WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross has opened up about whether Vince McMahon would sell the company, and who should run it if that were to happen.
Appearing on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, JR responded to a question about whether Vince McMahon would consider selling WWE.
“Yeah, I think he would. It certainly seems to be leaning that way, but I have nothing concrete to base that on other than what business people have been involved. They are cutting their overhead, which is obvious. A lot of that is payroll. Their payroll has ballooned hugely. Some of those guys who got cut in the last round, some of them are million dollar players. You do the match and it makes sense they could be traveling that road. The McMahon family won’t have to worry about money, ever.”
When discussing who would run the company if Vince McMahon were to step away, Ross said he always thought Triple H was the heir apparent – but said that day would only come, tragically, when the current CEO passes away.
“I always thought that [Triple H] would run the company when Vince decided to step away. The issue is, Vince is never going to step away. It’ll be a tragic day when he’s no longer the head honcho of WWE because he’ll have passed away. He’s there for life. It’s in his blood. I do think that the company is not unbuyable. I don’t know how it’s going to work out but it looks as if there could be some rumblings in that regard. Maybe it’s not. Maybe they are just becoming more efficient and having a different leadership.”
“Let’s say it sells. It has to be sold with the thought in mind that there are people in place to run it. It’s a unique genre and takes a special breed, background, and desire to make it work. Our audience now with social media are more educated. Wrestling fans have something to carry their flag around and people are paying attention in a great way. If I were going to sell WWE, who better to run it than Triple H and his wife? The DNA is there, the experience, Vince has given them a great opportunity to have more experience in upper management. The key thing is talent and television. One without the other doesn’t make any money. If they do sell, it’d be a huge win for all involved, especially the family. It’s no guaranteed that (if they sell), Triple H and Stephanie have to find new jobs. I assume they’ll be running it.”
The recent batches of releases, particularly WWE megastar Braun Strowman, sparked speculation that WWE might be preparing for a sale. Inside The Ropes will keep you updated with any news regarding that.