A few weeks ago Stephanie McMahon shocked everyone when she announced that she was taking a leave of absence from WWE, and the wrestling world is still processing the announcement.
According to a new report from Business Insider, Stephanie’s leave of absence was partially orchestrated by her father Vince McMahon as part of a behind the scenes shakeup. The report also pointed to Vince’s appearance on the Pat McAfee Show a few months ago noting that it was a sign that Steph was on thin ice in her position.
“I’ve probably expected more from my family members than of other employees,” Vince said during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “You have to do the right thing for the business. If this person isn’t working out, they shouldn’t be part of the company.”
A source within WWE also claimed that Stephanie’s performance as an executive was being questioned. The source reportedly said, “Family or not family, we’ve got to get the right people in place.”
The source also noted that Vince McMahon and WWE felt the company was underperforming when it came to ad revenue as it was expected that WWE would make $100 million annually in ad sales/brand partnerships.
“We weren’t seeing that growth. When someone is moved out of a company, it’s usually the result of something not working. We took stronger control of that a few months ago,” the source added.
In her original announcement Stephanie McMahon noted that she planned on returning to WWE at some point, but there’s currently no timetable in regards to when she could be back.
