Report on Vince McMahon's impact on creative post WWE signing $9.3bn deal with Endeavor Group
Vince McMahon's WWE was officially sold to Endeavor Holding Group. The group, which now holds the majority stake in WWE, is also heavily invested in the top MMA promotion UFC.
While fans couldn't contain their excitement about night two of WrestleMania, rumors of the company being sold soon made the rounds. Alex Sherman of CNBC reported that the group under Ari Emanuel's leadership was looking to acquire a majority stake in WWE.
Now that the deal is official, the WWE Universe wants to know what Vince McMahon's role in the company would be. On the latest episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer speculated on the roles that people such as Ari Emanual, Nick Khan, and Mr. McMahon would play if the sale went through.
Wrestling Observer Radio: WWE sale to Endeavor could happen today, WrestleMania Night 2 with Roman beating Cody dlvr.it/SlvY4Y https://t.co/jIfarOCc67
According to Meltzer, Emanual will be the one selling TV rights, while Nick Khan will be the one running the Pro-Wrestling business. While delving deeper into the future of roles in deal-making, the journalist said:
"I'm sure Nick will be involved and Vince will be involved. Maybe not Vince once he sells the company. He may not be involved in that. But as the most powerful guy on the WWE side, Vince will in fact, make many, many of the key decisions. Ari can overrule them, but if Vince wants to run creative, Vince can run creative and we know that Vince has been more involved in the last couple of weeks anyway."[10:20 - 10:58]
Following the merger, it was confirmed that Nick Khan will take up the role of President of WWE, while Vince will be the Executive Chairman of the Board for the new company. However, it is yet to be seen if the former CEO will also be added back to creative as well.
Is Vince McMahon involved in creative direction currently?
Vince McMahon resigned from his post of Chairman and CEO of WWE back in July 2022. Since then, he has been away from the business, handing over the reins to Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Nick Khan. But in January, rumors surfaced that Mr. McMahon was looking to return to WWE, and later on, the company registered him as a formal employee.
At 77, time for me to retire.
Thank you, WWE Universe.
Then. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #thankful
In an interview, Nick Khan was asked about the kind of creative input the ex-Chairman of WWE has on today's product. The CEO of the company stated that Vince McMahon has not been involved in creative decisions since his hiatus from the company.
However, a report during WrestleMania stated the contrary. Mr. McMahon was present backstage in a pair of headsets reportedly ordering people around.
Do you want to see Vince McMahon in charge of creative decisions? Let us know in the comments below!