Linda McMahon

Linda Edwards-McMahon (born October 4, 1948 in New Bern, North Carolina) is an American businesswomen.

She is the wife of WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon, who she married in 1966, and resides with him in Greenwich, Connecticut. She is also the mother of WWE executives Shane Brandon McMahon and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, and the mother-in-law of their spouses, Marissa Mazolla McMahon and Paul "Triple H" Levesque. She has one granchild - Shane and Marissa's son Declan James McMahon.

Professional Career

Linda is the Chief Executive Officer of World Wrestling Entertainment. She has served on the Board of Directors since 1980, and was largely responsible for the growth of WWE merchandising. In addition, she is widely involved with the charitable work of the WWE. Linda graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.

Onscreen Roles (kayfabe)

Unlike her husband and children, Linda's onscreen character is normally presented as neutral, rational and selfless. When she makes an appearance, she will often use her "power" to thwart the plans of her family, or to punish a heel). Though the McMahons often squabble onscreen, they get along normally in reality.

Linda feuded with Vince throughout early 1999. At one point she and Stephanie supposedly gave their WWE Stock to Stone Cold Steve Austin, granting him a great deal of power. Austin lost these powers to Vince and Shane in a handicap ladder match.

In 2000, Linda forced Triple H to defend the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 2000 in a "Fatal Four Way Elimination Match". She also reinstated Mick Foley (who Triple H had forced to retire) and acted as his manager at WrestleMania. Throughout 2000, she was the only McMahon not to support Triple H, and was slapped by Stephanie at one point as a result. At Backlash 2000, she led referee Earl Hebner to ringside during a match between Triple H and The Rock with Shane as the Guest Referee after Stone Cold Steve Austin had come to the ring and knocked out Triple H and Shane. Hebner counted three, costing Triple H the world title.

Mick Foley returned to the WWE as Commissioner with the blessing of Linda McMahon. At the same time, Vince McMahon went on hiatus, claiming that he had realised why Linda was opposing him - she wanted another baby. Dubbing himself the "genetic jackhammer", Vince left for several months.

Vince returned to the WWE, and began campaigning to have an upcoming six way Hell in a Cell match cancelled because he feared that his "investments" (ie. the participants) would be injured. On December 7, 2000, he asked Commissioner Mick Foley to cancel the match, but Foley refused. Linda McMahon then backed Foley, and an outraged Vince demanded a divorce. The following week, Vince was informed that Linda had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. He initially appeared grief stricken, but then revealed that he was actually laughing. With Linda in a sanitarium, the Board of Directors appointed Vince as CEO on December 18, allowing him to fire Mick Foley.

With Linda apparently comatose as a result of her breakdown and the sedatives Vince ordered that she be administered, Vince began having a very public affair with Trish Stratus. This led to Shane returning to defend his mother's honour, and challenging Vince to a Street Fight at WrestleMania X-Seven. Before the event, Mick Foley returned with a pile of contracts which Linda had signed before her breakdown, one of which entitled him to referee any match of his choosing. Foley decided to referee the WrestleMania Street Fight. At WrestleMania, with Linda at ringside in a wheelchair, Vince appeared to be winning after Shane injured himself by executing a Flying Elbow Drop on Vince while Vince was unconscious on the Announcer's Table, which Stephanie dragged Vince out of the way of. As Vince prepared to finish Shane off by hitting him with a trash can, Linda stood up, apparently no longer sedated, and kicked Vince in the groin. The distraction allowed Shane to defeat Vince.

On April 9 2001 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 World Heavyweight Title and supporting Shane McMahon and World Championship Wrestling, which he had purchased. However, Vince and Linda would reconcile in July 2001 when they realised that The Alliance was going to attempt to destroy the WWE.

On March 18, 2002, Linda announced that the WWE would be divided into two brands, RAW and SmackDown!, as a result of the rivalry between Vince ad Ric Flair, who had bought Shane and Stephanie's shares in the WWE and so had equal power with Vince.

On April 28, 2003 Linda McMahon confronted RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff after he booked Trish Stratus in a match with himself, with Stratus being 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.

After Austin had allowed Kane to burn Jim Ross, Linda returned to the WWE on July 21 and told Austin that he could not attack anyone unless "physically provoked". Kane would attack #Tombstone Piledriver|Tombstoned Linda at the end of RAW, injuring her neck and infuriating Shane. While Linda was giving an interview from her home on August 18, 2003, Bischoff appeared, seemingly with amorous intentions, but was removed by security guards.

Linda accompanied her daughter Stephanie to ringside for her October 19, 2003 "I Quit" match at No Mercy. When Stephanie was choked by Vince using a pipe, Linda threw a towel into the ring, conceding defeat.

On December 1, 2003 Linda once again reinstated Mick Foley, this time appointing him as an "Outside Consultant" to RAW in order to monitor Eric Bischoff. Foley eventually resigned from his post during a heated feud with Randy Orton.