink of an eye. Over the next six months, WWE stock lost around 50% of its value. By February 2020, when WWE stock was trading at $44, Vince’s stake was worth $1.2 billion pre-tax.

Now, here’s where Vince’s timing really shines. In December 2017, he sold 3.34 million shares for about $100 million. He used that money to fund his plans to relaunch the XFL football league. And then, in April 2019, when the shares were at their peak, he sold another 3.2 million shares, making $272 million. Lucky timing, huh? He put those gains into his subsidiary, Alpha Entertainment, and reportedly planned to invest around $500 million of his own money into the new XFL.

How Many TKO Shares Does Vince McMahon Own?

As of now, Vince owns 23.4 million shares of TKO, the company that owns both UFC and WWE. That’s about 30% of the company’s total outstanding equity. But hold on, because in March 2024, it was revealed that Vince sold 5.4 million shares, making a pre-tax profit of $400 million. That’s how you cash in while still holding onto a significant chunk of the company.

Early Life: From Pinehurst to Wrestling Stardom

Vince McMahon wasn’t always the powerhouse we know today. He was born on August 24, 1945, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. His dad, Vincent James McMahon, left the family when Vince was a baby, so Vince didn’t meet him until he was 12. Raised by his mom, Victoria, with a string of stepfathers, McMahon overcame learning problems and dyslexia to graduate from Fishburne Military School in 1964. He then attended East Carolina University, where he earned a business degree in 1968. That’s where his journey to wrestling greatness really began.

WWE: The Empire Vince Built

Vince is best known as the Chairman, CEO, and majority shareholder of WWE, a company founded by his father. He started working for his dad in 1971, promoting a small wrestling show. Vince wasn’t just an announcer; he became the go-to play-by-play commentator, helping his father’s company triple its TV syndication. When his father passed away in 1984, Vince and his wife took the reins of the still-modest company. He brought in Hulk Hogan as the face of the company and developed the “Rock & Wrestling Connection,” a concept that brought pop stars into the storylines and gave wrestling a national audience. WrestleMania and other clever promotions soon followed, making wrestling a household name. Today, WWE is a multi-billion-dollar empire, thanks to Vince’s vision.

Other Ventures: Beyond the Ring

Vince isn’t just about wrestling. He’s competed in the ring himself, holding titles like the WWF Championship and ECW World Championship. He’s even been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His kids, Shane and Stephanie McMahon, are deeply involved in WWE, both on and off camera. His wife, Linda McMahon, was also a key player in WWE and later became the Administrator of the Small Business Administration under President Donald Trump.

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In 2000, Vince launched the XFL, a professional football league. In February 2014, he helped launch the WWE Network streaming service. And in 2017, he established Alpha Entertainment, a separate entity from WWE. Vince is always thinking ahead, expanding his empire beyond wrestling.

Feuds: The Drama Outside the Ring

Vince has had some legendary feuds. One of the most famous was with Stone Cold Steve Austin, which started in December 1997. It all began when Vince discussed on-air the alleged assaults Austin had committed against him and other commentators. In the fall of 1998, Vince said he was “sick and tired” of seeing Austin as the WWF Champion and that he had a “master plan to remove the championship” from him. Austin didn’t take that sitting down—he drove a Zamboni into the WWF arena and attacked Vince. Austin was arrested shortly after.

Then there was the feud with Donald Trump in January 2007. Trump threatened to fight McMahon himself, but they eventually agreed that each would pick a representative to wrestle on their behalf. Spoiler alert: McMahon’s wrestler lost the fight. But hey, it made for great TV.

Personal Life and Real Estate: The Man Behind the Curtain

Vince and Linda McMahon were married on August 26, 1966, in North Carolina. They met in church as young teenagers and have been together ever since. They have two children, Shane and Stephanie, who are both heavily involved in the family business, and six grandchildren. The McMahons live in Greenwich, Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from WWE’s corporate headquarters in Stamford, CT. Their Greenwich mansion is reportedly worth $40 million. Vince also owns a $12 million penthouse in Manhattan and a sports yacht named “Sexy Bitch.” In 2022, he listed his Stamford penthouse for $4.1 million.

Now, here’s a fun fact: Vince once faked his own death. In June 2007, WWE aired a segment where Vince entered a limousine that exploded minutes later. The show went “off air,” and WWE later proclaimed that McMahon was presumed dead. But on June 25, 2007, Vince revealed that he wasn’t dead after all—it was all part of a storyline to see what people really thought of him. Classic wrestling drama.

Vince has been a generous donor to many Republican Party causes, including America Rising, a research and tracking group. He donated $5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation. The McMahons also donated $8 million in grants to the Fishburne Military School, Sacred Heart University, and East Carolina University.

Of course, not everything has been smooth sailing. McMahon was accused of sexual assault in 1992 over a 1986 incident involving Rita Chatterton, a former WWF referee. In 2006, he was accused of sexual harassment by a bar worker in Boca Raton, Florida. No charges were formally filed in either case, but it’s clear that Vince’s life has had its share of controversies both inside and outside the ring.