WWE Sale Updates: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon Opposed

There have been no major developments in the ongoing saga of Vince McMahon’s return to WWE and the plans to sell the company, but some more details have been revealed, while a talent meeting set for later today before Smackdown could yield more news.

First, a report from Axios this morning sheds light on the feelings of Stephanie McMahon, the now-former Chairwoman and Co-CEO of WWE, who shockingly resigned this week following her father’s return to power. According to a new report from Axios, both McMahon and her husband, Triple H, were opposed to the sale. That lines up with the knowledge that the board, of which both were members, initially voted unanimously to reject McMahon’s return before he changed corporate bylaws and used his power as controlling stockholder to force his way back anyway.

If true, the report contextualizes McMahon’s resignation from the company she’s worked at her entire life. Imagine believing you would one day inherit WWE, working hard toward that goal, and even getting a brief shot at running the company after your father was forced to retire amidst a sexual misconduct and hush money scandal, and even succeeding in doing so… only to have your daddy snatch back power and sell the family business out from under you? Anyone might consider a career change after something like that.

At least now she’ll have a chance to rest and recuperate.

Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer reported that Stephanie and her father had some issues working together, with Nick Khan acting as a go-between for Vince and Stephanie, as well as Vince and Triple H. But you do have to take some things Meltzer says with a grain of salt these days.

Meanwhile, WWE “announced that it has retained The Raine Group, LLC as financial advisor, Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal advisor, and August LLC as strategic communications advisor to support WWE’s management team and its Board of Directors in connection with a review of strategic alternatives to maximize value for all WWE stockholders and other stakeholders,” in a press release last night. The PR noted that WWE would not comment on rumors about the sale until it’s complete, for which there is no timeline (other than the fact that common sense dictates it will be before media rights negotiations in the fall if the buyer could be a media conglomerate). In the PR, Vince McMahon offered the following statement:

WWE’s upcoming media rights cycle will take place amid a rapidly evolving media and entertainment landscape, and we believe exploring our strategic alternatives at this critical juncture will enable WWE to fully capitalize on the significant value of our intellectual property. I am highly confident that our outstanding Directors, outside advisors and executive team will provide valuable expertise and counsel to help guide the Company through this important process while our management team and employee base continue to deliver results and content our fans love.

As for who might end up owning the company, there’s no new updates since last night’s news that AEW owner Tony Khan and his own daddy are interested in buying the company in conjunction with more investors and that they might even allow Vince McMahon to continue working there. Of course, being bought out by his competition and then working for a younger rival might be too humiliating a blow for McMahon to handle, even if it did make him even richer than he already is.

According to Sean Ross Sapp, there’s a talent meeting scheduled before WWE Smackdown tonight, and it seems obvious what the topic will be. The question is, will it be to discuss what’s already known and set minds at ease? Or will it occur in the wake of potential news that could drop once markets close tonight? Dropping big news, especially if it’s bad, on Friday after markets close is a common tactic, so it’s always a good idea to be on the lookout for big developments then. It could be that we don’t learn anything more about the fate of WWE for months, or the world could change in just a few hours. The way things have been going, you just never know.