Vince McMahon opened “SmackDown Live” Friday night with a brief appearance in the ring.
McMahon rushed into the ring with a smile on his face as his main music – “No Chance in Hell” – was played over the loudspeakers. He kept his notes brief, saying, “It’s a privilege as always to stand before you here tonight, the WWE world… I’m here simply to remind you of the four words we just saw in what we call our WWE autograph. Those four words are: So, now , forever, and the most important word is together. Welcome to SmackDown!”
With that, he left the ring.
The clip for “SmackDown” came just hours after WWE announced that McMahon was stepping back from his responsibilities as president and CEO of the sports entertainment giant. McMahon is currently under investigation by the WWE Board of Directors The Wall Street Journal report over allegations that McMahon agreed to pay a company employee $3 million in compensation to cover up an affair. McMahon’s daughter and WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon have been named interim CEO and chairperson during the investigation.
Vince McMahon will retain his role and responsibilities regarding WWE’s creative content during the investigation and remain “committed to cooperating with the ongoing review,” the company said Friday. The Board of Directors is also investigating alleged misconduct by John Laurentites, WWE’s head of talent relations.
A board investigation has revealed other settlement agreements involving McMahon and Laurentiis, the magazine reported. A WWE spokesperson told the newspaper that McMahon’s relationship with the woman, who was hired as a legal assistant in 2019, was consensual and that the CEO used his personal money to pay settlements, including those related to Laurinaitis.
WWE is the world’s leading professional wrestling brand. The publicly traded company reported record revenue of $1.1 billion last year, which included a five-year exclusive streaming agreement with Peacock of NBCUniversal in the U.S. SmackDown Live began broadcasting on Fox in 2018 under a five-year, $1 billion deal.
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