Shane McMahon

Shane Brandon McMahon ( mək-MAN; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE.

The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a member of the McMahon family. He began working in WWF (World Wrestling Federation, now WWE) at age 15, starting in their warehouse, where he filled merchandise orders. McMahon was a referee, producer, announcer, and eventually a wrestler, while becoming WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Media behind the scenes. As a wrestler, he has won the European Championship once, the Hardcore Championship, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, and the WWE World Cup in 2018.

In 2004 he founded Seven Stars Cloud Group, which became Ideanomics where he serves as executive chairman. On October 1, 2009, McMahon announced his resignation from WWE. Later that year, he became CEO of entertainment service company YOU On Demand. On July 12, 2013, McMahon stepped down as CEO of YOU On Demand and appointed Weicheng Liu as his successor, while remaining the company's principal executive officer and Vice chairman of the board until 2021, when McMahon was promoted to Executive chairman. In 2016, he returned to WWE where he was a prominently featured figure until October 2019. Between August 2020 and April 2023, he wrestled or appeared at WWE events sporadically, with his final appearance occurring at WrestleMania 39 after which he retired from WWE in 2024.

Early life

Shane Brandon McMahon was born on January 15, 1970, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, to Vince and Linda McMahon. He has one younger sister, Stephanie McMahon. After graduating from Greenwich High School in 1987, he attended Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine. He then attended Boston University and in 1993 earned a degree in communications.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1988–2009)

Early years (1988–1997)

McMahon began his on-screen career as a referee named Shane Stevens. As Shane Stevens, McMahon refereed during the inaugural Royal Rumble match on January 24, 1988, and he was the first performer to walk out to greet the audience at WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990. McMahon stopped performing as a referee and became a backstage official at WrestleMania VIII on April 5, 1992, in an attempt to break up a storyline brawl between Randy Savage and Ric Flair. McMahon mainly worked behind the scenes, launching WWF.com in 1997.

The Corporation (1998–2000)

McMahon made his first appearances as a regular on-air character in early 1998 during the Attitude Era, when he was one of the main WWF executives negotiating with Mike Tyson during Tyson's heavily-hyped involvement at WrestleMania XIV on March 29. He became a recurring part of his father's on-air feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. In the early days of that angle, McMahon offered support for his father in cameo roles, but he did not become an enforcer like Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson. McMahon was a color commentator on Sunday Night Heat alongside Jim Cornette and later Kevin Kelly, and announced with Jerry Lawler on the 1999 video game WWF Attitude. Concurrently with this, Shane took on the role as a regular character, turning on his father by signing Austin to a contract after Vince demoted him to the position of referee. At Survivor Series on November 15, Shane turned heel by turning on Austin and became an official member of The Corporation.

In February 1999, McMahon moved away from the commentary role on Heat and became a key component in the Corporation angle, winning the European Championship from X-Pac on the February 15 episode of Raw is War. The two met in a rematch at WrestleMania XV on March 28; McMahon got help from his childhood friends the Mean Street Posse and Triple H, who turned on X-Pac during the match, to retain the championship. McMahon retired the title on the April 4 episode of Heat, wanting to retire as an "undefeated champion". McMahon later gave the title to Mideon, who found it in McMahon's duffel bag, thus reactivating it.

After WrestleMania, Vince briefly made his second face run and Shane took control of the Corporation. With wrestlers such as Triple H in this new faction, Shane feuded with his father and a new faction made up of former Corporation members, The Union. On the UPN pilot for SmackDown!, Shane joined forces with The Undertaker and the Ministry of Darkness to form the Corporate Ministry. Eventually, Vince was revealed to be the mastermind behind this faction, and his face turn was explained to be a plot to get the WWF Championship off Austin. Austin met Shane and Vince in a ladder match at the King of the Ring on June 27 for ownership of the WWF, as in the storyline, Austin had 50%, which was assigned to him by Linda and Stephanie McMahon, upset by Vince and Shane's complicity in the storyline kidnapping of Stephanie by the Corporate Ministry, while Vince and Shane each had 25%. Shane and Vince won the match when a mystery associate raised the briefcase out of Austin's reach when he climbed the ladder, allowing Vince and Shane to grab the case and regain 100% ownership of the WWF. In 1999, McMahon was awarded the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year award but he declined to accept it stating "These are for the boys, not me".

With his ownership reinstated, McMahon shifted his sights to, then babyface, Test, who was kayfabe dating Shane's sister, Stephanie. Shane disapproved of the relationship, feeling Stephanie was dating "beneath the family's standards", and wound up feuding with Test. With help from the Mean Street Posse, McMahon made Test's life a living hell. At SummerSlam on August 22, McMahon met Test in a "Love Her or Leave Her" match, with the stipulation being that if McMahon won the match, Test and Stephanie could no longer see each other, and if he lost, McMahon would give his blessings to the pair. Test was able to get the win, and McMahon eventually settled his differences with Test, thus making his second face run by becoming his ally. As his father, Vince, feuded with Triple H, Shane was attacked in early December 1999 by Triple H and D-Generation X (DX). He was thrown off the stage in a gang-style attack, in which Billy Gunn and Road Dogg prevented members of the Corporation from saving Shane. Later in the year, Stephanie turned heel, siding with her new kayfabe husband then-heel, Triple H (the two began their off-screen relationship around this time, but did not marry in real life until 2003). With that, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction began, and all of the other McMahons disappeared from television.

At No Way Out on February 27, 2000, Shane made his return as a heel again by trying to help Big Show defeat The Rock; these efforts failed as Vince returned the next Monday night on Raw Is War, when the Rock got a rematch against Big Show and helped The Rock win the match. This started the road to WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, wherein the four-way main event each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner. The Rock had Vince, Big Show had Shane, Triple H had Stephanie, and Mick Foley had Shane's mother, Linda McMahon. Big Show was the first man eliminated, and soon after he and Shane went their separate ways. This led to a match between the two at Judgment Day on May 21, which McMahon won after receiving help from Test and Albert, among others. Over the course of the next several months, McMahon allied himself with other heel wrestlers, specially Chris Benoit in his feud over the WWF Championship with The Rock. He was also aligned with Edge and Christian, who helped him win the Hardcore Championship from Steve Blackman on the August 21 episode of Raw is War. McMahon met Blackman in a rematch at SummerSlam on August 27, losing the title after falling 50 feet (15 m) through the stage. McMahon climbed up the set and tried to run away from Blackman, who gave chase and hit Shane with a Singapore cane, knocking him off. McMahon disappeared from television, making occasional cameo appearances.

The Alliance (2001–2002)

In 2001, Shane made his third face run by once again feuding with his father, Vince. The feud with Vince was due to the elder McMahon's (kayfabe) affair with Trish Stratus and Vince's spite and demand to divorce Linda McMahon. As fate would have it, rival World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was sold to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) one week before the Father versus Son match at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1. In terms of the storyline, Vince demanded that Ted Turner sign the contract at WrestleMania. With Vince's ego getting the best of him, Shane was able to seize the opportunity and purchase WCW himself, to the shock of Vince. McMahon defeated Vince at WrestleMania in a Street Fight. At Backlash on April 29, McMahon debuted his theme song "Here Comes The Money" and was in a Last Man Standing match against Big Show. McMahon performed the Leap of Faith (from the top of the scaffolding), knocking himself and Big Show out. Test helped McMahon to his feet, causing McMahon to get the victory.