Linda McMahon Confirmation Hearing Goes Well, Then Triple H Shows Up

STAMFORD, CT — Linda McMahon went before the U.S. Senate Tuesday for her confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's pick to head the Small Business Administration — and was upstaged by the wrestler Triple H, who made an appearance to support his mother-in-law.

McMahon, a Greenwich resident, is the former CEO of Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment. She and husband Vince McMahon turned a small wrestling company inherited from Vince McMahon's father into an entertainment powerhouse. Their daughter, Stephanie McMahon, accompanied her husband to the hearing.

McMahon was introduced by Connecticut's U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal. Both of her one-time rivals for the Senate seats gave her high praise.

"We've known our share of differences, but I've never questioned her unwavering drive and focus," Blumenthal said.

Murphy said McMahon is very qualified to head the SBA and believes she will give "good, sound counsel" to Trump. He also noted that she already supports entrepreneurial efforts and is a co-founder of Women's Leadership Live.

"This visual is going to be a little amusing and surprising to folks in Connecticut who watched the three of us duke it out over two long Senate campaigns," Murphy said. "Politics can't work if political grudges never die."

The two Connecticut senators have opposed other Trump nominees.

Throughout the hearing McMahon easily answered the many questions posed and shared some anecdotes from WWE's early days and growing struggles.

McMahon's successful background was one of the reasons Trump said he picked her to head the SBA.

"Linda has a tremendous background and is widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives advising businesses around the globe," Trump said in a statement when he nominated McMahon. "She helped grow WWE from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide."

The McMahons also have close ties to Trump. They donated $5 million to his foundation between 2009 and 2014, making them the largest donors for that time period. She has also donated to a political action committee that supported Trump.

Trump also had appeared on WWE, including a high-stakes Battle of the Billionaires match where Vince McMahon was shaved.

The McMahons took over Vince McMahon's father's wrestling company in 1982 and ultimately overhauled the wrestling industry, according to Sports Illustrated. Previously there were a number of smaller regional wrestling companies whose combined audience was smaller than what the WWE has today. Vince McMahon argued that then WWF was more consumer-oriented and gave the viewers what they wanted.

WWE's rise isn't without controversy, according to the Washington Post. The company spent more than $1.5 million to lobby federal and state governments to deregulate the industry.

WWE also hires wrestlers as independent contractors instead of employees. A lawsuit was filed by more than 50 former wrestlers last year that alleges there was a cover-up about traumatic brain injuries.

Image via CSPAN