The Corporation was a heel stable in the late 1990s in the Attitude Era in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWF). It was led by the

McMahon family The McMahon family is an Irish-American family, primarily known for their involvement in the professional wrestling business. They are the founders, owners, and promoters of the wrestling company, WWE. Vince McMahon, a third generation wrestlin ...

and 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 Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

Mankind Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX) is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...

(DX), and The Ministry of Darkness, eventually merging with the latter and forming

The Corporate Ministry 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. It was formed after a merger between The Corporation and the Ministry of Darkness factions, who unite ...

History

The group was put together and led by WWF chairman

Mr. McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

in an attempt to secure control of the WWF and eliminate the more rebellious wrestlers, such as

. Previously, McMahon started surrounding himself with an entourage consisting of The Corporate Stooges,

Gerald Brisco Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco (born September 19, 1946) is an American retired professional wrestler. Brisco is best known for his time in the wrestling promotion WWE, where he was a backstage producer, and, during the 1990s, an on-screen character ...

and Pat Patterson,

WWF commissioner This list brings together authority figures—people who hold Kayfabe, on-screen Political power, power—in professional wrestling promotions or WWE brand extension, brands within North America. The North American Professional wrestling, wrestling ...

Slaughter and his personal enforcer Big Boss Man to help him quell the rebellious actions of Steve Austin. The Corporation was officially formed on November 16, 1998 when

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name) Shane is mainly a masculine g ...

and Vince McMahon along with Big Boss Man, Slaughter, and Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco reconciled, joining forces with The Rock. Rock was The Corporation's proclaimed "Crown Jewel" (and whom they helped win the

WWF Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...

), holding the WWF Championship three times while part of the group. Later in the show,

Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Cha ...

would be recruited onto "Team Corporate", an unofficial name stated by announcer Jim Ross. The group became notorious for using their political stroke in 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 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 Boss Man were briefly double champions as well during this time, as they held the

WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

. 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 Steve Austin, who was their main adversary, the popular faction of rebels

(DX) butted heads with the stable over principles with DX leader

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...

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

, who was still bitter at Mr. McMahon for screwing him out of the WWF title at Survivor Series by having the bell rung when The Rock put the

Sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...

on him immediately despite not tapping (recreating the previous year's

Montreal Screwjob The Montreal Screwjob (also called the Montreal Incident; French: ''Le Coup Tordu de Montréal'' lit. Montreal's Twisted Coup) was an infamous unscripted professional wrestling incident that occurred on November 9, 1997, at the Survivor Series ...

). 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. 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 WrestleMania XV was the 15th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 28, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

when

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where s ...

, who 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 a messenger boy, burning Stephanie's teddy bear, sacrificing Big Bossman, invading Vince's house. At WrestleMania XV, Undertaker defeated the Big Bossman. He hanged Bossman 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 Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest prof ...

, who was a target of

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

. 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 The Mean Street Posse (also initially known as the Greenwich Posse) was a professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation. The group consisted of Pete Gas, Rodney, and Joey Abs. The Posse's gimmick was that they were friends of S ...

. 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 Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

took a beating and was kicked out after Shane stated that there was no room for the weak. Finally, The Rock was kicked out after he failed to take back the WWF title from Steve Austin at

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...

, 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

, thus revealing that 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 Higher Power is a term used in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other twelve-step programs. The same groups use the phrase "a power greater than ourselves" synonymously. The term sometimes refers to a supreme being or deity, or other conceptions of G ...

" 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 a

First Blood match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, 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

The Union (aka Union of People You Oughta Respect, Son, or U.P.Y.O.R.S.) was a short lived stable consisting of former Corporation members

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

and

, and their leader,

. They were a

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

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 Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Idean ...

usurped power in the stable from his father,

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

. The group formed on May 3, 1999, four days after

Ministry of Darkness The Ministry of Darkness was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1999. Led by The Undertaker, the Ministry was a controversial group with pseudo-witchcraft-themed storylines that included rituals ...

and Shane's Corporation merged to create

. The four Union members were not alone as they feuded with the Corporate Ministry. The ousted chairman Vince McMahon briefly led the Union into battle, and superstars such as The Rock,

, 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 The Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) was an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of Bradshaw (John Layfield) and Faarooq (Ron Simmons). They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) b ...

Viscera In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...

and

Big Bossman Ray Washington Traylor Jr. (May 2, 1963 – September 22, 2004) was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Big Boss Man, as well as for his appearances with ...

in an

elimination match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

. On May 31, Mankind received several sledgehammer blows to the knee in a

hardcore match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

against

. In reality, Mick Foley had needed knee surgery due to injuries suffered months earlier at

and

St. Valentine's Day Massacre The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre was the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang that occurred on Saint Valentine's Day 1929. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park, Chicago garage on the morning of February 1 ...

. 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 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.

Members

Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:300 PlotArea = left:170 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:11/16/1998 till:04/29/1999 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Leader value:red legend:Leader id:Member value:green legend:Member Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1999 ScaleMinor = unit:month increment:1 start:12/01/1998 LineData = at:11/16/1998 color:black layer:back at:04/29/1999 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Vince text:"Mr. McMahon" bar:Shane text:"Shane McMahon" bar:Bossman text:"Big Boss Man" bar:Rock text:"The Rock" bar:Shamrock text:"Ken Shamrock" bar:Patterson text:"Pat Patterson" bar:Brisco text:"Gerald Brisco" bar:Slaughter text:"Sgt. Slaughter" bar:Michaels text:"Shawn Michaels" bar:Test text:"Test" bar:Kane text:"Kane" bar:Chyna text:"Chyna" bar:Show text:"Big Show" bar:HHH text:"Triple H" bar:Gas text:"Pete Gas" bar:Rodney text:"Rodney" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Vince from:11/16/1998 till:04/12/1999 color:Leader bar:Shane from:11/16/1998 till:04/12/1999 color:Member bar:Shane from:04/12/1999 till:04/29/1999 color:Leader bar:Bossman from:11/16/1998 till:04/29/1999 color:Member bar:Rock from:11/16/1998 till:04/26/1999 color:Member bar:Shamrock from:11/16/1998 till:04/12/1999 color:Member bar:Patterson from:11/16/1998 till:04/12/1999 color:Member bar:Brisco from:11/16/1998 till:04/12/1999 color:Member bar:Slaughter from:11/16/1998 till:12/14/1998 color:Member bar:Michaels from:11/23/1998 till:12/28/1998 color:Member bar:Test from:12/14/1998 till:04/26/1999 color:Member bar:Kane from:12/21/1998 till:03/28/1999 color:Member bar:Chyna from:01/25/1999 till:04/29/1999 color:Member bar:Show from:02/14/1999 till:03/28/1999 color:Member bar:HHH from:03/28/1999 till:04/29/1999 color:Member bar:Gas from:04/12/1999 till:04/29/1999 color:Member bar:Rodney from:04/12/1999 till:04/29/1999 color:Member

Championships and accomplishments

* ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) – Mr. McMahon (vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin) ** Match of the Year (1999) – The Rock (vs. Mankind) ** Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999) – The Rock ** Rookie of the Year (1999) – Shane McMahon *

( 3 times) – The Rock **

WWF European Championship The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple wrestlers held the European and WWF Intercontinental Championships within short ...

( 1 time) – Shane McMahon **

WWF Hardcore Championship The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in WWE which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a rule was imp ...

( 1 time) – Big Boss Man **

WWF Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...

( 1 time) – Ken Shamrock **

( 1 time) – Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock **

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...

( 1999) – Mr. McMahon * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

'' ** Best Booker (1998, 1999) – Mr. McMahon ** Best Gimmick (1999) – The Rock ** Best on Interviews (1999) – The Rock ** Best Non-Wrestler (1999) – Mr. McMahon ** Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) – Mr. McMahon (vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin) ** Most Charismatic (1999) – The Rock ** Most Improved (1998) – The Rock ** Promoter of the Year (1998) – Mr. McMahon

References

External links

WWE.com (Official Website of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Mr. Vince McMahon's WWE Profile

Shawn Michaels' WWE Profile

Triple H's WWE Profile

The Rock's WWE Alumni Profile

Kane's WWE Profile

Sgt. Slaughter's WWE Hall of Fame Profile

Pat Patterson's WWE Hall of Fame Profile

Gerald Brisco's WWE Hall of Fame Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corporation (Professional Wrestling, The) Dwayne Johnson WWE teams and stables WWE World Tag Team Champions