One of the craziest weeks in WWE history finished with Vince McMahon back as Chairman of the Board by a unanimous vote of a Board of Directors that saw six of the previous members either leave or be replaced during the week.
It also included Stephanie McMahon departing the company just days after she had assured everyone at an employee meeting that the management team of herself, Nick Khan, Paul Levesque, and Frank Riddick would remain intact running the company
Based on those within WWE who have talked with us and other key reporters, Khan is the man running the company in his role as sole CEO. He is right now making all the final decisions. Vince McMahon as Chairman is in an official capacity, only working on selling the company, and they are targeting doing it by the summer, although there is no guarantee it will be sold. Vince McMahon’s role would also include being part of the negotiations and making the final decision on the next media rights deals, which would be up at the end of September 2024.
Stephanie McMahon and Triple H opposed a potential WWE sale, while AEW’s Tony Khan and Shad Khan are potential buyers for the company, reports say.
Axios reports that former WWE co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and current chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque opposed plans to sell the company, according to its sources.
Stephanie resigned from the company on Tuesday, four days after Vince McMahon returned to the company as executive chairman of the board of directors.
Elsewhere, both Barron’s and CNBC reported Thursday that AEW’s Tony Khan and Shad Khan have been linked to WWE’s “strategic alternatives” process as potential buyers for the company.
Barron’s states that AEW is a potential buyer, but “…the Khans will likely look for a financial partner to acquire the asset.”
CNBC couches a potential AEW and WWE merger as a longshot, but notes that the Khans would be open to discussing a continued role for executive chairman McMahon should AEW and WWE merge:
The Khans are open to discussing a potential role for McMahon, 77, after a sale but haven’t yet had those talks
WWE announced on January 6 that it would explore “strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value,” widely believed to mean pursuing a sale of the company, while noting “There is no assurance that this process will result in a transaction.”
CNBC reported on January 7 that WWE had hired JPMorgan to advise the company on a potential sale.
On Thursday, WWE announced in a press release that they had retained the services of three outside groups in connection with pursuing strategic alternatives.
In the release, WWE said that The Raine Group would serve as financial advisor, Kirkland & Ellis would serve as legal advisor, and August would serve as communications advisor in the strategic alternatives initiative.
WWE went on to say that they would not provide a strategic initiatives timetable:
There can be no assurances given regarding the outcome or timing of the strategic alternatives review process. WWE does not intend to comment further until the process has concluded or the Company has otherwise determined that further disclosure is appropriate or required.
It’s an emergency edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Dave and I talk about Stephanie McMahon resigning from her position at WWE, Vince McMahon getting elected back into his Executive Chairman role, and all the WWE sale rumors and the implications.
We also talk about the Jay White situation as well as the passing of Black Warrior.
Stephanie McMahon has resigned from WWE, and Vince McMahon has been named executive chairman.
In a statement posted to Twitter, McMahon confirmed her resignation from WWE on Tuesday afternoon. In her statement, she confirmed that Nick Khan will become the sole CEO of WWE and Paul Levesque will remain Chief Content Officer. Soon after McMahon announced her resignation, WWE announced in a press release that WWE’s board of Directors had unanimously voted Vince McMahon as executive chairman of the board.
“WWE is in such a strong position, that I have decided to return to my leave and take it one step further with my official resignation,” Stephanie wrote in her statement. “I look forward to cheering on WWE from the other side of the business, where I started when I was a little kid, as a pure fan. I will always remain dedicated to WWE. I truly love our company, our Superstars, our fans, and our employees.”
“First, I’d like to express my full support for Stephanie’s personal decision,” Vince McMahon is quoted as saying in WWE’s press release. “I’ll forever be grateful that she offered to step in during my absence and I’m truly proud of the job she did co-leading WWE. Stephanie has always been the ultimate ambassador for our company, and her decades of contributions have left an immeasurable impact on our brand.”
“Stephanie McMahon is a terrific executive and an even better person. It has been an honor to serve as Co-CEO with her. She will only continue to succeed,” Khan is quoted as saying. “I’m grateful to Vince McMahon and our Board of Directors for their ongoing support. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them and my WWE colleagues to ensure our company may thrive as the premiere powerhouse in sports entertainment for years to come.”
The shake-ups come as Vince McMahon on Friday returned to WWE by removing three members of WWE’s Board of Directors and inserting himself, George Barrios, and Michelle Wilson as new members of the board, with two other members of WWE’s board resigning upon the news. He had originally attempted to return in December, with WWE’s Board of Directors at the time unanimously voting against a return.
2022 Hall of Fame ballot, rules, everyone eligible, thoughts on this year’s election and the strongest candidates.What candidates on this year’s ballot did the best in last year’s ballot
TripleMania, the story behind the show, business of the show, , news notes, poll results and star ratings
WWE PPV changes, Crown Jewel notes and updates on upcoming PPV shows
Dana White starting new promotion with Lorenzo Fertitta and two new combat ideas he’s working on
The life of Humberto Garza, the grandfather of two WWE stars and father of Hector Garza. Garza, who passed away this past week, was a very significant star in Mexico and a look at his career
Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show,and the ramifications of the show.
A look at the career of Jose Rivera, one of the key building blocks of the Puerto Rico wrestling boom, including a look back at the growth of WWC and its biggest feud ever
Ratings for every show including how every segment did and details of AEW vs. NXT head-to-head on Tuesday
First all-women’s show in the history of a major promotion
First women’s main event on a Middle Eastern show
CMLL star gives unique reason why he’s been gone for so long
The business of TripleMania
More details on a wrestling show coming to Disney +
Two starts of the same promotion were on the national team in the same competition
The top matches from Royal Quest
Update on the New Japan TV title tournament
More details on the arrest of Shocker
Who are the wrestlers who generate the most money on Cameo
Jim Lyman tournament news
Two stars going after fourth NCAA title
WWE & Impact PPV Numbers from last week
Adam Page update
Update on ramifications of the brawl after All Out and where things stand regarding who stays and who goes
More details on Chris Jericho’s contract
Tony Khan, Dana White and Vince McMahon all scheduling major events on the same day
More on AEW new reality show
More on AEW in Toronto
AEW star announcing on the Mayweather show
Upcoming ticket sales to AEW & WWE events
DAZN back in the MMA business
Dwayne Johnson and possible WWE sale
UFC owners talk possible WWE sale
Notes on Bray Wyatt return
International TV ratings
DVR viewership numbers for all shows so far this year
Royal Rumble update
Lots of injury updates
The real story on why Billy Gunn wasn’t at the DX Reunion on Raw
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Tuesday News Update
WWE
Stephanie McMahon and Triple H recently celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary, with Stephanie writing on Twitter: “19 years with the man of my dreams @tripleh!! Happy Anniversary! I Love You!”
Following her return on Raw, Nikki Cross on Twitter wrote: “It’s my Galaxy now”.
Matches taped for this week’s Main Event include Dana Brooke vs. Kianna James and Von Wagner vs. Cedric Alexander.
Liv Morgan will appear on this Wednesday’s episode of Chucky.
PWInsider reported that the Elimination Chamber in 2023 will not be held in Saudi Arabia, and instead will be held in Montreal, Canada. The Saudi Arabia event following Crown Jewel will instead be held in the spring of 2023.
The company has filed a trademark for the term “Scrypts”.
JBL spoke to Metro about his relationship with Eddie Guerrero.
PWInsider also noted that the next Campus Rush tour dates will be 11/8 at Boise State University and 11/9 at the University of Arkansas.
Mr. Stone on Twitter announced the passing of his mother.
The company announced their Q3 2022 earnings report for November 2 at 5 pm ET.
Several WWE Superstars believe it is the “dawning of a new era” with Vince McMahon now gone from the company.
Becky Lynch, The Undertaker, and Bobby Lashley spoke with ESPN recently about the changes in WWE management.
“It is the dawning of a new era,” said Lynch. “For me, it’s crazy and sad because everything I’ve ever known about WWE has always had Vince in charge, and we wouldn’t have WWE the way it is if it wasn’t for Vince. He’s somebody who believed in me and allowed me to do everything that I’ve done.”
Still, Lynch believes that McMahon’s departure opens up the door for changes to be made.
“We have the opportunity to change some things that maybe weren’t so great that we didn’t love,” she continued. “I think everybody’s very excited and optimistic because we know that the people in charge [are] some of the greatest minds in the business, you know. Having Triple H at the helm of the ship is phenomenal. What he’s done with NXT speaks for itself. What he did with the women’s division and how he allowed us to change the business forever speaks for itself.”
“He understands as a talent what we go through and what we need to be more creatively energized,” Lynch continued. “There has been a tendency in the past for creative to change last minute, or we don’t know where we’re going. It’s hard to bring everybody along on this journey if we’re rambling.”
“Triple H has a great eye for storytelling and for treating the women the same way he treats the guys. Just everybody’s equal. How do we tell great stories? And that’s all this is.”
Lynch continued to say that she’s hopeful WWE talent will be able to use words such as “belt” and “fans” again as well.
The Undertaker also spoke with ESPN and said the recent changes in WWE have led to talent being given more freedom.
“They’re loosening the reins a little bit as far as what guys can say and do,” Taker said. “I think the product will probably be a little more aggressive. I think that’s going to come through in the creative.”
“They’ve kind of been in this entertainment mode, so they’re going to have to get some grit and meanness.”
WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley is optimistic about having Triple H at the helm. He doesn’t believe that Vince McMahon has stepped away completely, however.
“It’s not like Vince isn’t going to be there anymore,” Lashley said. “He’s not going to just let his baby that he’s grown to this level just falter. So, he’s still going to be there. He’s just giving other people opportunities to keep pressing on.”
“Stephanie, she’s been in the business her whole entire life, so it’s not like she doesn’t know. … And look what he did with NXT; that’s a big thing Triple H did. So he’s just going to take that same mentality and same philosophy, building stars, bring it up to the main roster, which is cool. It’s going to be refreshing.”
Last night’s SmackDown took place on the same day that Vince McMahon announced his retirement from WWE.
Stephanie McMahon, who is now one of WWE’s co-CEOs alongside Nick Khan, opened last night’s show and addressed the crowd. After giving a brief speech about her father’s retirement, Stephanie led the fans in a “Thank You, Vince” chant.
Brock Lesnar walked out before SmackDown when he heard about Vince’s retirement, but Lesnar ended up returning and being involved in the show-closing angle. He laid out Theory after The Street Profits & Madcap Moss defeated The Usos & Theory by disqualification in the main event.
Plus, SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey went face-to-face, Gunther helped Ludwig Kaiser defeat Shinsuke Nakamura, and more.
A new era for WWE began with Stephanie McMahon opening Friday night’s episode of SmackDown.
Just hours after her father announced his retirement, Stephanie appeared at the start of Friday’s SmackDown and addressed the crowd. She welcomed the fans to the show and gave a brief speech, bringing up that Vince McMahon wanted to make sure that he thanked the “WWE Universe” and everyone associated with WWE in his retirement announcement. Stephanie said this was their moment to thank Vince together, and she ended her speech by leading the crowd in a “Thank You, Vince” chant.
The live crowd booed when Stephanie mentioned her father’s retirement. The fans began to chant “Thank You, Vince” before being prompted to by Stephanie.
Stephanie is WWE’s new chairwoman and is one of WWE’s new co-CEOs alongside Nick Khan. Stephanie had been serving as interim chairwoman and interim CEO since Vince McMahon announced last month that he was stepping away from those roles during the WWE Board of Directors’ investigation into his alleged misconduct.
WWE has yet to announce who will be in charge of creative following Vince’s retirement.
Following the announcement of her father’s retirement, Stephanie McMahon is set to appear on SmackDown tonight.
WWE has announced that Stephanie will kick off tonight’s SmackDown episode. Stephanie is WWE’s new chairwoman and also now one of the company’s co-CEOs, sharing the role with Nick Khan.
“Friday Night SmackDown will begin with Stephanie McMahon addressing the WWE Universe,” WWE wrote. “What will this mean for the blue brand? Find out tonight at 8/7 C on FOX.”
Stephanie had been serving as interim chairwoman and CEO since Vince McMahon announced last month that he was stepping away from those positions during the WWE Board of Directors’ investigation into his alleged misconduct.
It was also announced today that Stephanie’s husband Paul “Triple H” Levesque has been named WWE’s new executive vice president of talent relations.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the TD Garden in Boston. Brock Lesnar was supposed to appear on the show ahead of his Last Man Standing match against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at SummerSlam on July 30, but Lesnar walked out of tonight’s show after finding out about Vince McMahon’s retirement.
Job Listing: Onlamp php/mysql developer. Experience with vbulletin and drupal/WordPress a plus. Email [email protected] with subject PHP DEVELOPER with resume.
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Monday News Update
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the latest news with Wrestling Observer Radio.
Happy fourth of July to everyone.
Raw is tonight in San Diego. The only stuff advertised ahead was Rey & Dominick Mysterio in heir hometown against Finn Balor & Damian Priest, plus The Miz will respond to Logan Paul’s challenge for SummerSlam. This will be the star of the SummerSlam build. Because of the holiday, the TV ratings would be expected to be down a lot and it’s not even worth worrying about if that’s the case. They will be helped somewhat coming off a PPV show. But after two straight big numbers, if they don’t get a big one this week, or there is a big drop, it is completely meaningless.
We’re looking for your thoughts on WWE Money in the Bank and UFC 276, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
We’re also looking for reports from last night’s WWE show in Tucson, AZ and from Raw in San Diego tonight with anything not on the live show such as Main Event matches, dark matches and crowd reactions to [email protected]
WWE had a talent meeting before Money in the Bank. There wasn’t much to come out out it. Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque spoke and told the talent they were an extended large family and told them how well things are going. They didn’t address any of the Vince McMahon questions or any questions.
Impact did a personal video to Don West, who is battling brain cancer. Mike Tenay has been the point person regarding them doing so and Scott D’Amore contributed more than $13,000 to West’s medical bills a few weeks ago. Besides those on the roster and in the current company, Impact got Dixie Carter, A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe and many others to do the video. Tenay and Don West were heavily moved by the comments made. Tenay and West were hoping the video could be shared and I believe right now they are looking to get everyone’s approval for that.
AEW set its all-time ratings record in the U.K. on ITV 4 on 6/24 with 188,000 viewers. That was the go-home show for Forbidden Door. Perhaps that has to do with Will Ospreay because ratings went way up for the shows he was on.
Because of the holiday, ratings will be delayed this week. Basically everything will be moved back a day. Friday’s numbers should be up tomorrow. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and final weekly numbers should be on Wednesday. Right now it looks like Wednesday numbers will be out Thursday but that could change.
WWE did 30 percent discounts on tickets for SummerSlam and Raw in Madison Square Garden on 7/25 and got some good ticket movement in both places. There are more than 28,000 tickets distributed right now for Nashville for SummerSlam, which would be in excess of 25,000 paid. This is before any of the hard television hype for the show which should begin tonight.
Shotzi did a post saying that she knew the spot when she lost her footing on the ladder would make Botchmania and was accepting of that, but said the reaction of people who wanted her fired or worse was too much. She also noted that she wasn’t injured in the match, which is a good thing.
Today is the 62nd anniversary of Les Thatcher’s pro wrestling debut on July 4, 1960 for promoter Tony Santos out of Boston. He started up with a crew that included Pat Patterson. Thatcher trained in Boston and his first show was on July 4th in Blue Hill, ME, at the age of 19.
WWE
Tomorrow night is WWE Night for the Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals game. Fans attending will get a WWE pillow of Austin Riley wearing an Austin 3:16 shirt and a WWE title belt.
The Cardinals also have a WWE Night on 8/16.
UFC
Israel Adesanya noted in an interview with BT Sports in the U.K. that he came up with the idea of his Undertaker entrance the Tuesday before the show. At the time he had no idea Vince McMahon and company would be at the show. He said he had already cleared it with UFC and then on Saturday morning he was told Vince McMahon was coming to his fight. He said that in camp when he does his wrestling training, he has them play Attitude Era WWF entrance songs. Undertaker, who is a big MMA fan, tweeted approval.
Jessica Eye, who has dabbled in independent pro wrestling in the past, said that after her MMA retirement on Saturday night that she wants to go into pro wrestling.
Ariane Lipski vs. Priscilla Cachoeira was reported by MMA Fighting for 8/6 in Las Vegas.
Other Notes
New Japan posted the Keiji Muto vs. Masahiro Chono finals of the first G-1 Climax tournament from Sumo Hall in 1991 on its YouTube page today. The success of that first tournament paved the way for something in its 32nd year starting in a few weeks, among the oldest wrestling traditions in the world. (thanks to Suju Abraham)
In yesterday’s update when listing the ICW No Holds Barred results, we listed it as from Maybee, NY, but it was from Maybee, MI.
With WWE at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena for Saturday’s Money in the Bank, there was some crossover at UFC 276, also in Las Vegas Saturday, both in the main event and several noted attendees.
As part of his entrance at the T-Mobile Arena, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya channeled The Undertaker — complete with entrance music, hat, fog, and an urn. He even raised his arms to brighten the arena lights at the end.
Adesanya is a noted WWE fan and has talked about wanting to wrestle there in the past. Adesanya successfully defended his title, taking a unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier in the main event.
An even bigger WWE presence was shown on air during the pay-per-view as Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Pat McAfee were all shown at cageside (image above).
Vince, a noted friend of UFC president Dana White, is currently under investigation by a special committee of the WWE Board for misconduct. Stephanie is interim WWE CEO & Chairwoman after Vince voluntarily stepped down as the investigation takes place.
He still remains active as head of creative and has been notably more visible since news of the alleged misconduct broke last month.
McAfee was sporting a neck brace to sell his attack from Happy Corbin after Money in the Bank ended.
Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and other WWE on-air talent congratulated John Cena on his 20th anniversary of his WWE debut on social media.
Both Triple H and Stephanie took to Twitter to congratulate Cena on 20 years.
“I guess you really were ‘The Prototype!” McMahon wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations @JohnCena and thank you for your 20 years with @WWE, we can’t wait to see what the next 20 years brings! #Hustle #Loyalty #Respect #CenaMonth”
“I’ve had the pleasure of calling him a coworker, a competitor, and most importantly, a friend,” Triple H wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations on 20 years, @JohnCena! Enjoy YOUR night on #WWERaw!”
I’ve had the pleasure of calling him a coworker, a competitor, and most importantly, a friend. Congratulations on 20 years, @JohnCena! Enjoy YOUR night on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/GuX0gehbiy
Cena is scheduled to return to WWE on tonight’s Raw, promoting his 20th anniversary. He made his main roster televised debut on June 27, 2002, wrestling Kurt Angle on SmackDown.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including another Forbidden Door injury, the line-up for the show, odds Tanahashi could win the title and why, line-ups for the weekend, Stephanie McMahon, and STORY TIME WITH BRYAN BAY BAY. A fun show as always so check it out~!
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that the decision to appoint Stephanie McMahon as interim WWE CEO & Chairwoman was done by a special committee of the company’s Board that didn’t include her family members or Nick Khan.
Last Friday, WWE announced that Stephanie would replace her father Vince McMahon on an interim basis as company CEO & Chairwoman as a special committee investigation is underway regarding alleged misconduct related to a $3 million “hush fund” given to a former employee/love interest.
While he made that move voluntarily, he still remains the head of creative and made brief appearances on both last Friday’s SmackDown and Monday’s Raw.
“Stephanie McMahon being put in power was said to be based on the decision of a special committee, which would be the eight members of the Board of Directors that were not Nick Khan, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon or Paul Levesque,” Meltzer wrote.
Regarding an unflattering story that came out in Business Insider about Stephanie taking a leave of absence in May, Meltzer wrote that “of the side of the company that buried her on the way out, none of that came from the members of the special committee but from others in the company.”
