Vince McMahon Sr. | |
---|---|
Born |
Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S. |
July 6, 1914
Died | May 24, 1984 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
(aged 69)
Cause of death | Pancreatic cancer |
Other names | Vincent J. McMahon |
Occupation | Professional wrestling promoter |
Spouse(s) | Victoria Askew (m. 1939; div. 1946) Juanita Johnston (m. 1956; his death 1984) |
Children | Roderick McMahon III Vincent Kennedy McMahon |
Parent(s) |
Roderick McMahon, Sr. Rose Davis McMahon |
Relatives | Roderick McMahon Jr (brother) Dorothy McMahon (sister) |
Family | McMahon |
Vincent James "Vince" McMahon (July 6, 1914 – May 24, 1984), commonly known as Vincent J. McMahon or simply Vince McMahon Sr., was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for running the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (subsequently renamed as the World Wide Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Federation during his tenure, and currently named WWE) from 1954 to 1982, and fathering his successor, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.
Vincent James McMahon was born on July 6, 1914, in Harlem, New York. His father Roderick James "Jess" McMahon, Sr., an American promoter who was a successful boxing, wrestling and concert promoter who had worked with legendary Madison Square Garden promoter Tex Rickard, and his mother Rose, was a New Yorker of Irish descent. He had an older brother, Roderick Jr., and a younger sister, Dorothy. As a child Vince would often accompany his father to Madison Square Garden where he would play, and later, begin learning the family business.
McMahon saw the tremendous potential for growth that the pro wrestling industry had in the era following World War II, especially with the development of television and its need for new programming. Similar to boxing, wrestling took place primarily within a small ring and could be covered adequately by one or two cameras, and venues for it could readily be assembled in television studios, lessening production costs.
McMahon's group, the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which was later renamed World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), came to dominate professional wrestling in the 1950s and 1960s in the nation's most populous area, the Northeast. His control was primarily in Baltimore, New York, and New Jersey. Despite its name, the WWWF was, like all professional wrestling promotions of that era, mostly a regional operation. It was however the one that came to dominate the most lucrative region.