As the hits keep coming, it’s becoming obvious to me: no matter what, time is up for Vince McMahon.
Look, I know we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but the reports are damning.
Heck, the receipts are too.
We are not talking about a few bucks here and there.
These are massive amounts, from the head of a publicly traded company, which at first glance were in the low seven figures.
After a more recent report, that was now an eight figure number.
So, I say again…
No Matter What, Time Is Up For Vince McMahon
I am taking nothing away from what Vince McMahon means to both WWE specifically, and pro wrestling as we know it today.
The best and worst of what pro wrestling, or sports entertainment, is now? That is in no small part due to what Vince McMahon drove.
No one is denying his legacy. There is no doubt of his impact.
But now, even if he sometimes has some creative strokes of genius left in him, the good can no longer outweigh the bad.
Like, it’s simply not possible.
Sure, Vince is now strutting out to the ring, on RAW and SmackDown, putting on a great face for the fans.
Outwardly, he is showing folks that all is right in his world.
Inward? That’s a different story.
McMahon’s grip on his former family empire is slipping away.
Sure, his son in law is now back to NXT, but it is not the NXT as he built it.
Vince and Nick Khan dismantled it. Whether you agree with their reasons or not, they gutted what Hunter built.
And yes, his daughter is now back in WWE, taking over her dad’s spot while he’s under investigation.
But, she had been out of the company, taking a leave of absence, with many speculating she was being pushed out of the company.
That is mostly irrelevant here though.
The major stories? Those hits keep coming.
It started with the report of one single issue of a massive hush money payment to a WWE staffer with whom McMahon had an affair.
Then, a report of a rape from the 1980’s resurfaced, with further corroboration.
Now? No less than three additional reports of misconduct, pushing the hush money payments north of $10 million.
WWE’s Vince McMahon paid out $12 million in settlements to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity over the past 16 years, people familiar say https://t.co/6HHLPmtIxX
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 8, 2022
So, I repeat one more time…no matter what, time is up for Vince McMahon.
Surely, the board and it’s retained legal counsel will do their due diligence.
Due process and all that, it still exists.
But this is not hearsay, not in the case of more than 10 million dollars in hush money. SEC filings are not hearsay.
There is a very clear and obvious smoking gun. Or, four, at a minimum.
And let’s be honest…do any of us think that, at some point in the future, we won’t learn of more?
Vince McMahon had power and influence. In at least one of these reports, a female WWE Superstar was paid off.
Another WWE contractor (and remember, WWE sees Superstars as contractors) was sent unwanted naked photos of Vince.
These are only the ones we’ve heard about to date.
Vince McMahon may have voluntarily stepped down “temporarily”, but he is still working for and controlling elements of WWE.
That needs to end, immediately. It is painfully clear that there can be, will not be, any exoneration here.
Rich and powerful executives do not pay hush money if they think everything they did was perfectly fine and dandy.
He knew he did wrong, and he hoped by paying each of these women millions, he would buy their eternal silence.
Turns out, the truth does eventually always come out.
Now, whether it is the WWE board, the McMahon family or others, someone needs to do what needs to be done.
Meaning, McMahon’s time is up.
In a perfect world, Vince himself would come to the realization that, for the benefit of his company, his life’s work, he needs to retire and fade away.
Knowing Vince like we all do, he is a perfectionist, a control freak and an egomaniac. Do any of us really expect Vince to step away freely of his own decision?
It seems more likely that Santino Marella would come back and win the 2023 Royal Rumble.
But, I think the board has no choice but one now. Time is up for Vince McMahon, and either they allow him to retire, or they leave him no choice.