Vince McMahon is stepping away from the WWE for good.
On Friday, the Chairman and CEO announced that he is retiring from the company. “As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE,” he said in a statement. “Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand.”
He went on to thank “our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.”
In the wake of McMahon’s retirement, his daughter Stephanie McMahon will serve as Chairwoman and co-CEO alongside Nick Khan.
This comes after The Wall Street Journal‘s bombshell report on July 8 that McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million to four women over the last 16 years to cover up allegations of infidelity and sexual misconduct. McMahon temporarily stepped down as CEO and Chairman on June 17 amid an investigation into a separate $3 million payment to cover up an alleged affair with a different employee. With this news, his absence is now permanent.
Additionally, the WWE announced that Paul Levesque, aka Triple H, will resume his duties as EVP of Talent Relations effective immediately. The former World Champion stepped down from his executive post in September 2021 to undergo emergency heart surgery.
“I look forward to returning to my prior position as head of Talent Relations,” Levesque said in a statement. “I’m healthy, fired up, and ready to take charge.”