The last year has been unlike anything I have ever experienced as a wrestling fan, and yet, today may have been the wildest day yet. Stephanie McMahon, current co-CEO of WWE and long considered a force of good behind the scenes, abruptly resigned earlier this evening. Now, rumors are swirling that WWE is about to be sold and even more shockingly, sold to Saudi Arabia.
Absolutely nothing is confirmed as of the time I'm writing this article. The biggest wrestling journalists are not verifying the news. They're simply saying the rumor that WWE was sold to Saudi Arabia is going around. A lot. But there is a lot of smoke right now, and WWE fans are almost universally concerned, especially because WWE's long history of holding premium live events in Saudi Arabia makes it seem within the realm of possibilities.
There are some who are simply depressed about the possibility. They feel like WWE was finally getting into a good place, and now its future is entirely uncertain. There's a strong potential a sale to Saudi Arabia would mean Vince McMahon would return to running creative, which is not ideal given how much better many feel the product has been since Triple H took over in the Summer.
stop telling ppl their overreacting or shouldn’t feel sad about this entire situation, most of us have had a connection to the wwe & most of the superstars for years now, and the fact that, that may change severely is scary.January 11, 2023
Still, there are many others who are taking the opportunity to talk about how in character this all feels for Vince McMahon. Those who watched WWE while Vince McMahon was a regular character are very familiar with the lengths he was willing to go on camera. He tormented his wife and children. He had affairs. He picked on and injured children. Nothing was ever too far.
When taking all that into account, it doesn't necessarily feel weird that he would resign after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, put his daughter and son-in-law in charge and as soon as the product improved and started to feel in a good place, force his way back onto the board and sell the company to Saudi Arabia. Once again, we have no idea if that's happening, but it reads like an Attitude Era Monday Night Raw plot.
Vince McMahon coming back out of nowhere to take WWE away from his kids and sell it to Saudi Arabia is the most Vince McMahon thing that has ever happened https://t.co/dFso5mHbjqJanuary 11, 2023
And of course there are plenty of other fans who are worried about the moral and practical implications of the company potentially being owned by Saudi Arabia. What would that mean for the women's division? What would that mean for Sami Zayn, who has very specifically not attended the Saudi-based shows?
There's a not insignificant number of fans declaring on Twitter that they won't keep watching if WWE is owned by the Saudi government.
I’ve watched WWE for more than 2 decades. Helped establish @WWENXT on social media through every TakeOver until the first Brooklyn show and then there was @WWEonFOX. Saudi buyers would be my redline to giving it up. Full stop. https://t.co/8tRT3KJrYbJanuary 11, 2023
WWE's crazy year started when reports emerged that Vince McMahon allegedly had quite a few non-disclosure agreements with former female employees. Allegations of sexual misconduct later emerged, and the longtime chairman eventually resigned. His daughter Stephanie McMahon returned from a leave of absence and took over co-CEO duties with CFO Nick Khan. Her husband Triple H returned to run creative.
Changes to the product and the roster proved popular with fans, but about a month ago, rumors started swirling that Vince McMahon was planning to return. He eventually found his way back on the board of directors. Stephanie resigned earlier today and then the rumors about Saudi Arabia started swirling, none of which have been verified as of press time.
I guess all we can do now is wait and see.
