Published 14:49 IST, April 28th 2020
Vince McMahon talks about childhood beatings, military school and becoming a billionaire
Vince McMahon said his father used to take him to wrestling shows and he used to love it. " I just knew that I wanted to do that as soon as I saw it."
At 74-years-old WWE CEO Vince McMahon has achieved nearly everything in life. After entering the wrestling industry almost 40 years ago, Vince McMahon created some incredible storylines and events which went on to make WWE the biggest wrestling company in the world. Vince McMahon brought many skilled wrestlers to the WWE ring who went on to become WWE legends. Many know the story of legendary superstars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena and others who Vince McMahon signed, but few know how much the WWE CEO suffered to become a billionaire whom fans love to hate.
The life of WWE CEO Vince McMahon: Living in a trailer
In an interview, Vince McMahon said that he used to live in a cramped ‘eight-foot-wide New Moon trailer’ which was not bad for him. He said he was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth because his birth father left his mother when he was just a kid. He said when he was a kid, being poor didn’t bother him. However, he always hated people who used to treat him differently because of his economic situation.
“It always bugged me that people would think they were better than me. I developed a philosophy that no one’s better than me, and at the same time, I’m no better than anyone else.”
The life of WWE CEO Vince McMahon: Stepfather troubles
Vince McMahon then talked about his mother who he loved and his stepfather who used to beat him every time. Vince McMahon said that when he was six years old, his mother got married again. He said he hated his stepfather Leo Lupton because he had anger issues. "Leo used to get angry for tiny reasons and used to ‘beat the s**t’ of me", claimed Vince McMahon. The WWE CEO then said that the people Leo used to be with were also the same.
“This one particular stepfather I did not get along with at all. Leo Lupton. It’s unfortunate that he died before I could kill him. I would have enjoyed that.”
The life of WWE CEO Vince McMahon: Meeting his birth father and military school
Vince McMahon said that he met his birth father Vincent J McMahon after a decade when he was 12 years old. Vince McMahon said he fell in love with his father the moment he met him. “It was like going from rags to riches when I’d go to Washington, D.C., to see him.” McMahon said he had a good connection with his father because he was ‘a wonderful, caring, bright man’. Vince McMahon said when he turned 14, he was his own man. He started doing workouts and went to military school.
Vince McMahon revealed that military school was expensive and his mother couldn’t afford the fees. He said he talked to his father and his father took care of it. However, Vince McMahon was not a fit for military school, “I was the first cadet in the history of the school to be court-martialled.” After that, he started meeting his father more often. He said the more he met his father the more he liked spending time with him.
Vince McMahon stated his father used to take him to wrestling shows at the old Uline Arena in Washington and he used to love it. “The passion was just so strong, I just knew that I wanted to do that as soon as I saw it... My dad always knew that I wanted to be in the business from the first exposure.” His father then taught him about the business and he went on to found Titan Sports which became WWF and later turned into the flourishing WWE business.
Note: The information above was sourced from Vince McMahon's interviews with Headliners & Legends With Matt Lauer, The New York Times, Playboy and Muscle & Fitness.
Updated 14:49 IST, April 28th 2020