"He'll be there everyday" - Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn gives his verdict on Vince McMahon's retirement
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has given his opinion on the retirement of former Chairman and CEO of WWE Vince McMahon.
The 76-year-old announced his retirement on July 22 in a move that shocked many. However, Hearn believes that McMahon will continue to work with WWE.
Whilst speaking on The DAZN Boxing Show, Hearn said:
“Don’t be deluded enough to believe that Vince McMahon won’t be working with the WWE every single day.”
Hearn believes that the controversial figure who has been in charge of WWE for 40 years will not move away so quickly.
McMahon has remained in charge of WWE despite several scandals over the years.
He stood trial after being accused of distributing steroids amongst his wrestlers in 1994. The jury found him not guilty.
In 1999, Wrestler Owen Hart died after participating in a stunt that went wrong. Hart's family sued WWE and the corporation counter-sued. Eventually, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement.
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal broke a story, revealing McMahon had paid over $10 million to multiple women for them to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Soon after, McMahon revealed that he would be making an appearance on WWE Smackdown, one of WWE’s television shows. During that appearance, McMahon did not address the news stories, but instead just reitereated the WWE slogan.
Watch the said appearance here:
Eddie Hearn like Stephanie McMahon has taken over his father's business
In the same interview, Hearn discussed the future of WWE post Vince McMahon. The boxing promoter was complimentary of Vince's daughter Stephanie McMahon, likening her situation to his own and added:
“It’s an incredible business. Stephanie McMahon has grown up in a business, and I know what that feels like. It means more to you than anything. She’s going to be fierce.”
Like Stephanie McMahon, Eddie Hearn was the son of an established promoter and took over what was a family business. Eddie Hearn’s father Barry Hearn formed Matchroom in the 80s.
Barry Hearn had promoted the likes of Lennox Lewis, Chris Eubank, and Frank Bruno in the United Kingdom. on the boxing side, Barry Hearn was also influential in the promotion of Snooker in the United Kingdom. He took a controlling stake in the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in 2010.
In 2021, Barry Hearn stepped down, leading to Eddie becoming the chairman of the company. Matchroom are now involved in golf, darts, ping pong as well as many other sports.
Under Hearn's reign, Matchroom boxing has expanded into a global operation. After signing a billion-dollar agreement with sports streaming website DAZN, Hearn launched Matchroom USA. Hearn was made the face of DAZN in the US and was tasked with disrupting the likes of Top Rank and PBC.
Watch the launch of Matchroom Boxing USA:
Unlike WWE, which holds its position as the market leader dealing with the challenge of the new promotion in AEW, Hearn has the opposite problem. Matchroom is the new kid on the block in the US who is trying to disrupt the status quo.