WWE makes surprising announcement about Vince McMahon's on-screen return

WWE announced that Vince McMahon would appear on the next episode of SmackDown. The timing of McMahon's SmackDown appearance shocked many as he recently stepped back as the company's Chairman and CEO.

WWE confirmed the news in a brief press release, and nothing more was revealed regarding what to expect from Vince McMahon's segment. Here's the promotion's statement:

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Mr. McMahon will appear on SmackDown tonight at 8 pm ET live on FOX.

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Vince McMahon has temporarily stepped away from his corporate WWE responsibilities

Vince McMahon has been all over the news following an explosive Wall Street Journal report. The 76-year-old allegedly paid $3 million as 'hush money' to cover an affair he had with an ex-employee.

Amid an ongoing investigation into the allegations, McMahon voluntarily gave up his position as Chairman and CEO.

WWE issued a statement and noted that McMahon will continue to oversee the creative decisions until the conclusion of the investigation:

"WWE (NYSE: WWE) and the Board of Directors today announced that a Special Committee of the Board is conducting an investigation into alleged misconduct by its Chairman and CEO Vincent McMahon and John Laurinaitis, head of talent relations, and that, effective immediately, McMahon has voluntarily stepped back from his responsibilities as CEO and Chairman of the Board until the conclusion of the investigation. McMahon will retain his role and responsibilities related to WWE's creative content during this period and remains committed to cooperating with the review underway," stated WWE.

In his absence, Stephanie McMahon will serve as interim CEO and Chairwoman of WWE. Stephanie has already broken her silence regarding her backstage return; you can read more on that right here.

All the attention is now on Vince and his upcoming SmackDown segment. WWE will surely draw massive ratings for the show, but more importantly, it'll be interesting to hear what McMahon says about the accusations.