Vince McMahon has officially made his return to WWE. A new filing showed that McMahon is returning to the WWE board of directors. Former WWE co-presidents Michelle Wilson and George Barrios are also on the board. Independent directors Alan Wexler, JoEllen Lyons Dillon, and Jeffrey Speed have been removed. John Pollock noted that two board members resigned today: “Ignace Lahoud and Man Jit Singh have resigned from the Board, effective today.” This is separate from the three board members removed.
Two board members resigned today:
"Ignace Lahoud and Man Jit Singh have resigned from the Board, effective today."
This is separate from the three board members removed to make way for Vince McMahon, George Barrios & Michelle Wilson
— John Pollock (@iamjohnpollock) January 6, 2023
The filing shows that Vince has made changes to WWE’s bylaws so media rights deals and any company sales can’t be made without his approval. The filing also includes emails Vince has sent to the board.
On Thursday, Vince took action to return to WWE in an effort to participate in media rights negotiations. In a press release, Vince said:
“WWE is entering a critical juncture in its history with the upcoming media rights negotiations coinciding with increased industry-wide demand for quality content and live events and with more companies seeking to own the intellectual property on their platforms. The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives. My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder.”
PW Insider noted that this new situation in WWE sparked a huge amount of shock around the company. Those in Vince McMahon’s “inner circle” aren’t too surprised, but that is a select number of people.
“It pretty much shocked everyone we have spoken with. I would say that except for the most inner circle, this absolutely took them by surprise.”
