WWE founder Vince McMahon, who was ousted over scandal allegations, is in the process of selling off all his company shares and making billions. Industry insiders are now rumoring that he could use the money to build a new WWE rival.
Brisky speculation behind the scenes in the wrestling industry: Is WWE founder Vince McMahon, who was ousted over rape and sex trafficking allegations, planning to attack his own life’s work with a new rival project?
As long-time scene observer Dave Meltzer reports in his latest Wrestling Observer Radio, there are speculations to this effect in the industry. They are fueled by the fact that McMahon has now sold or put up for sale all shares in WWE’s parent company TKO – at the end of the process he is expected to have raised over 2 billion US dollars. Seed money for a new league?
Industry insiders speculate about McMahon league
“I’ve talked to a few people, key players in the industry, and written back and forth – and the big question is whether he wants to start something of his own. There are people who are pretty unanimous in asking that question,” says Meltzer. One insider is even quite sure “that he will do it”,
Such a project could theoretically start in a few months, after the expiry of a “non-compete” arrangement following his TKO retirement in January, after the serious allegations made by ex-employee Janel Grant were revealed
Not only in view of the allegations in the room does the idea of McMahon’s own league seem reckless: McMahon would be going up against the concentrated market power of WWE, which is currently experiencing its biggest boom in decades under the new strongman – his son-in-law “Triple H” Paul Levesque – and with the help of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Under McMahon, whose work has been often and extensively criticized in recent years, the league had previously been in crisis for a long time, paving the way for its competitor AEW, which was founded in 2019. What’s more, both WWE and AEW have signed the majority of their stars to long-term contracts. There are currently hardly any well-known free agents in the industry
Are McMahon’s billion stars being lured away from WWE?
Despite all the skepticism (“I don’t think it’s smart”), Meltzer points out that there are certainly factors that would favor McMahon’s presumed plans: “There are some people whose contracts are expiring this year and he has $2 billion. There will be people who would switch if appropriate money is paid.”
Not mentioned by Meltzer, but one name that stands out above all others: McMahon’s longtime confidant Brock Lesnar, who has come into the spotlight in the Grant case with him – McMahon allegedly prostituted Grant to him in exchange for a contract extension. Lesnar is said to have signed a one-year contract with WWE in 2023 for a small number of matches. He has not been used by WWE since the Grant revelations
