Vince McMahon retires from WWE
The day that no one ever thought they’d see, Vince McMahon has voluntarily retired from WWE.
While many people didn’t see it coming, it is something that was expected by some due to the current controversies surrounding the former Chairman of WWE.
Here is what we know so far and what to expect going forward.
Earlier today, the now former WWE Chairman announced that at 77 years old he is finally stepping down and retiring.
In a tweet, Vince McMahon thanked the WWE Universe saying,
“At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together.”
Vince McMahon held an internal meeting earlier today with staff and WWE Superstars ahead of Smackdown, confirming his retirement and thanking everyone for their hard work.
He also sent an email to all staff and performers, with it being leaked by a verified WWE insider on Reddit.
“To all WWE Superstars: as I approach 77 years old (OMG am I really that old?), I feel it’s time for me to retire. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing my passion, wisdom, and love of the business with you. No longer will you see the smiling, docile, level-headed, calm presence at Gorilla every week.
Your dedication to WWE will ensure that our company will continue to grow and prosper. Our organization is nothing without you. You are WWE’s only natural resource, chosen to perform in front of a global audience.
You are all WWE Global Ambassadors. Carry the WWE flag wherever you go. Wave it high and proud. And bust your ass to be all you can be as a person and as a performer.
One other thing-I won’t be with you, but I’ll be watching. Remember to keep your hands up, grab a hold, and sell. Btw, SmackDown airs live tonight at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central on FOX.
Vince”
The company structure going forward
It has now been confirmed that the new structure in the company will see Stephanie McMahon take on the role as Chairwoman of WWE as well as Co-CEO alongside Nick Khan, while Triple H has now returned as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.
Bruce Prichard will take over Vince McMahon’s creative duties, which indicates that not much will change in terms of the TV product as he was already in charge of creative while being overseen by McMahon.
Rumors suggest that John Laurinaitis, the former General Manager of Talent Relations and long-time employee, is now gone from the company and many are speculating that Kevin Dunn could be leaving the company too.
One WWE Superstar walks out after hearing the news
Although the news of Vince McMahon’s retirement has come as a shock to many, the reception backstage has been “pretty positive” according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com.
“While there is some surprise given it was Vince and the belief he would always be around in some form, the idea that there would be a new ‘energy’ for WWE creative has a lot of talents excited to see what comes next. The belief among the younger talents that a younger vision creatively will help the company connect better with the overall audience.”
But, there is one WWE Superstar that wasn’t positive about the news. It has been reported that Brock Lesnar walked out of Smackdown before the show began after learning of the news, with it being said that if Vince is gone, so is Brock.
It is unclear whether this is just Brock Lesnar being shocked by the news and needing some time to process it. Despite the two having a love-hate relationship, Brock Lesnar sees Vince as a father figure.
Rumors suggest that Goldberg is being lined up as a potential replacement for Brock Lesnar for his match against Roman Reigns at Summerslam, but as of right now there is no weight to these rumors and Brock Lesnar is still being advertised during Smackdown for the event. However, it is worth noting that Lesnar was removed from the rundown for Smackdown and his appearances in the show were rewritten following him leaving the arena.
READ MORE: WWE: BAYLEY SET TO RETURN AT SUMMERSLAM
More allegations are set to be revealed
In recent weeks there have been numerous allegations against Vince McMahon regarding sexual harassment of numerous females, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
It was expected that Vince McMahon would weather the storm and remain an active part of WWE. So, it does beg the question as to whether Vince voluntarily stepped down or whether there was pressure from the shareholders to do so.
More allegations are expected to come to light in the coming weeks so it will be a very interesting time as it looks like this is far from over for McMahon.
