Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Random Thoughts On Vince McMahon's Retirement


So if you didn't catch the news this past Friday afternoon - July 22nd, 2022 - Vincent Kennedy McMahon, 77, had announced his retirement from WWE, stepping down from all responsibillities including CEO, Chairman, and head of WWE Creative. The news came amid a series of allegations directed towards McMahon regarding hush money payouts to various female employees regarding personal favors, if you get my drift.

There is a lot to process here and quite frankly, even a couple days after the fact, I'm still trying to find the right words that convey how I feel about this. Regardless of whether the allegations are true or not - and part of me feels that this is Vince making the move to get out of WWE on his terms before external forces would've pushed him out if things didn't go his way - the fact that Vince is actually, honest to god, retiring - as a shoot, brutha - is something that many have thought would never happen. Everyone figured Vince would keep doing this until he very much died... and then found a way to cheat death and run WWE from beyond the grave.

Fact is, if this scandal hadn't been brought up, he still could very well have been. I say that without a hint of malice or benevolence; just what I believe deep down is the truth. Vince McMahon's life was WWE, everything he did revolved around WWE, and trying to picture him retired and out of the public eye while WWE is still a thing is almost akin to division by zero; it's impossible to picture.

And yet, here we are.

There is a lot you can say about Vince McMahon. Some have called him a father figure. Others have called him an asshole. Some have referred to him as a creative genius. Others consider him to be out of touch. Some know him as the man who took his father's regional wrestling promotion and turned it into a global brand in sports entertainment and beyond. Others have decried him for making a mockery of the sports of professional wrestling. Some will bring up some of the good that he has done over the decades while others will accuse him of things more scandalous than others.

There is, indeed, a lot to say about Vince McMahon. But when all is said and done, one thing remains absolutely crystal clear; there will only ever be one Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Anyone else coming up in the wrestling business will never be able to match up to the incredible life and career that this man has had. They can try, but it's never going to happen.

One will undoubtedly wonder what WWE will be like now that Vince is gone... and that is another story for another time. For now, all I will say is... Thanks for the memories, Vince. You may have slipped off the wagon in recent years, but it was your product and your performances that made me a regular fan of this genre of entertainment and for that, you have my thanks. Wish all the best in all your future endeavors.

P.S. So now that Vince is gone, does that mean Maria Kanellis is open to coming back to WWE?

P.P.S. Can we start digging up some shit on Kevin Dunn so he can step down and we can have a show that doesn't look like shit? You can have anybody behind the wheel on creative, but if the camera work and production looks like amateur hour, what does it matter?

P.P.P.S. Congratulations to Tony Khan for being the longest tenured CEO in sports entertainment today. Keep up the good work. (I assume check's in the mail?)

P.P.P.P.S. Don't be surprised if this whole thing ultimately blows over and Vince comes back better than ever or however that goes. It's wrestling, after all. Retirement is another word for extended sabbatical.

P.P.P.P.P.S. I've got nothing else. Go away.

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