Following several weeks of absence, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has reportedly returned to televised tapings at the ThunderDome.
According to Fightful Select, McMahon returned to WWE this week for the first time following Rod’s death. He was also present on the company investors call earlier in the week, but was not as vocal on the call as he normally is. Recently, McMahon missed a string of shows, including the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, following the death of his brother Roderick.
The McMahon name is synonymous with professional wrestling. However, unlike others in his family, Rod opted not to enter into the professional wrestling business. Instead, he took to the skies as a decorated member of the United States Air Force, before creating a successful steel business. An older brother to Vince, Roderick passed away January 20, aged 77.
Vince McMahon bought the WWWF from his father in 1982, and has become the most influential and powerful pro wrestling figure of all time. As CEO, McMahon is often credited as the mastermind and final decision maker in WWE. The chairman produces Raw and Smackdown each week, as well as the monthly pay-per-views produced by the company. The last notable occasion of McMahon’s absence at a show was WrestleMania 30, in which he left to accompany The Undertaker to a nearby hospital.
Although not physically in the building, the chairman was said to have still played an integral part of this year’s Royal Rumble, according to Fightful:
“It is correct that he was not physically present as he was said to be attending to a personal matter but McMahon watched the event via the WWE Network and was in constant conversation with WWE officials and “directing traffic” via phone. It was not a case of McMahon not being involved with the active production of the show.”
Inside The Ropes extends our condolences to the McMahon family following the passing of Roderick McMahon.