Vince McMahon has decided to step back from his duties as WWE Chairman and CEO. As a result, his daughter, Stephanie, will fill in for him for the duration of his absence.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, McMahon is under investigation for a secret $3 million “hush pact” he reached with a former employee he allegedly had an affair with. WWE’s head of talent relations, John Laurinaitis, is also under investigation for claims of misconduct. Naturally, this news has sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe, including the company’s roster.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select released a report, based on conversations with dozens of those within the company and with former employees. Ross Sapp’s report stated that the immediate reaction of the news that Vince McMahon will step back from his duties and maintain his oversight of WWE creative is “frustration”, as it’s felt that it’s a “superficial move.” He noted that McMahon’s responsibilities have decreased in recent years, as he has built a team around Nick Khan that’s meant to carry WWE in the years ahead.
Ross Sapp also cited talent who felt that they don’t expect much to change within WWE because Vince McMahon will still be around. Even with Stephanie serving as interim CEO and chairwoman, they felt that McMahon’s influence will still be quite apparent. On the other hand, plenty of talent is optimistic about the news that Stephanie will be in charge, with one former employee noting that, previously, the feeling was that Stephanie would take over eventually, given her extensive experience. Fightful cited one female talent, who expressed her hope that Stephanie McMahon’s elevation, alongside the investigation, will be beneficial for the women in the company.
Many of Fightful’s sources noted that they expect Laurinaitis’ exit from the company, though one noted that he’ll likely come back as long as Vince stays, though they noted that Laurinaitis might be made the scapegoat of the situation.
Finally, Fightful noted that, as CNBC reported, the script for the June 17 episode of SmackDown has been torn up, so the show is seemingly getting rewritten.
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