The Corporate Ministry was a stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in late spring and summer of 1999 during the Attitude Era .
84-592: It was formed after a merger between The Corporation and the Ministry of Darkness factions, who united while facing common adversaries Stone Cold Steve Austin , The Rock , The Union , and Mr. McMahon . In an infamous swerve , the latter was revealed as the power behind the Corporate Ministry, who intended it to destroy Austin. Throughout early 1999, The Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness had been feuding with WWF owner Mr. McMahon , trying to gain control of
168-616: A First Blood match , and with that The Corporation was officially over. The storyline for this was cut, however, due to a legitimate injury from the Undertaker. Later on in 2000, remnants of the Corporation (Shane, Vince McMahon, and The Stooges), allied with then heels DX in 2000, creating The McMahon-Helmsley Faction . Although considered a different group, its goals and format were similar to The Corporation. The Union (aka U nion of P eople Y ou O ughta R espect, S on, or U.P.Y.O.R.S. )
252-495: A pediatrician . Shortly after her high school graduation, Vince asked her to marry him. They married on August 26, 1966, when she was 17, and he was 21. She enrolled at East Carolina University in 1966, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in French . The academic program she completed was designed to prepare teachers for instruction. From 1968 to 1971, Vince worked as a traveling cup salesman before joining his father 's company,
336-564: A Dark Side Rules match where any of the members of the Unholy Alliance could wrestle. This enabled Undertaker to avoid aggravating his injury, although the group lost the tag team title back to the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. Afterward, Austin told McMahon on RAW that according to the previous contract's "fine print" he could reinstate him, provided that McMahon granted him his title shot. McMahon agreed and considered himself reinstated, granting Austin
420-501: A Republican for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut . However, she still remains a minority owner of WWE. In a 1989 memo to the company's vice president, Pat Patterson , McMahon directed Patterson to fire on-call physician George Zahorian and inform him of imminent legal charges charging him with steroid distribution. Although you and I discussed before about continuing to have Zahorian at our events as
504-696: A UBS Media Conference, McMahon described the new rating as a marketing strategy to attract a young generation of wrestling fans and create loyalty to the brand. Due to the TV-PG rating, chair shots to the head were banned, as well as sex scenes, blood, and vulgar language. During the 1980s, the WWF successfully overcame considerable opposition and some media ridicule in lobbying for deregulation in Connecticut , Delaware , Michigan , New Jersey , California , Florida , Pennsylvania , and Texas . By 2000, fewer than half of
588-457: A black robe and a hood that hid his face from the audience. On June 7, the identity of the higher power was revealed as Vince McMahon, and the entire exercise had been a ruse designed to allow the McMahons to get revenge on Austin. After the unveiling, Linda and Stephanie McMahon, who were also victims of the ruse, used their combined 50% share in the WWF to punish Vince. Linda stepped down as CEO of
672-648: A feud with The Undertaker by announcing that, while still CEO, he booked himself a title rematch with Undertaker, with the time and place to be determined by Austin. On the Raw Is War after King of the Ring, Austin defeated the Undertaker to regain the WWF Championship. At Fully Loaded , a First Blood match was signed with two stipulations. If Undertaker regained the title, Austin could never challenge for it again . If Austin retained, Vince McMahon would be forced to leave
756-541: A frequently bitter contest. At the party convention, McMahon received the most support, but Simmons received enough votes to qualify for the ballot for the August 10 primary , although he was not actively campaigning. In late July—two weeks before the primary—Simmons relaunched his campaign by airing ads on TV reminding voters that his name would be on the ballot, participating in debates, and accepting interviews with editorial boards. A third candidate, Peter Schiff , qualified for
840-531: A gauntlet match to keep his spot in the Unforgiven main event, with each match being considered the "specialty" match of the competitors. Undertaker was originally set to face Triple H in a casket match as part of the gauntlet, but Undertaker refused to compete and walked out on Mr. McMahon. Mideon and Viscera, who earlier had interfered in Triple H's inferno match against Kane, were forced to take Undertaker's place and won
924-400: A ladder match after Big Boss Man lost a match to Austin, allowing Austin to pick the stipulation. To punish him for the loss, Big Bossman was fired from the Corporate Ministry. With Steve Austin now feuding with the McMahons, The Undertaker faced a new challenger, The Rock. After Rock beat The Undertaker and Triple H in a handicap match , The Undertaker faced The Rock at King of the Ring for
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#17328587946381008-420: A massive stable. On the following episode of Raw Is War , a new faction formed to oppose the Corporate Ministry. Former Corporation members Ken Shamrock , Big Show , and Test joined together with Mankind to form The Union . The Union members felt that they were being screwed over by the Corporation ever since Shane had taken control of it from his father. Wanting revenge on his son, Vince soon united with
1092-473: A messenger boy, burning Stephanie's teddy bear, sacrificing Big Boss Man, invading Vince's house. At WrestleMania XV, Undertaker defeated Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell match. He hanged Big Boss Man with help of The Brood and Paul Bearer. After WrestleMania XV, Mr. McMahon was kicked out and his position as leader was usurped by Shane, who justified his actions by pointing out that Vince no longer cared about The Corporation and only about Stephanie McMahon , who
1176-459: A military base. She grew up in a conservative Baptist family, but converted to Roman Catholicism in her later years. Linda M. Edwards, at the age of 13, met Vince McMahon , then age 16. Her mother worked in the same building as McMahon's mother, but they had not met. Vince's mother became good friends with the Edwards family, and Vince, who had lived with several abusive stepfathers , enjoyed
1260-471: A rematch at Backlash . Rock blamed the loss on Shane, who had been guest referee and accidentally hit Rock with the championship belt near the end of the match. The following night on Raw Is War , Rock insulted Shane and hit him with a Rock Bottom and was in turn fired from the Corporation. At Backlash, the Ministry kidnapped Stephanie. The Undertaker attempted to wed and sacrifice her the following night, but
1344-460: A vote of 34–1 and the House by 96–45 with some opponents expressing concerns that the nature of her WWE activities would send the wrong message. State representative Bruce Morris claimed she lacked "depth of knowledge regarding education". However, state representative John Hetherington said it "would be good to have someone outside the establishment on the board". On April 1, 2010, McMahon resigned from
1428-483: The 2016 Republican nomination process began to gear up in early 2015, McMahon, Singer, and Charles R. Schwab were among donors and prospective-candidate representatives who attended a daylong meeting near Jackson , Wyoming , that was hosted by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and his son Todd , and featured "several Republican donors who favor[ed] same-sex marriage and immigration reform ". After Donald Trump made an appearance at WrestleMania 23 in 2007,
1512-518: The 50 states had athletic regulations on the wrestling industry. Following common practice in professional sports, WWE classifies its wrestlers as independent contractors rather than employees. The classification allowed the company to avoid paying Social Security , Medicare and unemployment insurance for wrestlers. McMahon stated the WWE wrestlers had lucrative contracts, merchandising deals, royalty payments, and appearance fees. She noted that many of
1596-693: The Cape Cod Coliseum . He purchased the Coliseum in Massachusetts and founded Titan Sports, Inc. in 1980. The McMahons held small hockey and other sporting events in addition to wrestling at the Cape Cod Coliseum. At one point, Linda cooked meatball sandwiches to feed the fans at these sporting events. As the company grew, Linda assisted Vince with administration and used her knowledge of intellectual property law to assist in trademark protection for
1680-887: The USO , the Make-A-Wish Foundation , the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation , the Starlight Foundation , and Community Mayors. In 2005, she won appointment to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council and received the Arthur M. Sackler Award from the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra for WWE's support of its arts education program. On January 29, 2007, Multichannel News named McMahon to its class of "Wonder Women" for 2007. The award recognized her outstanding contributions to
1764-651: The United States Senate from Connecticut as a Republican , but lost to Democrat Richard Blumenthal in the 2010 general election . She was the Republican nominee for Connecticut's other Senate seat in the 2012 race , but lost to Democrat Chris Murphy . On December 7, 2016, Donald Trump ( president-elect at the time) announced that he would nominate McMahon to be administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Senate confirmation hearing began on January 24, 2017, and on February 1, her nomination
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#17328587946381848-503: The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). Their son Shane was born in 1970, followed by daughter Stephanie in 1976. In 1969, the McMahons moved to Gaithersburg , Maryland . McMahon worked as a receptionist at the corporate law firm of Covington & Burling ; she translated French documents, trained as a paralegal in the probate department, and studied intellectual property rights. Financially,
1932-553: The cable and telecommunications industries . In May 2007, she appeared as the keynote speaker at the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut 's Women of Achievement Leadership Breakfast. McMahon was a Girl Scout. Under her leadership, WWE was the recipient of the USO of Metropolitan Washington's first ever "Legacy of Hope" award for its extensive support of U.S. troops and the USO's Operation Care Package program. In 2007,
2016-471: The storylines were in advance and watched events unfold as the general public did. Through WWE, the McMahons were major donors to The Donald J. Trump Foundation , giving $ 4 million in 2007 and $ 5 million in 2009. The McMahons donated over $ 8 million in 2008 to the Fishburne Military School , Sacred Heart University , and East Carolina University . Nonprofit Quarterly noted the majority of
2100-503: The 18-to-30 voter demographic, and made use of online marketing, public service announcements, and youth voting partnerships. The campaign, which registered 150,000 new voters during the 2000 election, was started in coalition with MTV's Choose or Lose, Project Vote Smart, and Youth Vote 2000. As of the 2008 election, it listed 14 voter registration partner organizations. During the 2008 presidential election, Smackdown your Vote! registered many voters online, often in affiliation with Rock
2184-559: The APA. Big Bossman continued his feud with Al Snow. The Undertaker, in the meantime, formed a new tag team with Big Show called the "Unholy Alliance", which eventually grew into a loose stable that included former Ministry members Mideon and Viscera. They defeated X-Pac and Kane at SummerSlam for the WWF Tag Team Championship, only to lose them a week later to the makeshift tag team of Mankind and The Rock, which became better known as
2268-594: The Corporate Ministry. The ousted chairman Vince McMahon briefly led the Union into battle, and superstars such as The Rock , Stone Cold Steve Austin , and WWF commissioner Shawn Michaels were loosely allied with the Union, as they all had common enemies in the Corporate Ministry. At Over the Edge , The Union defeated a Corporate Ministry team consisting of The Acolytes , Viscera and Big Bossman in an elimination match . On May 31, Mankind received several sledgehammer blows to
2352-460: The Corporation for the old and that Vince no longer had his priorities straight. Shane then slapped his father, saying that the strong, ruthless man he knew was gone. Heading into WrestleMania XV , Vince McMahon had been feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin for an entire year. By this point, the Corporation was involved in the feud as well. The Rock , Vince's handpicked champion, lost his WWF Championship to Austin at WrestleMania XV and also lost
2436-460: The Federation. To break Vince's spirits they began targeting his daughter Stephanie . Worried about his daughter, Vince shifted focus from his Corporation stable to Stephanie. With Vince occupied, his son Shane gradually took over the leadership of the Corporation. On April 12, Shane kicked Vince, Pat Patterson , and Gerald Brisco out of the Corporation. His rationale was that there was no room in
2520-681: The Governor's Council for the World Special Olympics. In October 2024, McMahon was named as a defendant in a lawsuit, accusing her, her husband, and WWE of negligence with regards to the "ring boys" scandal, in which multiple WWE personnel, including ring announcer Mel Phillips and wrestlers Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin , either resigned or were dismissed in 1992 after being accused of sexually assaulting young boys; in particular, Phillips had already been dismissed in 1988 for sexual misconduct, but had been rehired several weeks afterwards under
2604-525: The McMahons donated $ 5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation in addition to the payment for the appearance. In 2016, McMahon donated $ 6 million to Rebuilding America Now , a Super PAC with the purpose of electing Donald Trump as US president, and in 2015 and 2016 combined, $ 1.2 million to Future 45, a Super PAC which funded anti- Bernie Sanders advertisements. On December 7, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate McMahon to be
Corporate Ministry - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-677: The McMahons' donations were towards capital expenditures . In 2006, they paid $ 2.5 million for construction of a tennis facility in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. As of 2010, she served on the board of the Close Up Foundation , a nonprofit which offers youth field trips to Washington, D.C. McMahon became a member of the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in November 2004. She supported many organizations, including
2772-474: The Ministry of Darkness, and later the Corporate Ministry. With their lead wrestler injured and their enemy evolved into a different group, the Union quietly disbanded. 1 ^ McMahon refused the award, stating: "These are for the boys, not me". Linda McMahon Linda Marie McMahon ( / m ə k ˈ m æ n / ; née Edwards ; born October 4, 1948) is an American politician, business executive, and former professional wrestling performer. She
2856-434: The Republican nomination, campaigning on promises of lower taxes, fiscal conservatism, and job creation. She campaigned as socially moderate, and identified herself as pro-choice while also opposing partial-birth abortion and federal funding for abortions. McMahon's spending became a key argument of one of her rivals, former Congressman Rob Simmons , who accused her of "buying the election". McMahon and Simmons engaged in
2940-410: The Rock 'n' Sock Connection . The following week, they regained the tag team championship in a Buried Alive match after Triple H buried Mankind following an attack on Big Show. Shortly after this, the Undertaker learned his torn groin would require surgery, which necessitated a change in storyline. The team's scheduled defense against the former champions on Raw Is War two weeks later was turned into
3024-562: The State Board of Education, because state law does not allow board members to solicit campaign contributions. Days after her resignation, the Hartford Courant reported that McMahon had falsely filled out a questionnaire from the governor's office on which she claimed to have received a bachelor's degree in education from East Carolina University in 1969; her degree was actually in French. At
3108-615: The U.S. Senate, she became the Republican Party favorite for the 2012 election. On September 20, 2011, in Southington , Connecticut, McMahon officially announced her candidacy. On May 18, 2012, McMahon earned the endorsement of the state Republican Party at the Connecticut State Republican Convention by a delegate vote of 658 to 351 over the next-highest candidate, former congressman Chris Shays . The two were
3192-419: The Union as they fought with the Corporate Ministry. As the Corporate Ministry's first act, Shane ordered a WWF Championship match at Over the Edge between Austin and Undertaker with himself as a special guest referee. WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels countered by adding Vince as another guest referee. That night, an altercation between the feuding McMahons collected Undertaker and Austin, and Shane fast-counted
3276-641: The Vote . The McMahons began supporting the Special Olympics in 1986. McMahon first developed an interest in the Olympics from her friendship with NBC producer Dick Ebersol and Susan Saint James , who encouraged them to participate in the mid-1980s. She met Lowell Weicker , whose son is developmentally-disabled, through the Special Olympics. In 1995, as Connecticut Governor, Weicker appointed Linda McMahon to
3360-717: The WWE, additionally citing the concurrent sex trafficking lawsuit and federal investigation against Vince and other allegations highlighted by the Netflix documentary series Mr. McMahon . McMahon was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education by Governor Jodi Rell in January 2009. She went through a confirmation process in the Connecticut State Assembly where she was questioned on her record as CEO of WWE. The State Senate approved her nomination by
3444-568: The WWF and eliminate the more rebellious wrestlers, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin . Previously, McMahon started surrounding himself with an entourage consisting of The Corporate Stooges, Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson , WWF commissioner Slaughter and his personal enforcer Big Boss Man to help him quell the rebellious actions of Austin. The Corporation was officially formed on November 16, 1998 when Shane and Vince McMahon along with Big Boss Man, Slaughter, and Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco reconciled, joining forces with The Rock . The Rock
Corporate Ministry - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-403: The WWF. Austin won by hitting The Undertaker with a television camera after an assist from X-Pac, thus retaining the title and forcing Vince out of the company. Meanwhile, The Acolytes defeated The Hardy Boyz and their manager Michael Hayes to regain the belts, and Triple H defeated The Rock in a leather strap match to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship. and Big Bossman won
3612-438: The attack was to write him off television. Michaels was originally given the vacant commissioner position left by founding Corporation member Slaughter to use his powers on their behalf. Kane 's membership was unsteady from the start as he was only a member because the McMahons threatened to send him back to the insane asylum if he did not cooperate with them. Kane officially left the group after WrestleMania XV when Chyna , who
3696-471: The ballot by submitting petition signatures. McMahon defeated her opponents and faced Richard Blumenthal in the general election, losing by 11.8 percentage points. Immediately after her loss to Blumenthal, McMahon hinted she would run again for Senate in 2012. McMahon maintained a high profile following the election, running television ads, campaigning for politicians, and making frequent media appearances. When Joe Lieberman announced he would retire from
3780-567: The bell rung when The Rock put the Sharpshooter on him immediately despite not tapping (recreating the previous year's Montreal Screwjob ). Though the group remained on top of the federation heading into 1999, members began to dwindle throughout the year. Then-commissioner Shawn Michaels was the first, having viciously being attacked by the group in a parking lot once it became clear he began to make decisions that did not cater to their interests. In reality, Michaels needed to have back surgery and
3864-407: The company grew from a regional business in the northeast to a large multinational corporation . Among other things, she initiated the company's civic programs, Get R.E.A.L. and SmackDown! Your Vote . She made occasional on-screen performances, most notably in a feud with her husband that culminated at WrestleMania X-Seven . In 2009, she left World Wrestling Entertainment to run for a seat in
3948-574: The company himself. Joey Abs made his debut by joining The Mean Street Posse ; he wasn't a member of the Corporate Ministry, but debuted under the Corporate Ministry banner. The Corporation (professional wrestling) The Corporation was a heel stable in the late 1990s in the Attitude Era in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was led by the McMahon family and
4032-668: The company 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. On April 13, 2012, Sacred Heart University officially dedicated and opened the Linda E. McMahon Commons Building on its main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut. McMahon launched
4116-434: The company referred to her as the "co-chief executive". McMahon became president in 1993 and CEO of the company in 1997. The company's explosive growth and the way it transformed the wrestling industry caused some observers to label her and Vince "business geniuses". One of her major interests in WWF and WWE was product merchandising . She negotiated many of the company's business deals with outside vendors and established
4200-411: The company to give the group vast degrees of advantages in matches. Corporation members were known to adopt "cleaned-up businessmen" modifications to their individual characters. For example, The Rock's "People's Champion" modus operandi changed, as he became known as "The Corporate Champion" and the "People's Elbow" became "The Corporate Elbow" during his tenure in the stable. The group subsequently became
4284-686: The company's Get R.E.A.L. program to deliver positive messages about education to young adults. The program encouraged literacy through public service announcements , posters, and bookmarks featuring wrestling superstars. In 2000, the American Library Association reported the WWF's Know Your Role poster was its highest-selling poster for two straight months. Since 2006, thousands of posters featuring WWE superstars have been distributed to libraries and reading facilities. McMahon initiated WWE's non-partisan voter registration campaign , "SmackDown! Your Vote", in August 2000. The campaign targeted
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#17328587946384368-588: The company's first line of action figures, Wrestling Superstars , in 1984. It was a first in the wrestling industry and helped expand the company's popularity with children. She was also the primary negotiator for the World Wrestling Federation's 2000 TV deal with Viacom . During an interview with The Detroit News , when asked what it was like being CEO in a " testosterone -charged industry," McMahon replied, "It's lots of fun. I'm an only child, so I grew up as my father's son and mother's daughter. I
4452-455: The company, naming Austin as her replacement. Further, she and Stephanie were signing over their shares of the WWF to Austin. The Undertaker has stated that he considers the Corporate Ministry stable to be the low point of his "dark" era due to the diluting of power from himself to the McMahons. The McMahons challenged Austin to a winner-take-all handicap match at the King of the Ring. The match became
4536-506: The company. During much of those early years, she had little interest in professional wrestling. In 1982, Vince McMahon's Titan Sports, Inc. purchased Capitol Wrestling , better known as the parent company of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from his father . He later expanded his market by airing WWF shows on national television. In 1983, the McMahons moved to Greenwich , Connecticut . They have six grandchildren. Linda McMahon co-founded Titan Sports, Inc. in 1980. Many workers in
4620-403: The condition that he "stop chasing after kids". McMahon's possible involvement in the ring boys scandal was known prior to her tenure as Small Business Administrator; a vetting document from Trump's first transition team, leaked in 2019 and cited in the lawsuit, listed the scandal as a possible "red flag" against her. The lawsuit also alleges the McMahons fostered a culture of sexual abuse within
4704-406: The couple fared poorly for several years and, despite her husband working at a quarry , briefly received food stamps . In 1976, after a series of failed business ventures including financing stunt performer Evel Knievel's Snake River Canyon Jump , and while pregnant with Stephanie , McMahon and her husband filed for bankruptcy . By 1979, Vince decided to start promoting wrestling events at
4788-467: The doctor on call, I think that is now not a good idea. Vince agreed, and would like for you to call Zahorian and to tell him not to come to any more of our events and to also clue him in on any action that the Justice Department is thinking of taking. This memo became known publicly as the "Tip-Off Memo" during her campaign for Senate in 2010. It became a political liability used against her in both
4872-506: The feeling of stability that he felt at their home. Edwards and McMahon dated throughout their high school years; she attended Havelock High School and he attended Fishburne Military School in Virginia. During this time, Vince was a "permanent fixture" at her home, and spent hours with Linda and her family. He attended East Carolina University , studying business administration. Edwards was an honors student in high school and aspired to become
4956-614: The hardcore title from Al Snow. Two weeks later, the Acolytes lost the belts to X-Pac and Kane. By the end of July, The Undertaker's relationship with the McMahons had dissolved and the Corporate Ministry was effectively disbanded by Shane McMahon on August 2, 1999. Shane continued to align himself with Triple H and Chyna, and on the Raw Is War following SummerSlam he helped Triple H defeat Mankind to win his first WWF Championship. The Acolytes stayed together and continued to wrestle under that name with no connection to anyone, eventually becoming
5040-403: The knee in a hardcore match against Triple H . In reality, Mick Foley had needed knee surgery due to injuries suffered months earlier at Survivor Series and St. Valentine's Day Massacre . He would be unable to wrestle until August 1999. The following week, Mr. McMahon revealed himself as the "higher power" which The Undertaker had been taking orders from the entire time he was in command of
5124-412: The loss of members in the Corporation was a process of elimination, separating loyal members from the ones that would be troublesome. Vince McMahon rejoined the stable when it was revealed that he was the " higher power " of the Ministry of Darkness. The Corporate Ministry, however, crumbled when The Undertaker's relationship with Vince McMahon deteriorated after a loss to Austin over the WWF Championship in
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#17328587946385208-585: The match after Triple H was unable to put both men in a casket. After that, the remaining members of what was left of the Ministry went their separate ways. Big Show became the WWF Champion at that year's Survivor Series , while Viscera won the WWF Hardcore Championship and was eventually let go from the company. Mideon disappeared for some time after Unforgiven, returning first as an impostor version of Mankind and then as "Naked Mideon" before leaving
5292-593: The most dominant stable in the company by the end of 1998, with Corporate members The Rock, Ken Shamrock, and Big Boss Man holding the WWF, Intercontinental, and Hardcore Championships respectively. Shamrock and Big Boss Man were briefly double champions as well during this time, as they held the WWF Tag Team Championship . The group proceeded to terrorize the rest of the WWF roster as well, freely using their political strokes and corporate agenda to put down their authority on other wrestlers. Besides Austin, who
5376-567: The nomination and general election campaigns. Following the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit in 2007 , the Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigated steroid usage in the wrestling industry. The Committee investigated WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), asking for documentation of their companies' drug policies. The McMahons both testified. The documents stated that 75 wrestlers—roughly 40 percent—had tested positive for drug use since 2006, most commonly for steroids. McMahon
5460-569: The only candidates to qualify for the primary , which took place on August 14, 2012. McMahon defeated Shays by a three-to-one margin, spending $ 15.7 million of her money on the campaign. She lost to Democratic U.S. Representative Chris Murphy in the general election, marking her second consecutive defeat. Following her election defeats, McMahon committed herself to becoming a major Republican fundraiser and donor. She donated to groups such as American Crossroads and Ending Spending Fund , and associated with fellow mega donor Paul Singer . As
5544-517: The pin to give the match and the title to Undertaker. That same night, The Rock defeated Triple H via disqualification and The Union defeated The Acolytes, Viscera, and Big Bossman in an elimination match . A week later, The Acolytes defeated X-Pac and Kane to win the WWF Tag Team Championship . Meanwhile, The Undertaker's claim that he served a higher power was expanded upon. Eventually, The Undertaker decided to offer Austin to this greater power, who revealed his identity to Austin while dressed in
5628-544: The tax credits while laying off workers in 2009. McMahon often referred to the creative side of WWE as Vince's specialty, stating that she was primarily in the management team, although she appeared in several storylines. McMahon debuted on WWF TV during the Corporate Ministry storyline, on the May 3, 1999, episode of Raw during the Attitude Era . During an interview with Fox News , she said that she often did not know what
5712-421: The time, she claimed she thought her degree was in education because she had completed a semester of student teaching. On September 16, 2009, McMahon announced her candidacy for U.S. Senator to represent the state of Connecticut . She announced she would spend up to $ 50 million of her own money to finance her campaign and refused outside donations, the third most ever spent on a senatorial campaign. She ran for
5796-496: The title shot - with the catch that he would wait to meet the winner of the Six-Pack Challenge WWF Title match at Unforgiven . During that time, The Undertaker was set to compete in the same Six-Pack Challenge against The Rock, Mankind, Kane, Big Show, and Triple H, requiring a change in those plans as well. One week after the group lost the tag team title for the final time, Mr. McMahon forced Triple H to take part in
5880-479: The title. Undertaker won the match, thanks to a run-in by Triple H. That same night, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a ladder match to win his 50% share of the company and regain full control of the WWF. The following week, the Acolytes lost the tag championship to the Hardy Boyz . Big Boss Man rejoined the Corporate Ministry the night after King of the Ring. After King of the Ring, Austin reinserted himself into
5964-403: The weak. Finally, The Rock was kicked out after he failed to take back the WWF Championship from Austin at Backlash , thanks to a botched interference from Shane McMahon and spouting venomous remarks that caused Shane to have the remaining Corporation members attack him. With their dwindling numbers, they merged with the Ministry of Darkness to create The Corporate Ministry , thus revealing that
6048-425: The wrestlers had agents and considered them to be on par with "singers, golfers, or tennis players". The company offered seminars to help wrestlers select health insurance plans. Under McMahon's tenure, WWE became one of the largest recipients of special tax credits for film and TV production granted by the state of Connecticut. During her 2010 campaign, Blumenthal's campaign criticized her and WWE for accepting
6132-462: Was The Corporation's proclaimed "Crown Jewel" (and whom they helped win the WWF Championship at Survivor Series ), holding the WWF Championship three times while part of the group. Later in the show, Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock would be recruited onto "Team Corporate", an unofficial name stated by announcer Jim Ross . The group became notorious for using their political stroke in
6216-609: Was a short lived stable consisting of former Corporation members Ken Shamrock , Big Show and Test , and their leader, Mankind . They were a face stable who rebelled against the Corporate Ministry. The stable members came together because they felt they were being treated unjustly by The Corporation since Shane McMahon usurped power in the stable from his father, Vince McMahon . The group formed on May 3, 1999, four days after The Undertaker 's Ministry of Darkness and Shane's Corporation merged to create The Corporate Ministry . The four Union members were not alone as they feuded with
6300-470: Was a target of The Undertaker . Brisco and Patterson were kicked out, with Shane stating there was no room in The Corporation for the old and replaced them with The Mean Street Posse . Ken Shamrock walked out on the group when he showed more loyalty to his sister Ryan , who was also being threatened by The Undertaker. Test took a beating and was kicked out after Shane stated that there was no room for
6384-603: Was approved by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship with an 18–1 vote and confirmed by the full Senate on February 14, by a vote of 81–19. On March 29, 2019, the Trump administration announced McMahon would step down as the administrator of the Small Business Administration to assume new responsibilities within President Trump's reelection campaign, and the resignation took effect on April 12. On April 15, she
6468-541: Was asked why there had been no follow-up during a televised interview with CBS Face the State on January 20, 2010, and responded: "There's not been any follow-up from any of the inquiries that were made because I believe we had furnished thousands of documents and testimony for them, and I think if they looked at our policy and really delved into it, they would be very satisfied." In July 2008, WWE changed its TV parental guidelines rating from TV-14 to TV-PG. In December 2008, at
6552-428: Was characterized by an authoritarian and corrupt attitude towards more rebellious wrestlers. The Corporation existed throughout 1998 and 1999 and feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin , Mankind , D-Generation X (DX), and The Ministry of Darkness , eventually merging with the latter and forming The Corporate Ministry . The group was put together and led by WWF chairman Mr. McMahon in an attempt to secure control of
6636-420: Was coerced into leaving DX, turned on him during his match with Triple H, who in turn betrayed his DX brethren when he assisted Shane in his European Championship defense against X-Pac and joined forces with the Corporation. When they entered a feud with The Ministry of Darkness who wanted to control WWF, Undertaker started to attack McMahon's family and Corporation, with a series of events like using Shane as
6720-532: Was named chairwoman of America First Action , a pro-Trump Super PAC . On November 19, 2024, McMahon was nominated by Donald Trump to serve as Secretary of Education. McMahon was born Linda Marie Edwards in New Bern , North Carolina , in a Welsh-American family, the daughter of Evelyn and Henry Edwards. She was an only child and grew up as a " tomboy " playing basketball and baseball . Her parents were both employees at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point ,
6804-517: Was quite a jock. I played baseball, basketball—I think that background made Vince and I very compatible. I really have a very good understanding of the male psyche—I'm very comfortable in a guy environment. I have to say that there are very strong women in this company as well. Our human resources division and our consumer goods division are headed by women—It's still a testosterone business, and I like it." On September 16, 2009, Linda McMahon resigned from her position as CEO of WWE and left WWE to run as
6888-671: Was ruined successfully by Stone Cold Steve Austin after two failed attempts by Ken Shamrock and the Big Show . Members of The Corporation had wanted to help Stephanie, but Shane held them back apparently trying to convince them that it could be a Ministry trap. On April 29, the pilot episode of SmackDown! , The Undertaker merged his Ministry of Darkness with Shane's Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry. The two groups united in order to fight their common foes Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mr. McMahon. The members of both factions seemingly forgot their past conflicts and worked together as
6972-484: Was the 25th administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019. McMahon has been nominated to lead the Department of Education under the second Trump administration. McMahon, along with her husband, Vince McMahon , founded sports entertainment company Titan Sports, Inc. (later World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ) where she worked as the president and later CEO from 1980 to 2009. During this time,
7056-430: Was their main adversary, the popular faction of rebels D-Generation X (DX) butted heads with the stable over principles with DX leader Triple H challenging The Rock for the WWF Championship, but often losing due to screwing on the part of The Corporation. The stable also found themselves under attack by Mankind , who was still bitter at Mr. McMahon for screwing him out of the WWF Championship at Survivor Series by having
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