Vince McMahon shocked the world in July of 2022 when he retired from WWE amidst an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and hush money payments.
However, his retirement would be short-lived as he announced in early January that as majority shareholder of the company, he was electing himself back to the WWE Board of Directors in order to facilitate a sale of the company. Days later, Stephanie McMahon, who had been appointed co-CEO alongside Nick Khan in the wake of her father’s retirement, handed in her resignation.
Despite numerous talent concerns upon news of his return, WWE insists that Vince McMahon isn’t resuming any of his previous creative duties, and that Triple H has the final say when it comes to both talent and creative decisions in his role as Chief Content Officer.
“This Is Vince’s DNA” – Eric Bischoff On Vince McMahon’s Return To WWE Raw
On March 6th, reports emerged that McMahon was backstage at Monday Night Raw for the first time since his retirement in July. John Cena made his return on that episode to confront Austin Theory ahead of their WrestleMania clash, and while Cena’s return was reportedly the main reason for McMahon’s presence, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that “there’s more to it than that.”
McMahon reportedly spent all night in the Gorilla position, though he didn’t give out orders as he did when he was running the show. He was also reportedly sporting a “creepy little mustache,” and while many photoshopped images of his new look have circulated online, no real photos have emerged as of yet.
Former WCW President and Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff has a long history with McMahon, and speaking on a recent episode of After 83 Weeks, he explained why the WWE Chairman’s return doesn’t surprise him in the slightest.
“Vince loves this stuff. This is Vince’s DNA. This is so much a part of who he is. It doesn’t mean that he was calling any shots or having any impact or influencing anything. It was just sitting there in Gorilla because that’s what he’s been doing for the last 40 years, and I’m sure he misses it.”
h/t WrestlingInc