Early on Friday morning, WWE issued a press release announcing that Vince McMahon had temporarily resigned from his CEO and chairman role. His decision is understood to be voluntary and will be until the investigation into his alleged behavior, recently made public by the Wall Street Journal, is concluded. In his place will be Stephanie McMahon, who will run the business side of the company while he will just focus on creative. Now, just hours after that announcement, WWE has issued a second press release stating very briefly that he would be appearing on this Friday night’s SmackDown.
Whether McMahon will address the claims made by the publication are unknown, but given the timing, it certainly appears possible. And given that the story has spread worldwide via mainstream media, it would make sense for him to address this in front of a large audience and potentially boost ratings in the process. However, he was announced simply as Mr. McMahon, which is how his character is referenced on television, so he may be appearing strictly as part of a storyline and to show the world he isn’t going into hiding.
