5 Things You Didn't Know About Vince McMahon

It is safe to say that without Vince McMahon, the landscape of the wrestling industry would be vastly different than what it is today. The man took his father's territorial promotion and turned it into the global juggernaut that it is today. Whether you like McMahon or not, you have to respect everything that he has achieved over the years.

It is only natural for wrestling fans to be curious about everything that happens in the life of the WWE's Chairman. Yet we know very little about the personal life of Vince McMahon despite the fact that he has been in the public eye for nearly five decades.

Today, we take a look at 5 interesting facts that you surely did not know about the inventor of 'sports entertainment'.

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#5. He was not always a McMahon!

Shocking.

Let's start off this list with a shocker. Yes, you read that right. Vince didn't have his famous 'McMahon' surname while growing up. Instead, he was called Vince Lupton. Lupton was the surname of his stepfather at the time.

For those who are wondering, Vince indeed is the biological son of a legendary wrestling promoter, Vince McMahon Sr. He met his father for the first time at the age of 12 and quickly took up the McMahon surname.

#4. He grew up very poor

Money is not something Vince has had all his life.

Vince McMahon has not always been the billionaire that we know today. In reality, he spent his early childhood in great poverty. Vince McMahon Sr. left his mother when he Vince was just a baby. After that he had to live with his single mother in a trailer park for years.

Even after reuniting with his father at the age of 12, Vince was not as rich as you may have thought all these years. It must be remembered that back then, the WWWF was not the global brand that it is today.

Vince actually had to mortgage his house in order to host Wrestlemania 1. It's safe to say that the gamble paid off.

#3. WWE is not the only company he has owned over the years

Vince McMahon loves sports.

Nobody can accuse Vince McMahon of staying in his comfort zone. The man could have easily stayed put in the industry that he has a monopoly over and reap the rewards of his hard work. But time and again, McMahon has tried to branch out and reinvent himself.

The most famous example of this might be the football league, XFL. The league was founded in 2001 as an alternative to the more famous, NFL. But it was scrapped after just a year and even Vince conceded that it was a "colossal failure". Shockingly, earlier this year it was announced that the XFL will make its return in 2020.

Other than the XFL, Vince also had his own bodybuilding league called the World Bodybuilding Federation and a hockey franchise called the Cape Cod Buccaneers.

#2. He always wanted to be a wrestler

His original plan was not to be the owner of the company.

Son of the legendary promoter, Vince McMahon Sr., Vince himself had always dreamed of being an in ring talent. Judging by his physique at the age of 72, it is safe to say that Vince would not have had many problems taking a few bumps either.

But his father had different plans for Vince. Believing that the promoter should never be in the ring, Vince was given the role of a commentator in the then WWWF back in 1971.

For the next 26 years Vince would carry on in his role as a commentator. Since then he has made sporadic appearances in the ring against the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Ric Flair, just to name a few.

#1. He had created the 'Million Dollar Man' gimmick for himself

WWE Hall of Famer, Ted DiBiase, is famous for portraying the evil millionaire character.

As we have already mentioned, Vince had aspirations of being a wrestler in his youth. He even had created a character for himself that he planned to portray on screen. But his idea of being a wrestler was rejected by his father and Vince moved on to fill the role of a commentator.

But the character stuck in Vince's mind, and would see the light of day years later when he became the owner of the company after his father. This was the infamous 'Million Dollar Man' gimmick that Ted DiBiase would go on to play.

While DiBiase did an incredible job at playing the evil millionaire who belittled the less fortunate at every turn, it would have been very interesting to see how Vince would have portrayed the character if he had been given the chance by his father.