Last week it was revealed that a former WWE employee filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon accusing him of sex trafficking and abuse. On Friday, Slim Jim released a statement saying that they were pausing their WWE sponsorship, and shortly after Vince McMahon officially announced his resignation from TKO.
According to PWInsider a source noted that it was just a matter of time once the danger of money being lost became real, but Vince McMahon’s resignation happened much faster than expected.
Internally there was said to be a mix of relief and happiness among WWE staff and executives. There were some who felt that Vince got what was coming to him and some who were glad that now Vince is officially distanced from WWE.
It’s being said that as of this year Vince McMahon’s role with the company was more ceremonious than anything else as he hadn’t been involved with creative for some time. McMahon no longer holds the majority stock so there is no way for him to force his way back into the company. Furthermore a Vince returned to the company seems highly unlikely due to the reaction from advertisers and sponsors.
The belief on Friday was the Endeavor may try to sweep out anyone close to Vince McMahon. A source noted that Ari Emanuel will “eradicate” anything that needs to be taken care of without “blinking an eye” and will have no problem “removing anything and anyone still remaining” that could hurt WWE’s business.