It was a crazy few months for her, but in her words, Stephanie McMahon wanted the CEO spot in WWE. Plus, some NXT UK talent are concerned about their future.
Stephanie McMahon Wanted CEO Spot
It’s been an interesting year for her, but now we are hearing that Stephanie McMahon wanted the interim CEO spot.
McMahon herself confirmed the decision as part of the WWE investors call recently.
There had been some wondering how things all went down, in what was an eventful few months for McMahon and WWE.
To recap things a bit…
Earlier in 2022, Stephanie McMahon took a leave of absence from her executive position within WWE.
That came on the heels of her husband experiencing a near fatal health emergency late in 2021.
Many expected that Stephanie was re-evaluating things.
Once her leave kicked in, rumors swirled about if she was pushed to take the time away. Some reports even implied that she was not doing her job well.
Just about then, WWE had things turned upside down.
source: @wrestlepurists, twitter, screenshot
A Wall Street Journal piece exposed a Vince McMahon scandal that did what steroids could not do.
It was revealed that McMahon had spent millions of dollars in WWE money to silence a number of female employees.
As of this writing, the number sits at close to 20 million dollars.
Stephanie enjoyed all of three weeks of a leave, before she was brought back as interim CEO, taking over for her disgraced dad.
Now, the current co-CEO of WWE confirms that she wanted the interim role, and she offered to take it on.
“I was not forced into returning as (WWE) CEO and Chairman in the interim position. I offered.
That was an opportunity for me to come back and be part of this company that I love and have the opportunity to lead this company.”
– Stephanie McMahon pic.twitter.com/VIPD2KCKWE
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) August 16, 2022
Considering what an opportunity it was, I cannot say I blame her for making the offer.
And, looking at how things sit now, clearly it has worked out so far.
NXT UK Talent Concerned
Now, across the pond, it seems that NXT UK talent might be a bit concerned.
According to the Wrestling Observer, the brand saw two television tapings cancelled last week.
Talent were told that the usual studio used for their show was not available due to football commitments.
However, the explanation hasn’t helped sooth some concerned talent.
The concern does make some sense, given the timing.
But, it also does have a bit of legitimacy to it too.
Football in Britain has come back, if my information is accurate. Like, that current season just recently kicked off.
And I am willing to bet English football draws better than NXT UK.
On the flip side, the timing relative to what has been changing in WWE could cause concern.
Or, it could mean that Triple H is taking time to re-set things a bit.
According to the Observer, things were more unsettled prior to the change in management.
source: @wwe, twitter, screenshot
As in, under Vince, with cancelled tapings, talent might have been concerned that the brand was getting killed off. That had been rumored in the past.
However, NXT and it’s offshoot NXT UK are what showed us that Triple H knows how to drive brands creatively.
It seems safe to assume then, that unless it would be absolutely necessary, Hunter would not shut down one of his biggest projects after his in-ring run ended.
Amidst talks that NXT could be fixed up a bit, perhaps the same is behind the pause over at NXT UK.
It is also fair to point out that a number of NXT UK talents are starting to migrate to the main NXT brand.
JD McDonagh arrived earlier in the summer. Gallus debuted during NXT Heatwave on Tuesday, and Tyler Bate joined them later on.
With established talent coming to Florida, it could be seen either way.
Either the biggest talents are being retained, or the biggest talents are one step closer to the main roster.
That could mean new opportunities in NXT UK…or less reason to keep it going.
We should know soon enough.
