Wrestling fans might know about Linda McMahon as Vince McMahon's wife, the former CEO of WWE, and the one who lost two consecutive Senate bids. But there are so many other things to know about her and how she and her husband went from rags to riches and created a billion-dollar empire.
She was instrumental in WWE's growth in the early stages of the promotion and worked in whatever way she could with her husband to make WWE into what it is today.
The added responsibility of raising two children while running a global promotion is an inspiring story everyone should know. With that said, here are ten facts the fans should know about Linda McMahon.
10 She Grew Up As A Tomboy
Linda McMahon grew up in a conservative Baptist family in New Bern, North Carolina as the only daughter of Evelyn and Henry Edwards. She grew up as a tomboy and competed in basketball and baseball while attending New Bern Highschool.
That could be one of the reasons why she did multiple physical spots in the ring during her time as an on-screen figure in WWE, including taking a Tombstone Piledriver from Kane and a Stunner from 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.
She also raised her children in the same way she grew up, as we've seen Stephanie compete in multiple matches and Shane jump off high structures throughout the years.
9 She Married Vince McMahon When She Was Only 17
Linda met Vince McMahon in a church when she was 13, and the latter was 16. Both of their mothers worked together in the same building and became good friends in the process.
Vince spent a lot of time in Linda's parents' house during that time, and he loved the feeling of stability he felt at their home after living with several abusive stepfathers.
They dated throughout their high school years and Vince asked her to marry him right after Linda graduated. She was only 17 at that time and they got married on August 26, 1966.
8 She Wanted To Become A French Teacher & A Pediatrician
Linda McMahon is one of the world's greatest women entrepreneurs, however, that wasn't the career path she wanted to take during her early years. She was an honors student in high school and aspired to become a pediatrician, but her plans changed as she married after her graduation.
She then enrolled in East Carolina University in 1966 and obtained a bachelor's degree in French and a certification to teach. She wanted to pursue a career as a French teacher, but circumstances led her to choose a different path, and it eventually led her and Vince McMahon to create WWE.
7 She Worked As A Receptionist
With her Bachelor's degree in French, she landed a job as a receptionist at Covington & Burling, a law firm based in Washington D.C., in 1969. She translated French documents at the company during her initial stages.
She then started to train as a paralegal in their probate department and learned about intellectual property rights. It would later help her in her duties for WWE, as she was instrumental in taking care of the administration along with Vince McMahon during the early years and mainly looked after trademark protection for the company.
6 She & Vince McMahon Once Filed For Bankruptcy
The McMahon family and bankruptcy are two words that do not go well with each other as they are one of the wealthiest families in the world. But it did happen back in 1976 when things got tough for Vince & Linda as they had to file for bankruptcy while she was pregnant with Stephanie.
They received food stamps for a short while until Vince McMahon took on a 90-hour-a-week job at a quarry. She used this rags to riches story during her campaigns for Senate, however, she didn't reveal the events that led to them filing for bankruptcy in the first place.
5 She Used To Cook Meatball Sandwiches For The Fans
Vince McMahon decided to start his own wrestling promotion in 1979 and bought the Cape Cod Coliseum in Massachusetts. The McMahon family founded Titan Sports Inc. in 1980, which is the WWE's parent company.
The McMahons used the Cape Cod Coliseum mainly for WWE shows, but they also held small hockey games and other sporting events as well.
Linda McMahon had close contact with the fans handing out tickets, and at one point, she cooked meatball sandwiches for the fans who attended the various events they held at the venue.
4 She Knew About Vince McMahon's Affairs
Every WWE fan would remember the times when Vince McMahon used to book himself in angles of him physically engaging with female superstars. He had such moments with superstars like Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie, Candice Michelle, and a few others.
He even had a storyline of him having an illegitimate son in an extramarital affair. But what comes as a surprise is that Vince McMahon himself admitted during an interview with Playboy back in 2001 that he had some affairs while Linda McMahon was fully aware of them.
3 She Was Responsible For WWE's First Action Figures
Most of the hardcore wrestling fans these days would have a collection of WWE action figures in their homes. They are one of WWE's top-selling merchandise items and we can give all the credit to Linda McMahon for introducing the company's first action figures.
Linda McMahon negotiated most of WWE's deals with outside vendors during the company's early years and she was instrumental in coming up with WWE's first line of action figures, Wrestling Superstars in 1984. She got the idea when she saw how Shane McMahon loved playing with his GI Joes, and it led to her masterminding the WWE action figures.
2 She Has A Net Worth Of $1.6 Billion
Though Vince McMahon holds most of their family's assets to give Linda some security against political accusations, she still has a net worth of $1.6 Billion.
Linda McMahon reportedly holds just under 1% of WWE share while her husband holds almost 42%. But still, her chunk of shares in the company is worth $37 Million, which made her one of the wealthiest members of Donald Trump's cabinet.
Vince & Linda McMahon made a joint financial disclosure in 2017, which showed billions in assets, including hedge fund investments, WWE stock, real estate, and other forms of property.
1 She Spent $100 Million Of Her Own Money In Failed Senate Campaigns
Linda McMahon left WWE in 2009 to run for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut in the 2010 midterm election as a Republican. She lost the election by 11% to Democrat Richard Blumenthal.
She once again ran for the seat in 2012 and lost to Democrat Chris Murphy, marking her second consecutive defeat in her bid for a Senate seat.
She had reportedly spent $100 Million of her own money in her two failed campaigns. But that didn't deter her in any way as she served as the head of Small Business Administration in the Donald Trump government.