Stephanie McMahon just announced that she’s taking a leave of absence from WWE. She is the company’s chief brand officer and has been the public face of WWE as her father, WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, gets older, and WWE president Nick Khan does a limited amount of press. In her tweet, Stephanie McMahon said she’s going to focus on her father during her time off and she will return. But is there more to what McMahon said?
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, the move by McMahon is “100 percent her choice” and she “was not forced or pressured” to make it. Some fans have said McMahon’s decision is about Triple H who had heart surgery last year. However, Meltzer said that Triple H is back with WWE full-time, but Meltzer and Mike Johnson of PW Insider speculate that the stress of Triple H’s situation last year and the additional responsibilities she tackles while he was ill factored into the decision.
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McMahon has been working for WWE since 1998 in various roles, including writer, executive and WWE Superstar. While she is away, Khan will assume the majority of her duties, according to Wrestlenomics. McMahon is also on the board of directors and owns 2.5% of the company, as mentioned by Cageside Seats. In an interview with D Magazine this year, McMahon talked about the most fulfilling job she had in WWE.
“When my father bought WWE from my grandfather, he had this vision of creating one global media company versus a regional wrestling promotion,” McMahon said. “And he kept going around buying up the other territories and really making his dream come true, and my grandfather, who was from Rockaway, Long Island, would say to him, “Vinnie, why ya gotta rock the boat? Why you gotta rock the boat?” My grandfather passed right before WrestleMania I took place, and every year, when I’m in the stadium, before the people start to come in, I swear I feel his presence. That alone is fulfilling to me.”
McMahon has been working hard for the last 24 years to make WWE the top professional wrestling promotion in the world. While fans have criticized the product at times, WWE continues to be a major draw, and McMahon has been a big reason for that.
