Professional wrestling is one of the biggest forms of entertainment in the world today. While many may have enjoyed it as a kid then stopped watching for one reason or another, people young and old continue to watch the theatrical displays of incredible human endurance and athleticism.
For those who claim it is fake, it is Jim Ross who once said, “how do you fake falling off a 20 foot ladder?” It may be entertainment, but it’s entertainment that requires its entertainers to be at their peak physical condition. There’s a reason why it has stood the test of time.
While various wrestling organizations have come and gone, all leaving their important mark on the world of wrestling in some way or another, nothing compares to the WWE, formerly the WWF. Vince McMahon, the long founder and visionary, will one day step down, but who will take his place?
When it comes to the WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and now World Wrestling Entertainment, there is one man who has been driving the ship for decades: Vince McMahon. Not only is he the man pulling the strings behind the scenes, he’s also one of the biggest stars, getting in the ring himself. At 75 years old, his time will one day come to retire. While it may sound unimaginable for WWE to exist without him, daughter Stephanie McMahon says that after his retirement, the family will manage the organization as a group.
Stephanie McMahon is one of WWE’s performers as well as a business executive. She spoke with Bloomberg Business of Sports Podcast and said, “I don’t think there will ever be a person-to-person replacement for Vince McMahon. He does too much. The landscape would look different however it shakes out.”
The assumption has always been that Stephanie McMahon and her husband would take over the company following McMahon’s retirement. Stephanie McMahon’s husband is legendary wrestler Triple H who has already been running the NXT brand for the past several years. The choice would make sense, but Stephanie McMahon still believes that there is a better way than letting the company rest in their hands.
Stephanie McMahon continued on the Bloomberg Business of Sports Podcast saying, “I do think a lot of the institutional knowledge is important, particularly with regards toward the core content. But it’s also surrounding our business with strong, smart executives. And that’s exactly what we have. So I do think it’s the marriage of institutional knowledge, the incredible production value, the creation of talent IP and storylines and really strong business executives to help us expand. I think it’s a combination of things.”
Stephanie McMahon is obviously very impressed by her father who she credits with the organization’s success. “It’s really remarkable when you think about our history and what Vince accomplished. Think about what he’s done. He took what was a regional business and had the vision to go around and create one organization, nationally and ultimately globally. My father saw the opportunity for syndication; he saw the opportunity for advertising. Ultimately he saw the opportunity to really create something that had never risen to the level of popularity it had never been.”
Like many other live forms of entertainment, WWE has taken a hit during Covid-19, but the company is looking to come back stronger. They have some new deals coming through with the NBC streaming service Peacock. Expect to see a lot more WWE as the pandemic ends.
