Shortly after WWE announced that Vince McMahon was stepping down as CEO and Chairman following the investigation into an alleged affair that he had with a paralegal who left the company this year and was paid $3 million as part of a settlement, WWE announced McMahon would appear on tonight’s SmackDown as Mr. McMahon.
It was later reported that McMahon will be in character during the appearance. Fightful Select reports that many in WWE are unhappy with McMahon’s decision to appear on the show as it’s seen as a largely superficial move.
One source referred to it as a “cheap ratings ploy” while others plan to speak to Vince to express their displeasure at his appearance.
Some have speculated that McMahon will try to make the investigation into not only the affair, but also other nondisclosure agreements that involve misconduct claims made by other former female WWE employees about McMahon and WWE’s head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, as a ‘McMahon vs. The World’ narrative that McMahon did when he was going through the steroid trials of the early 1990s.
Stephanie McMahon has been announced as interim CEO and Chairwoman of WWE. One talent told the media outlet that they’re hopeful that Stephanie’s return will lead to an improvement for female talent who have suffered under the John Laurinaitis era.
