"I think Stephanie had something to do with that" – WWE veteran on if Vince McMahon was pressured into retiring (Exclusive)

Dutch Mantell believes there might have been backstage pressure on Vince McMahon to announce his full-time retirement from WWE.

Vince McMahon attracted heat following multiple Wall Street Journal reports revealing several misconduct allegations against the former WWE CEO.

While discussing McMahon's retirement on this week's Smack Talk, Mantell questioned whether people within WWE played a role in Vince's game-changing decision.

Mantell specifically mentioned Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, who have been announced as co-CEOs in the aftermath of Vince's statement. Here's what the former WWE manager briefly stated on Sportskeeda's Smack Talk:

"So the question is, was he strongly urged to step aside, or did he resign out of his own volition? I think he was strongly urged to step out of the way," noted Dutch Mantell. "I think Stephanie had something to do with that, probably Nick Khan, and as we know, Nick Khan and Stephanie have both filled the spot that Vince had. So, I don't know how that's going to work." (from 4:06 to 4:37)

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Stephanie McMahon opened WWE SmackDown with a heartfelt promo about Vince McMahon

It wasn't surprising to see Stephanie McMahon kick off the latest SmackDown episode to address her father's shocking tweet about his retirement.

Stephanie cut an emotional promo, speaking about Vince McMahon's message to the WWE Universe. A loud "Thank you, Vince" chant echoed around the arena, and Stephanie aptly responded by saying:

"That's all of you out there, that's everyone in the back, that's all of the crew – everyone who does the rigging, everyone who does the designs, even Pat McAfee and I guess Michael Cole. This is the WWE Universe, and we are eternally grateful for all of you. Since Vince [McMahon] had the opportunity to thank us, I think this is the moment we take to thank him."

Stephanie McMahon is now at the helm of WWE, and fans hope for positive changes as the company transitions to a product without Vince McMahon's unchallenged influence. What do you wish to see in the new WWE? Please share them in the comments section below!

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