Vince McMahon Is Plotting His WWE Return, Per WSJ
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One of the biggest stories to come out of the wrestling business in 2022 was undoubtedly the retirement of WWE CEO, Vince McMahon. His decision to retire came in the midst of an appalling sexual misconduct scandal and the revelation that McMahon had paid four women over $12 million in hush money. His daughter Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan consequently took over the company as co-CEOs.RELATED: Seth Rollins May Have Suffered A Serious Injury During Monday's Raw A few weeks ago, Wall Street Journal reported that Vince McMahon regretted his retirement and wanted to return to WWE. Now, we've gained some insight into how McMahon plans to make that happen.
Is Vince McMahon Returning To WWE?
A report from WSJ posted earlier today has outlined McMahon's plot to come out of retirement. The report states:
Mr. McMahon, who has majority voting power through his ownership of WWE's Class-B stock, has told the company that he is electing himself and two former co-presidents and directors, Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, to the board, the people said. The move to reinstate Mr. McMahon, which the board previously rebuffed, and the others will require three current directors to vacate their positions.
WSJ reporter Lauren Thomas stated on her Twitter page that Vince McMahon will then seek to become executive chairman and "pursue a sale of the business."
Recent reports claimed that Vince McMahon is unwanted at WWE by both talent and those working backstage. However, as a majority shareholder, McMahon may be able to weasel his way back into influence anyway.
Vince McMahon Has Denied That His Return Will Affect WWE
In quick fashion, Vince McMahon himself has issued a press release about his imminent return. In the press release, McMahon states the following:
I look forward to working closely again with Michelle and George – as well as the Company's remaining directors and management team, who have my full support and confidence. WWE has an exceptional management team in place, and I do not intend for my return to have any impact on their roles, duties, or responsibilities."
While it remains to be seen if McMahon's word is to be trusted on this matter, it will be interesting to see if the normally power-hungry McMahon can truly control himself when it comes to taking control over other parts of the company he built up.
Vince McMahon's Return Will Be Primarily Revolved Around Media Rights
According to his statement, McMahon feels that his presence is needed in order to ensure that WWE gets the best deal for its upcoming media rights deals. It is worth noting that WWE's deals for its programming rights expire after 2024 and John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal predicts that when the company's current agreement with Peacock is finished that the groundwork will likely be in place for an outright sale of WWE to NBC.
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