Stephanie McMahon recently came up with a shocking announcement when she let the pro-wrestling world that she is taking a hiatus. She announced that she’ll be taking a “leave of absence” from WWE. Announcing on Twitter, Stephanie wrote the following statement that she’ll be stepping down from the majority of her responsibilities in WWE to focus on her family. She also added that she’s looking forward to returning. It was previously noted that several internal members of the company doubted her abilities in the role of WWE Chief Brand Officer. The higher-ups also reacted negatively to Stephanie’s decision.
Now, it seems that her leave of absence is possibly linked to WWE’s ongoing lawsuit against MLW.
Stephanie Mcmahon departure might be linked with the lawsuit
In the latest issue of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was noted that Stephanie’s departure was up for a couple of months before the announcement. Once she finally decided, she approached her father, who was shocked by the news. The story didn’t end there, as it was then revealed that WWE’s ongoing antitrust lawsuit against MLW may also have an influence. The lawsuit filed back in January 2022 states that allegedly, WWE persuaded FOX to nix a streaming deal with Tubi TV.
MLW, also known as Major League Wrestling, is owned by former WWE writer Court Bauer. It was noted that though they are not considered to be the company’s competitors, it seems like this lawsuit has left a major impact on them if the rumors are to be believed. It was alleged that the company called FOX and demanded to halt their partnership with MLW, or else they will lose all the related-content and end their partnership. Days before the agreement was about to be finalized, the deal between Major League Wrestling and FOX fell through, which resulted in huge losses for Major League Wrestling.
We will have to see what happens next.
