With the news of Vince McMahon officially retiring from his WWE duties, the wrestling world has reacted in various ways.
Vince McMahon’s official retirement from WWE shocked many when he announced the news. The former Chairman and CEO of WWE had been in an executive position with the company for several decades, with many believing he’d be with the promotion until he passed away.
Numerous wrestling personalities have since commented on the news; the general consensus is that of shock more than anything else, though some have found humour in the situation. Big Damo, who wrestled for WWE as Killian Dain, commented on Vince’s Stunner sell from WrestleMania 38:
We will always have that stunner though
— Big Damo (@DamoMackle) July 22, 2022
Renee Paquette, a former WWE announcer, has joked whether Vince will appear on her podcast, The Sessions:
Think he’ll do my podcast?
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) July 22, 2022
Others, such as Pat McAfee, have expressed their thanks and gratitude to Vince McMahon for the work he’s put into WWE over the past forty-odd years:
Thank you 4 the decades of dedication to entertainment
Thank you 4 the miles you traveled
Thank you 4 the sacrifices
Thank you 4 the priceless business advice
Thank you 4 the opportunity to be a WWE SUPERSTAR @VinceMcMahon
You’re not perfect..but you’re forever a legend
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 22, 2022
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley made perhaps the boldest claim, noting how Vince McMahon changed his life. Foley and McMahon worked closely on-screen at the height of the Attitude Era to critical acclaim:
Thank you for everything, Vince. You changed my life. https://t.co/XAmnqkmdDu
— Mick Foley (@foleyispod) July 22, 2022
Gerald Brisco, who was one of Vince McMahon’s on-screen Stooges with the late Pat Patterson, has hit back at fans celebrating his retirement, stating that without the ex-Chairman, every “mark” would be living an even sadder life:
Disappointed to see all you jabronis celebrating the retirement of the man who created a world that gave you so much enjoyment growing up. If Vince never existed, all you marks would have sadder lives than you already do.
— Gerald BRISCO 🤼♂️ (@Fgbrisco) July 22, 2022
AEW CEO Tony Khan commented in a joking manner, stating how proud he is to now be the longest-serving active CEO in wrestling. This is hardly the first time Khan has done such a tweet, regularly promoting AEW programming while making humorous remarks.
It’s been confirmed that Vince McMahon is retired from all of his WWE roles, which includes his role as Head of Creative in addition to the Chairman and CEO of WWE. A WWE staff meeting is expected for tonight to address how the company will move forward in the wake of this news.
Stephanie McMahon will now take over as full-time Chairwoman of WWE, while she and Nick Khan will serve as co-CEOs.