Linda McMahon Linda Marie McMahon ( née Edwards ; born October 4 , 1948 ) is an American professional wrestling magnate and a perennial candidate for the Republican Party . She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon . McMahon was active with WWE , renamed from the original WWF in 2002 , from 1980 to 2009 . During this time , the company grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational . McMahon and her husband became wealthy through the WWE ' s success , and the McMahon family name is now synonymous with the wrestling industry . As President and later CEO of the company , she negotiated business deals , launched wrestling merchandise , signed wrestler contracts , and managed and wrote for WWE publications . She also started the company ' s civic programs , Get REAL and Smackdown Your Vote . McMahon occasionally made on - screen appearances , most notably in a wrestling feud with her husband which climaxed at WrestleMania X - Seven . She left WWE in 2009 to run unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut , losing to Democratic Party nominee Richard Blumenthal in the general election of 2010 . McMahon was the 2012 Republican nominee for Connecticut ' s other Senate seat to replace retiring Senator Joe Lieberman in the general election in November 2012 , but lost again , this time to Democratic Representative Chris Murphy . On - screen roles . Unlike her husband and children , Linda ' s on screen character is normally presented as neutral , rational , and selfless . When she makes an appearance , she will often use her " power " to thwart the plans of her family or to punish a heel . However , in October 2005 , she briefly turn turned heel to join with her " evil " family members . 1999 - 2001 . McMahon feuded with Vince throughout mid - 1999 . At one point , she and Stephanie supposedly gave their WWF stock to Stone Cold Steve Austin , granting him a great deal of power . Austin lost these powers to Vince and Shane McMahon in a handicap ladder match . In 2000 , McMahon forced Triple H to defend the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000 in a " Fatal Four - Way Elimination Match . " She also reinstated Mick Foley ( whom Triple H had forced to retire ) and acted as his manager at WrestleMania . Throughout 2000 , she was the only McMahon not to support Triple H and was slapped by Stephanie , as a result . At Backlash 2000 , she led referee Earl Hebner to ringside during a match between Triple H and The Rock with Shane as the guest referee , after Stone Cold had come to the ring and knocked out Triple H and Shane . Hebner counted the pin , costing Triple H the WWF Championship . Later , Mick Foley returned to the WWF as Commissioner with the blessing of McMahon . At the same time , Vince McMahon went on a hiatus , claiming that he had realized why McMahon was opposing him - she wanted another baby . Dubbing himself the " genetic jackhammer , " Vince left for several months . Vince returned to the WWF and began campaigning to have an upcoming six way Hell in a Cell match cancelled because he feared that his " investments " ( the participants ) would be injured . On December 7 2000 , he asked Commissioner Foley to cancel the match , but Foley refused . McMahon backed Foley , and an outraged Vince demanded a divorce . The following week , Vince was informed that McMahon had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown . He initially appeared grief - stricken , but then revealed that he was actually overjoyed at the news . With Linda in a sanitarium , the Board of Directors appointed Vince as CEO on December 18 , allowing him to fire Mick Foley . With McMahon apparently coma tose as a result of her breakdown and the sedatives that Vince ordered to be administered , Vince began having a very public affair with Trish Stratus . This led to Shane returning to defend his mother ' s honor and challenging Vince to a street fight at WrestleMania X - Seven . Before the event , Foley returned with a pile of contracts which Linda had signed before her breakdown , one of which entitled him to referee any match of his choosing . Foley decided to referee the WrestleMania street fight . At WrestleMania , with McMahon at ringside in a wheelchair , Vince appeared to be winning after Shane injured himself by executing a flying elbow drop on Vince while Vince was unconscious on the announcers ' table . However , Stephanie dragged Vince out of the way before Shane landed . Once Stephanie had been removed from ringside by a now - face Stratus and after Vince prepared to finish Shane off by hitting him with a trash can , McMahon stood up , apparently no longer sedated , and kicked Vince in the groin . The distraction allowed Shane to defeat Vince . On April 9 2001 , McMahon resumed her duties as CEO and asked Vince for a divorce . She harassed Vince over the next few months , forcing Vince ' s chosen champion Steve Austin to defend the WWF Championship and supporting Shane McMahon and World Championship Wrestling , which he had just purchased . Vince and Linda would reconcile , however , in October 2001 when they realized that The Alliance of WCW and ECW ( purchased by Stephanie McMahon ) was going to attempt to destroy the WWF . 2002 - 2004 . On March 18 2002 , Linda announced that WWE would be divided into two brands " RAW " and " SmackDown ! " , as a result of the rivalry between Vince and Ric Flair , whom prior to the Invasion storyline had bought Shane ' s and Stephanie ' s shares in WWE to equal the power of Vince . On April 28 2003 , Linda McMahon confronted " RAW " General Manager Eric Bischoff after he [ booked Trish Stratus in a match with himself , where Stratus would be forced to sleep with Bischoff if she lost . To balance the presence of Bischoff , Linda appointed Steve Austin as the co - General Manager of " RAW " . After Austin had allowed Kane to burn Jim Ross , Linda returned to WWE on July 21 to tell Austin that he could not attack anyone unless " physically provoked . " Kane tombstoned Linda at the end of " RAW " , injuring her neck and infuriating Shane . While Linda was giving an interview from her home on August 18 2003 , Bischoff appeared , seemingly with amorous intentions , but was removed by security guards . Linda accompanied her daughter Stephanie to ringside for her October 19 2003 " I Quit " match at No Mercy 2003 . When Stephanie was choked by Vince with a pipe , Linda threw a towel into the ring , conceding defeat . On December 1 2003 , Linda once again reinstated Mick Foley , this time appointing him as an " Outside Consultant " to " RAW " in order to monitor Eric Bischoff . Foley eventually resigned from his post during a heated feud with Randy Orton . 2005 - present . On October 10 , 2005 , Linda ' s character took a surprise villainous turn when she " fired " Jim Ross and delivered a low - blow to him . Apparently , a Stone Cold Stunner that she had suffered a week earlier on " RAW " ( by Austin , during " WWE Homecoming " ) set her on edge . Linda ' s heel turn was hinted at " Homecoming " a week prior , when she asked Austin to apologize for having just giving the other members of her family stunners . Austin complied but then , after inviting her to drink a beer with him , gave her a Stone Cold Stunner , as well . She is one of seven women who have been given a stunner by Austin . The others are Chyna , Stephanie McMahon , Molly Holly , Mae Young , Lita , and Stacy Keibler . On the broadcast , Vince McMahon called each of the " RAW " announcers - Jim Ross , Jerry Lawler , and Jonathan Coachman - to the ring to reprimand them for their lack of action during Austin ' s rampage against the McMahon family a week earlier . McMahon accepted apologies from Coachman and Lawler but would not accept Ross ' . After Vince demanded that Ross apologize to Stephanie , Linda came to the ring , seemingly to admonish Vince and Stephanie for their treatment of Ross , only to fire Ross instead . Linda cemented herself as a villainess by kicking Ross between the legs , and all three McMahons in the ring gleefully celebrated as Ross writhed in pain on the mat . The following week on " RAW " , during the " Carlito ' s Cabana " segment ( which featured Mick Foley as Carlito ' s guest ) , Linda appeared on the titantron in pre - taped footage . While professional in demeanor in explaining Ross ' termination , the evil Linda continued displaying her heel persona by evoking a sinister snicker and wicked smile when telling Foley to " Have a nice day ! " Linda returned to WWE tapings at WrestleMania 22 , where she was seen with the rest of the McMahons , who had joined Vince in a " prayer " ( where they hoped Vince would defeat Shawn Michaels ) . Linda returned to RAW on August 13 2007 when she announced that Vince was ( kayfabe ) kicked out of her home due to his summons for an illegitimate child . The storyline featured Vince claiming that his family was " all about the money . " On the taped episode of RAW that aired on September 3 , 2007 , Linda returned with Stephanie and Shane to confront Vince on RAW . They have apparently turned face once more and told Vince that they were not against him but behind him and urged him to get help because as Stephanie put it , Vince was sick . Personal life . Family . Linda married Vince McMahon on August 6 1966 . The two met in church when Linda was 18 and Vince was 21 . They were introduced by Vince ' s mother . She is the mother of WWE executives Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon - Levesque and the mother - in - law of their respective spouses Marissa Mazzola - McMahon and Paul Levesque ( " Triple H " ) . She has two grandsons and two granddaughters - Shane and Marissa ' s sons : Declan James , who was born on February 13 2004 and Kenyon " Kenney " Jesse , who was born on March 26 2006 , and Stephanie and Triple H ' s daughters Aurora Rose Levesque born on July 24 2006 and Murphy Claire Levesque born on July 28 2008 . Organizations , foundations , and charity work . Linda was named to the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart University ( Fairfield , Connecticut ) in November 2004 . Linda is a major supporter of many organizations including the USO , The Make - A - Wish Foundation , The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation , The Starlight Foundation , and Community Mayors . In 2005 , she was appointed to The Make - A - Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council and was presented 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 Linda McMahon to its class of " Wonder Women " for 2007 . The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to the cable and telecommunications industries . In May 2007 , Linda was the keynote speaker at the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut ’ s Women of Achievement Leadership Breakfast .