Posted in: Opinion, Preview, Sports, TV, TV, WWE | Tagged: mr. mcmahon, Raw, Smackdown, Vince McMahon, wrestling, wwe

WWE SmackDown: Vince's Mr. McMahon Appearing Clearly Not Ratings Grab

Earlier this morning, the news broke that World World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon had "voluntarily stepped back" from his corporate roles pending an investigation by the board into a $3M money settlement McMahon paid a female paralegal over an alleged affair as well as several nondisclosure pacts connected to misconduct claims from other women who worked for the company involving McMahon & WWE talent executive John Laurinaitis. Seen as the fallout from a report from The Wall Street Journal earlier this week laying out the claims listed above, a special committee convened by the board to handle the investigation (along with an outside law firm) has appointed Stephanie McMahon as interim CEO and interim chairwoman (though McMahon "will retain his role and responsibilities related to WWE's creative content during this period"). Well, in a move that's either shocking or not shocking depending on how long you've been following professional wrestling, it would appear that McMahon's "Mr. McMahon" persona will be making an appearance on tonight's episode of FOX's WWE SmackDown:

So out of the ashes of Vince McMahon arise… "Mr. McMahon"? Considering what McMahon's being investigated for, is bringing back his "Mr. McMahon" persona a really smart move? Or is this a case of an ego convincing the person that they're untouchable? You don't have to do a deep Google dive to know why that's probably a mistake. Here's a look at the WWE's "breaking news":

"I have pledged my complete cooperation to the investigation by the special committee, and I will do everything possible to support the investigation. I have also pledged to accept the findings and outcome of the investigation, whatever they are," said McMahon in a statement. "I love this company and am committed to working with the independent directors to strengthen our culture and our company; it is extremely important to me that we have a safe and collaborative workplace," Stephanie McMahon added. "I have committed to doing everything in my power to help the special committee complete its work, including marshaling the cooperation of the entire company to assist in the completion of the investigation and to implement its findings."

While the company and its board "do not expect to have further comment until the investigation is concluded," it did release this statement: "WWE and its board of directors take all allegations of misconduct very seriously. The independent directors of the board engaged independent legal counsel to assist them with an independent review. In addition, the special committee and WWE will work with an independent third-party to conduct a comprehensive review of the company's compliance program, HR function, and overall culture."

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