The Wwf: Blood, Sweat, And A Lady Named Linda

There's a stone-cold chill at the headquarters of the World Wrestling Federation, and it's coming from Chairman Vince McMahon. After discussing ideas such as WWF spaghetti sauce, his wife, Linda, who is also his president and CEO, is pressuring him to do a biography. "I'd kill some poor bastard who's joined at the hip with me for a month," Vince snorts. But, he suggests, "It would be cool for you to write a book." Linda, who sits tapping her high-heeled suede pumps, can't be budged. "You're the face that sells," she insists until he finally agrees to talk to an agent. Minutes later, she's instructing Cynthia Money, her senior vice-president for merchandising, to tell a delinquent supplier he has one last chance to shape up. Money mentions a wrestler who's throwing temper tantrums because his T-shirts aren't sold at live events. "His character has to evolve first," Linda says firmly.

While her slick and highly toned husband may be the creative muscle behind the WWF--not to mention the Evil Boss who wields baseball bats during performances--it's Linda, 51, who quietly runs the day-to-day operation. For much of the past three decades, she has helped balance the books, do the deals, and handle the details that go into building a sports entertainment empire. "Vince is the type to walk in and say he wants an office in Nairobi by Monday," says Dusty Anderson, a longtime friend and Raleigh (N.C.) steakhouse owner. "Linda would be the one to put it together."