Does Vince McMahon still have creative power in WWE? Major update after sale to Endeavor

Vince McMahon’s WWE return earlier this year took the world of pro-wrestling by storm. The 77-year-old strategically maneuvered his way back into his company and on to he board as the executive chairman. Vince McMahon’s return also reportedly led to the departure of top executives, including his own daughter Stephanie McMahon.

It was also reported at the time that the executive chairman had returned to oversee the potential sale of the company. On April 3, 2023, Endeavor (the parent company of UFC) announced its decision to acquire the sports and entertainment juggernaut.

Many wondered what the new deal would mean for Vince McMahon’s future in WWE. It was soon revealed that Vince would be staying around as the executive chairman of the merged board. The billionaire himself revealed during an interview that while he would be involved with the creative process at a higher level, he’d no longer be “in the weeds.”

During a rare interview with CNBC’s Squawk in the Box, McMahon was asked whether he would be overseeing the creative side of WWE. The chairman noted that he would still be making the big calls when it comes to the creative direction of the company.

“Yes and no, on a higher level, yes, in the weeds, which I have always been in the weeds in the past, no, can’t do that.”

Vince McMahon was asked to stay around after WWE-Endeavor deal

When Endeavor announced their acquisition of WWE, many fans wondered if the new company would keep McMahon on as the executive chairman. Most recently, WWE President Nick Khan spoke to Lightshed Partners where he stated that McMahon did not demand that Endeavor make him the executive chairman under the new deal.

“Look, it was exactly that, it was a fulsome process, there was a robust response,” Khan said. "It was a clean process, multiple offers. At the end of the day, I think that for our shareholders, the Endeavor flywheel, international sales and sponsorships marketing, subsidies for live events, live event programming."

He added:

"All of those things mattered where the final conversation between Vince and myself was, ‘okay, we could do all these things ourselves, but it would be ten years,’ and then Endeavor would be ten years better and at [that] point Vince would be 87-years-old. Specifically, Ari asked Vince to stay on as the executive chairman. It was not an ask from Vince.”

Vince McMahon was reportedly heavily involved with the creative direction of RAW after WrestleMania. He was also said to have changed several plans for SmackDown last week. It remains to be seen if the trend will continue in the days to come.

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