Internal Reaction Mixed After Stephanie McMahon Named WWE CEO

WWE named Stephanie McMahon the company’s new interim CEO this morning after Vince McMahon temporarily stepped aside from his duties. Vince is being investigated after allegations of a hush-money scandal stemming from an alleged sexual relationship with a WWE employee. The reaction within WWE has been a mixed bag.

Many in the media have expressed skepticism that Stephanie McMahon will be in charge of anything at all. That sentiment was shared by some within WWE. Others were excited at the prospect of having Stephanie in charge.

In a report behind Fightful’s paywall, Sean Ross Sapp discussed the backstage chatter since the big news broke. Some wrestlers are excited about the change. Others don’t believe for a second that Vince McMahon isn’t still pulling the strings.

One top star said that they didn’t really know what was going on, but that they’ve “heard in theory Stephanie McMahon is my boss, and that f*cking rules.” One former employee that worked directly with Stephanie McMahon before her team was disassembled said “The tone was always that she would be in that role eventually. She knows and breathes the business and she’s seamless.” They also noted that the narrative around friction between Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon wasn’t something they’d personally experienced.

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A female talent talking to Fightful said they think things can only get better from this point, and was hopeful that both the investigation and Stephanie McMahon as interim CEO would lead to better treatment for women in the company across the board. The talent went as far as to say they hope it results in women getting treated and paid equal to men there.

“I imagine it won’t change much. But I love Steph. So that’s good,” said another top talent. “I imagine Vince keeps his position in creative and once the investigation is over he’ll take back over if he can.”

The one consistent thing that WWE superstars are saying is that they like and respect Stephanie McMahon. Talent within the company seems to have varying ideas about how much power she might have. That remains to be seen, but a lot may be clarified after Vince McMahon makes his appearance on SmackDown tonight.

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