Wrestling legend suggests an unbelievable reason why Vince McMahon actually retired from WWE in 2022 (Exclusive)

Vince McMahon made a big comeback in early 2023 after declaring that he was stepping down from the throne in July 2022. It only took him a few months to return, and he's now back on the throne, albeit with Endeavor being the new owner of WWE. Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell suggested a shocking reason why McMahon may have self-sabotaged.

On the latest episode of Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell and host Rick Ucchino spoke about Vince McMahon's return to WWE. Mantell believes that few could have survived what he did after the accusations made against him.

Dutch Mantell suggested that Vince McMahon knew how things were going to play out and intentionally reduced the quality of the WWE product so things would go downhill:

"What if Vince [McMahon] knew all along, a year before the Endeavor thing? And he probably did. So let's drive the business down and all of a sudden, when it sells, let's bring it up. So what a great deal they got. I don't put that past him. It looks like you have to not give a crap to watch some of that stuff we had to watch a year ago." (11:15-11:44)

He then said that the Wall Street Journal reports exposing McMahon were set up by him:

"I think that [the Wall Street Journal report] was a set-up too. I think it was a set-up to get the ball rolling. I'm not saying he wasn't surprised, but the way it worked out was perfect for Vince. And finally, he stepped in after it ran its route. Everyone knows what Vince is like anyway. Nobody said 'I can't believe he did that' - he's Vince! I don't think it surprised anybody." (12:40-13:13)

You can watch the full video below:

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Vince McMahon survived what few in the corporate world could have, according to Mantell

Earlier in the same episode, Dutch Mantell said that few people across the world could have survived what Vince McMahon did:

"I thought he [Vince McMahon] was...it's hard for anybody else - in corporate or business, to survive what Vince was accused of. And he was guilty of it. And he comes back and hell, he's stronger now than what he was. If he really wanted something to go his way, he could probably push his way in there." (9:08-9:37)

Do you agree with the wrestling veteran? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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