There may have been some questions regarding Stephanie McMahon's abilities as an executive that resulted in her taking a leave of absence from the WWE.
The 45-year-old recently took to Twitter to announce that she would be taking time away from her role as the Chief Brand Officer of WWE. She mentioned that the company is a huge part of her legacy and said that she was hopeful of making a return after she had some time with her family.
During a special episode of We’re Live Pal from Las Vegas, Bryan Alvarez, Dave Meltzer and Andrew Zarian spoke about the ongoing issue with Stephanie. Zarian shared that there were questions about her abilities as a top executive. He mentioned that the Chief Brand Officer had taken over ad sales and sponsorships and the numbers weren't looking good:
"The comment was that internally, there was doubt put on Steph and her abilities as an executive. A lot of this started after she absorbed some of Michelle Wilson’s responsibilities after she left. One being ad sales and sponsorship. And the comment that I found interesting was that they mentioned that the investors were questioning why they weren’t performing as well." (H/T: Wrestlingnews.co)
Dave Meltzer feels WWE will protect Stephanie McMahon
During the conversation, Dave Meltzer also shared his intel on the ongoing issue. He mentioned that if Stephanie does come back, she may not hold the same position.
He also stated that he had learned that Vince McMahon and Co. did not want the story to be shared publicly:
"As far as Steph goes, like, if and when she comes back, and it won’t be soon, there’s a real good chance it won’t be in the same position," Meltzer said. "Vince has all the power. She’s someone who talks to Vince but at the end of the day, Vince is going to make those decisions. But the thing was, there’s some people who are saying stuff and a person told me. He’s like, 'If anyone hears that, they’re gonna be gone. No one can say anything bad publicly about Steph.' It’s like, like a left hand and a right hand thing." (H/T: Wrestlingnews.co)
While speculation surrounding Stephanie McMahon's leave of absence continues to circle, there has been no official statement from WWE on the issue. Fans will certainly have to wait a while to see the Billion Dollar Princess back in the WWE.