Vince McMahon has officially returned to WWE with immediate effect following his retirement from the promotion in July of last year.
McMahon stepped down from his roles with WWE following allegations of misconduct with female employees, leading to millions of dollars paid out in NDAs.
In his place, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were appointed co-CEOs with Stephanie serving as Chairwoman of the Board.
The Comeback
In late 2022, it was reported that McMahon regretted retiring from WWE, and believed the allegations against him would have blown over had he stayed.
McMahon had been telling those close to him that he was plotting a return to WWE, though it is unclear if he spoke to Stephanie.
Yesterday, McMahon issued a press release confirming his desire to return to WWE, believing it was in the company’s and the investors’ best interest.
McMahon reportedly threatened to vote down any attempts at a sale of the company, or any offers for new TV distribution rights.
Vince McMahon’s 37% share of WWE stock gives him an 80% majority voter share over the board’s actions.
Immediate Effect
In a SEC filing confirmed today, it was announced that McMahon is back on WWE’s Board of Directors with immediate effect.
McMahon isn’t coming alone, as former WWE co-Presidents Michelle Wilson and George Barrios are also returning.
Barrios and Wilson were with WWE until their dismissal in January 2020 as disagreements with McMahon led to a slump in the market price.
It was the dismissal of the pair that led WWE to hire Nick Khan as President.
McMahon, Wilson, and Barrios are replacing now-former board members JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey R. Speed, and Alan M. Wexler.
The full SEC filing can be found here.
What now?
McMahon’s departure last year is something fans thought they would never see, and the same can be said for his return.
WWE talent have been virtually unanimous in opposition to McMahon’s return and were said to have been “floored” by his statement.
Those in Creative were not told about his statement ahead of time, and one “top WWE talent” has questioned if he will return as Head of Creative, a role occupied by Triple H.
The “unanimous decision” among those in production who spoke to Fightful said that this is bad news, or news about their pay grade.
For the time being, it is believed that Stephanie is still the Chairperson of the Board and that she and Khan are co-CEOs.
It is possible for Vince McMahon to force a vote on the positions, a vote he would have the ultimate majority over the result.
