Vince McMahon’s return to WWE following numerous sexual misconduct allegations has left the wrestling fraternity in shock. According to reports, Vince is preparing an attempted sale of the company.
His unanimous election as Executive Chairman of the Board prompted his daughter, former co-CEO, Stephanie McMahon, to resign. Nick Khan has been named the company’s lone CEO and Triple H currently remains in his position as WWE‘s Chief Content Officer.
If WWE gets sold, there is reportedly some interest among potential buyers in keeping Triple H and Stephanie McMahon as key parts of the company. According to Fightful Select, “people of influence” within two companies believed to have interest in purchasing WWE have said they would offer roles to Triple H and Stephanie, provided they want to remain.
Stephanie and Triple H ascended to greater positions of power as Stephanie’s father Vince McMahon retired in July amid a WWE board of directors investigation into his failure to report millions of dollars in payments to multiple women to suppress allegations of infidelity and misconduct. Stephanie became chairwoman and co-CEO along with former WWE president Nick Khan, while Triple H was tabbed as the new head of creative.
Just ahead of Vince’s return to WWE, Lauren Thomas of the Wall Street Journal reported that he wanted to come back to the company to help orchestrate a potential sale. If reports are to be believed, WWE had hired investment banking company JPMorgan as an adviser in hopes of completing a sale in the next three to six months.
CNBC named Comcast, Fox, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Amazon, UFC owner Endeavor Group Holdings and Formula One owner Liberty Media as potential buyers of the wrestling company.
Stephanie and Triple H aren’t pushing for a sale
Stephanie and Triple H aren’t necessarily pushing for a sale, they wouldn’t oppose it either as it would eliminate Vince’s shares and his ability to place himself in positions of power, as he did with his return to the board of directors.
Both Stephanie and Triple H have decades of experience both as WWE executives and on-screen performers, perhaps making them ideal candidates to run the show. It is possible Vince could press a buyer to keep him around as well, but given the allegations against him, it may be difficult for him to find an interested party.
