Wrestling On FanNation

Vince McMahon Has No Intention Of Leaving WWE

While the parameters of his role have changed, Vince McMahon still wields considerable power within WWE

Justin Barrasso

Vince McMahon Has No Intention Of Leaving WWE
Vince McMahon Has No Intention Of Leaving WWE /

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro .

Vince McMahon has no intention of leaving WWE

Vince McMahon needed to be liquid.

As the Executive Chairman of TKO Group Holdings, which is the Endeavor-owned banner under which WWE and UFC operate, McMahon made headlines a month ago when it was revealed he was selling $700 million in TKO stock.

Contents

  1. The (Online) Week in Wrestling
  2. Who will win the Continental Classic?
  3. Tweet of the Week

Selling 8.4 million shares represented nearly 25 percent of McMahon’s holdings in TKO. The sale was disclosed in a securities filing last month, and it immediately raised questions over McMahon’s long-term future with WWE.

Sources within WWE, however, shared that McMahon has no plans to leave the company. Though the reasons were undisclosed, Sports Illustrated learned that McMahon needed to have the money liquid, which is why he sold such a hefty portion of his stock.

Courtesy WWE
Courtesy WWE

Multiple sources have indicated that McMahon has no plans to stop working for the company. Even though his role has shifted away from creative, which is overseen by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, there is no doubt that McMahon still wields great power in the company.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque Offers Inside Look At WWE Storytelling

The focus for McMahon is handling the items assigned to him by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. All accounts internally are that their working relationship remains a positive one.

Dana White, who is the UFC CEO, spoke with Sports Illustrated last week, and he highlighted McMahon’s value to the TKO enterprise.

“We didn’t have a great history before this,” said White. “Now that we’re partners, Vince could not be a better partner. And you know me–if it wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t give a f--- and I’d say so. But that hasn’t been the case. He’s been a great partner.”

For now, McMahon’s current status as a fixture in WWE remains unabated.

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Led by the Seth Rollins-Jey Uso match for the world heavyweight championship (and carried by Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn), this week’s Raw was solid from beginning to end.
  • Continuing an extremely fun run around the globe, Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at the Vietnam Pro Wrestling event in Saigon on Saturday.

Randy Orton & Bryan Danielson Headline The Weekend In Wrestling

  • With WWE stars like The Undertaker, Jade Cargill, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus in attendance, Texas won the college football Big 12–and the Longhorns were awarded a WWE title belt.

Who will win the Continental Classic?

Tonight marks the halfway point of AEW’s Continental Classic.

The 12-man round-robin tournament features two groups–the Blue League and the Gold League–that builds to the finals at the end of the month at the Worlds End pay-per-view. The tourney winner will be crowned the Continental champion, as well as win the Ring of Honor title and the New Japan Pro-Wrestling STRONG belt.

There are certain competitors who are not destined to emerge victorious. Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe have each lost their first two matches, and it is a safe bet that neither will be advancing to the semi-final round. The timing is also not right for Andrade, Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli, and Rush, which cuts the field in half.

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

Swerve is targeted for a run with the world title, so he does not need to win this tournament. On the contrary, he needs a strategic loss or two–similar to what happens in New Japan’s G1 Climax–to set up challengers for his eventual title reign. Jon Moxley makes the most sense, as he would be a tremendous opponent to help establish Swerve as world champ once he finally seizes hold of the belt.

Setting up new feuds represents a critical part of the G1’s foundation, and that needs to be the case with the Continental Classic. Bryan Danielson remains a favorite to win, but it would make more sense to reignite his feud with Malakai Black during Danielson’s match against Brody King.

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

Eddie Kingston, who is already the reigning ROH and STRONG champ, started off with two losses in the Continental Classic, positioning him as an underdog. Kingston wrestles Castagnoli in a tournament bout this Saturday on Collision, which sets the stage for his comeback. Jay White is another candidate to win, but his time appears to be occupied with Ricky Starks.

Kingston and Moxley are my picks to advance to the finals. That sets up a very compelling pay-per-view match at Worlds End, as well as provides an opportunity to get gold back around Moxley’s waist.

Tweet of the Week

There’s some longform storytelling.

Published |Modified
Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

Home/Wrestling News