Vince McMahon is the boss of WWE Raw & WWE Smackdown of the World Wrestling Entertainment and has often appeared on TV despite shunning public interviews. He has however built a wrestling empire which is professional and has also made him a billionaire.
McMahon is not the type of individual who will consider writing a book or giving interviews to media channels. However, this individual has had an unusual upbringing which has imbibed in him an insatiable desire to succeed. Today we give you some facts and anecdotes of a wrestling promoter who is known as the greatest in the world and goes by the name of Vince McMahon.
Despite a troubled childhood and family life, McMahon did not look for sympathy because he feels he has benefited from the difficult upbringing which has made him unafraid of failure.
Growing up in a trailer park
During his early days, McMahon was raised in a new moon trailer in Havelock North Carolina which was just 8 foot wide. Living in the trailer park did not provide him sufficient privacy but he, however, preferred the place than his previous residence in Manly, North Carolina which was devoid of indoor plumbing. Looking at the success he has achieved after beginning humbly and overcoming obstacles, the entertainment empire he has built certainly looks impressive.
He had misadventures in the military
McMahon faced accusations of troublemaking and he has admitted that he was court-martialed by the Fishburne military school and also holds the distinction of being the first cadet to be chosen for the punishment. McMahon remembers the incident and also mentions he will be eternally grateful for being court-martialed because it changed his life. This happened when he fed laxatives to a colonel’s dog, which did not please the dog nor the colonel. It was the mess the dog created which changed the life of McMahon.
He believes you don’t have to hold a degree to become rich
McMahon was not an outstanding student at East Carolina University and only managed to graduate in five years majoring in economics and hating it all the way. By his own admission, he was always a backbencher and has stated that economics is just about numbers and has nothing to do with people. McMahon also had to pester his teachers to change his grades which weren’t appropriate enough.
He worked odd jobs just like everybody else
The initial jobs McMahon held was to sell adding machines, ice cream cones and paper cups even when McMahon senior was the owner of World Wrestling Federation which was a small promotion in the Northeast. It wasn’t until 1969 when McMahon was close to 25 years old that his father ultimately decided to give him an opportunity in the business.
Ruthlessness was his specialty
Vince McMahon has stated to Sports Illustrated in 1991 that his father would never have sold the stock of the company to him if he had known that Vince would not adhere to the unspoken rules of the old-time wrestling promoters. McMahon invested money for producing television shows which were broadcast into rival territories to make WWF wrestling promotion which was nationally televised. He was attracting wrestlers from smaller territories with bigger paychecks and the opportunity of being seen on national television. It wasn’t long before McMahon eventually managed to crush the competition out of the business.
Surviving bankruptcy
McMahon filed for bankruptcy in 1976 after accumulating debts exceeding $1 million. However, he has overcome the obstacle and is presently worth approximately $1.51 billion as reported by the Connecticut Post. Apart from various bank accounts and properties, McMahon is also the owner of stocks worth $782 million in WWE. Life hasn’t been easy for Vince McMahon but he has certainly managed to overcome all odds to be in the position he presently is.
