What will WWE look like without Vince McMahon?

By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst 

Now that Vince McMahon is no longer running the show, what might WWE’s “Universe” look like without him?

McMahon, who bought his father’s wrestling business in the ’80s and turned it into a global juggernaut, announced his retirement on Friday in a tweet that sent shockwaves through the industry.

“At 77, time for me to retire,” he wrote. “Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

Moments later, the company sent out an additional, longer statement from McMahon which further explained that his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, will continue to run the company as co-CEO with Nick Khan. 

Stephanie became interim-chair/CEO last month after her father stepped down from the role during an investigation by the Board of Directors into alleged misconduct involving former female WWE employees.

Vince retiring will change WWE in many ways. 

Some will be big. Some will be small. Some will take form on TV. Some won’t. 

At the end of the day, though, changes are coming.

Vince McMahon announces retirement, Ryan Satin reacts and looks ahead

Ryan Satin reacts and looks ahead at what’s next for the WWE universe after Vince McMahon announced his retirement in a tweet on Friday afternoon.

That being said, let’s examine the big questions ahead, as the company attempts to navigate its approach without Vince at the helm.

1. Who will be in charge of creative for the shows? 

The easy answer is Bruce Prichard, at least for now.

Prichard is already at the top of the food chain and making him the final decision-maker on the creative side makes the most sense in the interim. 

Regarding the long-term, however, Triple H (aka Paul Levesque) would have to be the most suitable option.

The EVP of Talent Relations, who returned to the company full-time on Friday, ran a successful brand in NXT for years and transformed a throwaway show on Hulu into one of the hottest brands in all of wrestling. 

With NXT, Levesque ushered in a new era of WWE, and his work in doing so can still be felt on Raw and SmackDown each week.

WWE stars such as Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Bayley, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Bianca Belair, The Street Profits, Riddle, Theory and more all started in NXT due to “The Game.”

Levesque’s booking also helped NXT TakeOver events sometimes become the most-talked about shows during pay-per-view weekends, even against main roster events, and he has a deep respect for the business as a whole.

If there’s anyone the company can put their faith in when it comes to this position, it should be him. He’s already proven his abilities. 

It’s possible, however, that his recent near-death experience could make a job of this magnitude too much of a strain on his health.

Should that be the case, another front-runner is Paul Heyman. 

The former Executive Director of Raw has an eye for talent and a never-ending supply of ideas in his head for storylines.  If the company wants to take things in an extremely new direction, he’s equipped.

There’s also the possibility of someone new being hired. Someone we’ve all never heard of. We saw with Nick Khan, that an unexpected player can always enter the fold and shake things up in unforeseen ways. 

It’s just with a job that important, one where an overall creative vision is needed, you’d think previous wrestling experience would be required.

2. Will the shows look any different?

In the short-term, no. 

Until it’s determined who is taking over as head of creative, it’s safe to assume the weekly output will be similar to what you currently see.

Once that changes, though, all bets are off.

Anyone taking over will most likely make their mark on the product by pushing some new people, injecting different types of stories, trying out other kinds of vignettes, and tinkering with overall elements of the show. 

One important aspect as well, that whoever takes over should re-examine, is giving more freedoms back to the talent.

This would help the in-ring product feel a little less predictable, boost talent morale and allow for more authentic moments.

These are some of the most talented wrestlers on the planet, all assembled into one of the most versatile rosters the company has ever seen. If given the opportunity to have more of a say in what’s being created, the talent would flourish.

3. Could Vince McMahon eventually return?

This is difficult to answer.

No one ever expected Vince to step down as CEO or retire, and he’s an incredibly unpredictable person.

All I know is that retirements rarely last in wrestling, and he’s still a majority shareholder, so anything is possible.

Stephanie McMahon addresses Vince McMahon’s retirement on SmackDown

Stephanie McMahon kicked off Friday Night SmackDown by acknowledging the retirement of her father, Vince McMahon.

4. Does this make a sale of the company more likely?

Rumors of the company being prepped for sale began the moment Nick Khan joined WWE as president. 

Whether there was any truth to that, or the rumors were happening because of Khan’s history, was unknown until months later when Khan confirmed the company would entertain offers.

No possible suitors have been made public, but who knows what has happened behind the scenes since that time.

In addition, Stephanie McMahon had previously taken a leave of absence in the wake of Triple H’s near-death experience, so it’s possible the two of them are only back as needed.

Most importantly, as stated above, Vince is still a majority shareholder. If he truly wants to exit the company, you’d have to assume the next step is most likely selling WWE to the highest bidder.

Time will tell. Stay tuned. 

For more of my thoughts on Vince McMahon retiring, listen to the podcast below recorded shortly after the news was made public.

Don’t forget to follow all your favorite WWE Superstars and shows in the FOX Sports app to receive alerts on what they’re doing and more!

Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1’s “WWE Backstage” and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.