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- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Vince McMahon, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer of WWE, Inc. (WWE), is a third-generation promoter who has made WWE into the global phenomenon it is today.
As a pioneer in the television syndication business, a recognized television personality throughout the world, a visionary promoter and a fearless marketer, he continues to make his presence known as a leader within the broadcast and entertainment industries. In 1972, McMahon joined his father's company, Capitol Wrestling Corporation, on a full-time basis. By 1979, the company had syndicated programming to 30 television stations. In 1982, he purchased the Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father and decided to take what had been a regional operation and turn it into a national venture.
McMahon soon became an innovator in the cable television industry by leveraging the new technologies of pay-per-view and closed-circuit television for the first WrestleMania in 1985. Now, not only had he built a brand that people would watch in syndication, he had built the WWE into a brand that people would pay to watch. In April 2000, more than 1 million fans purchased WrestleMania X-6, at the time making it the most-watched non-boxing event in pay-per-view history. In February 2014, WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 direct-to-consumer network, launched live in the U.S.
In 2016, WrestleMania 32 set a new attendance record of 101,763, as fans from all 50 states and 35 countries converged on AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The previous WWE attendance record was at WrestleMania 3 in 1987, where 93,173 fans filled the Pontiac Silverdome.
Today, WWE produces seven hours of live weekly programming 52 weeks a year with no off season. Programs such as "Monday Night Raw" and "WWE NXT" on USA Network and "Friday Night SmackDown" on FOX are ratings successes that can be seen in more than 900 million homes in 180 countries and heard in 28 languages. In addition, WWE hosts more than 550 live events a year within the United States and abroad, making WWE the largest traveling show in the world.
Under McMahon's leadership, WWE has developed into one of the most popular and sophisticated forms of global entertainment today. WWE is an integrated media and entertainment company that features a portfolio of specialized businesses that creates and delivers original content to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. In addition to its headquarters in Stamford, CT, WWE has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo. WWE trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WWE.
In 2017, McMahon established and personally funded a separate entity from WWE, Alpha Entertainment.
For his accomplishments in entertainment, television, and pay-per-view, McMahon, one of the longest running personalities on television, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He also has received a Promax/BDA Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the 2008 Cablefax Hall of Fame. He has been included in Variety's annual Variety500 listing since 2017, which honors the most influential business leaders shaping the media industry. In 2019, McMahon was named as one of the Most Influential People in Sports Business by Sports Business Journal.
In recognition of WWE's work to support children over the past 30 years, McMahon, in 2005, was appointed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America's National Advisory Council. He is a tireless supporter of the U.S. military, bringing WWE Superstars to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002 to entertain the troops. WWE was the recipient of the USO of Metropolitan Washington's first ever Legacy of Hope award for the company's extensive support of our troops and the USO's Operation Care Package program. In 2006, WWE and McMahon received the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award for its support of deployed service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, the company received the GI Film Festival's Corporate Patriot Award.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Vince Russo was born in New York. Before Vince broke into the WWE, he worked for a radio station in New York City that focused on wrestling. Vince was hired by the WWE owner's wife Linda McMahon, which resulted in a job as editor for WWF Magazine. Vince was promoted to head writer in 1997. Famously turned the struggling WWF into a former cartoon-style product to adult oriented programming and helped WWF to beat WCW. Left WWF in 1999 to become WCW's head writer. Also wrote for TNA (Total Nonstop Action). Started his own entertainment channel in 2015.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Kevin Dunn, a fixture at WWE for more than 20 years, can trace his roots in the television industry to his early childhood. His father, Dennis Dunn, served as Executive Producer of Intermedia Productions, a program producer and syndicator first commissioned by Vince McMahon, Sr. to handle all WWE production beginning in 1972.After learning the ropes of the TV business at his father's knee and through more formal education at Towson State University, Dunn was hired full-time by Vince McMahon, Jr. in 1984. He functioned as an associate producer of all domestic WWE programming from 1984-1987.During this period, Dunn had the rare opportunity to hone his producing and directing skills on some of the landmark telecasts in wrestling history. He was an integral part of the production team which brought a radical concept called "WrestleMania" from the drawing board to reality. This event not only signaled the dawn of the modern wrestling era, it served as a benchmark for the later development of the entire pay-per-view industry.
He also functioned as Line Producer on one of the most successful live events in television history, WrestleMania III, which drew an unprecedented 93,000 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome and countless more via pay-per-view.Dunn's early successes were not confined strictly to the wrestling arena. His talents received mainstream media exposure working on projects like "The Slammy Awards," a product of the then fledgling MTV Network in 1986. Soon after, he began working on an immensely popular late night show airing on NBC called "Saturday Night's Main Event." It was at this time that he had the unique opportunity to work hand in hand with Dick Ebersol, now President of NBC Sports. Dunn's career growth continued as he relocated to Stamford, Connecticut in 1987 to work as the Line Producer at WWE's new $10 million state of the art TV facility. During the ensuing two years, he continued to produce all signature programming for WWE. In 1989, he was promoted to Producer, Domestic Television.In an effort to free Dunn from some of the day to day rigors of show production, he was promoted to Supervising Producer, Domestic Television in 1991. Under his leadership, WWE revived its successful late night series, "Saturday Night's Main Event" this time in concert with the FOX Network. This period of Dunn's tenure also marked the beginning of WWE's brief foray into the bodybuilding milieu, when he was actively involved in the TV production of WBF Championship productions in 1991 and 1992.In 1993, Dunn was named Executive Producer of all WWE programming, both domestic and international. Through use of the latest television technology, as well as the savvy management of his staff, Dunn has created a production environment that produces six hours of original weekly prime time programming, 52 weeks per year with no re-runs. Today, WWE produces "Monday Night RAW," "WWE SmackDown," and "NXT" which are ratings successes and are seen in 180 countries and heard in 25 languages.Dunn was promoted to Executive Vice President, Television Production in June, 2003, and manages a state of the art television studio with a production team of 140 people. Despite his many management responsibilities, he continues to direct projects both in the studio and out in the field. He has remained Line Producer of all live WWE telecasts since 1988. In 2008, Dunn joined WWE's Board of Directors.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Paul Heyman was born on 11 September 1965 in Scarsdale, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Rollerball (2002), WrestleMania X-Seven (2001) and ECW Ultra Clash '93 (1993).- Actor
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- Additional Crew
Pat Patterson was born on 19 January 1941 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for WWF Superstars (1986), Attitude Era (2012) and Undertaker - He Buries Them Alive (1994). He died on 2 December 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Gerald Brisco was born on 24 January 1950 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for WWE: The Bash (2009), WWE Raw (1993) and WWF Championship Wrestling (1972).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Eric Bischoff was born on May 27th, 1957, in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a minor in radio, television and film. He ran a successful construction company and pitched low-level marketing ideas to buyers until joining the American Wrestling Alliance in the late 80s. The company was falling into a black hole, and AWA CEO Verne Gagne gave the company to Eric when it was beyond repair (the AWA folded in 1991). After trying in vain to get a job at the WWF, the wrestling business's top federation, Bischoff joined World Championship Wrestling, a failing company owned by Ted Turner. After paying attention to the mistakes of those in power at WCW, Eric was promoted to Senior Vice President of WCW. In 1994, he signed the WWF's top draw, Hulk Hogan. Subsequent signings of wrestling legends Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and Roddy Piper later followed. In 1995, the same year that WCW returned a profit for the first time in its history, Eric Bischoff convinced Ted Turner to give him a prime-time slot in order to compete with the WWF's top show, "Monday Night Raw". Thus the birth of WCW Nitro, wrestling's first week-to-week live prime time show. Insiders predicted short and certain death for WCW, as no other wrestling company had ever successfully competed with the WWF. In its first week, Nitro beat out WWF Raw in the Nielson Ratings. Eric Bischoff served as the head commentator on the show and shockingly declared war on the WWF by giving away the results to the WWF's taped shows and publically insulting their direction. On his 39th birthday in 1996, Bischoff revealed a WWF main-eventer, Scott Hall, to be working for WCW. It was an angle that led to the reason wrestling hit its boom period... the New World Order (or nWo, a heel faction that Bischoff eventually joined). The angle was immediately successful, and secured WCW's spot as the new number one wrestling promotion in America. WCW Nitro defeated WWF Raw by a wide margin for 95 consecutive weeks in the ratings. In 1997, the WWF came its closest to going out of business. Their top star and champion, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, left for WCW in November, under extremely controversial circumstances which left WWF owner Vince McMahon looking shady and deceitful. Insiders predicted it as the final nail in the coffin for the WWF, but amazingly, McMahon was able to capitalize on his bad reputation by playing it off on television in a much-publicized angle with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This, coupled with the shocking "crash TV" gimmicks developed by then-head WWF writer Vince Russo (who Bischoff would later work alongside), allowed the WWF to finally compete with WCW again. It was a see-saw battle between WCW and the WWF in 1998, with the WWF gaining the upperhand by the year's end, and eventually being secure in its #1 spot by mid-99. Meanwhile Eric Bischoff, who was known for his smugness towards the competition, suddenly had to contend with not only the WWF growing in popularity, but also with the new "higher ups" at TNT who wanted to produce "family entertainment". Under these crippling restrictions, anyone would (and did) fail when trying to compete with the lewd WWF: Eric was relieved of his duties as WCW president on September 10th, 1999, after years of being seen as the WCW savior, once dubbed by sheet-writer Wade Keller as "the executive with the Midas-touch". When followers to his position only worsened the state of WCW, shockingly, Bischoff was brought back on April 10th of 2000, exactly six months after being demoted. Eric was to work alongside creative director Vince Russo (who had jumped ship from the WWF), but after disputes, Eric quietly walked away after seven weeks on the job. He returned in late 2000 with financial backers, Fusient Media Ventures, to purchase WCW from Time Warner. The deal was allegedly sabotaged, and Eric lost the company to the WWF. He then took some time off from wrestling to work on other television projects. In 2003, the unthinkable occurred: Eric was hired as an on-air talent by his old rival Vince McMahon, whose (renamed) WWE was nowhere near as popular as it had been during the famous "Monday Night Wars". On the February 23rd addition of RAW, Bischoff is finally scheduled to face McMahon in a match. Although Eric Bischoff is a solid talent in the WWE, his arrogance is more contrived than it had been during his glory years as the young, successful, in-your-face head of the only wrestling company to ever overtake the WWF as the top promotion in the business. Eric has truly changed the wrestling world and is second only to Vince McMahon in terms of overall importance to the current landscape. McMahon credits Bischoff for lighting a fire under the WWF and forcing it to revamp its style to fit with the times. Bischoff was a visionary and an innovator whose contributions are widely acknowledged and embraced. He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Loree, and two children, Garett and Montanna.- Actor
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Jim Cornette is an author, podcaster and former wrestling manager to The Midnight Express. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky and by the time he was 14 he was already a huge fan and working in the wrestling industry. He's worn many hats in the industry including photographer, ring announcer, color commentator, booker and co-owner of his own promotion, gaining an extensive collection of wrestling memorabilia in the process. He had a notable feud with Sunshine in WCCW and his team had feuds with The Rock & Roll Express, The Road Warriors and The Original Midnight Express all over the territories. Highly controversial, he still offers his opinion on stars of today and yesterday on his podcast and his website.