Amid Affair Scandal, Vince McMahon Says He's Retiring From WWE, But Many Believe More Is To Come

Vince McMahon, inarguably the most influential figure in the history of professional wrestling, quietly announced his retirement Friday afternoon on Twitter, sending shockwaves of celebration and dread throughout the WWE fandom.

At 77, time for me to retire.
Thank you, WWE Universe.
Then. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #thankful

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) July 22, 2022

McMahon, 77, is currently embroiled in two massive scandals. In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that McMahon had paid $12 million in hush money to four female employees in order to keep them silent about affairs he'd allegedly had with them. The report also included an allegation from an unnamed female wrestler who stated McMahon coerced her into oral sex. On Monday last week, the WWE said McMahon paid $14.6 million in "unrecorded expenses" between 2006 and 2022.

While a resignation under such circumstances would seem reasonable for an embattled CEO, it seemed remarkably out of character for McMahon, who in the past has publicly battled a rape accusation, a 1994 steroids trial and a sexual assault accusation. That McMahon stepped down with so little fanfare struck many as a sign that worse stories could soon break.

Here is why you can assume whatever is coming is bad: It scared Vince (Or those on the WWE board) enough to force him out. Nothing has ever forced him out. He fought through everything. A very public rape accusation, the steroid trial, the tanning nudes accusation.

— Trevor Dame (@TrevorDame) July 23, 2022

For its part, WWE handled the news of Vince's retirement without the hagiographic send-off one would expect from the McMahon-led company. McMahon's daughter Stephanie, now the chairwoman of WWE, opened the July 22nd Smackdown event by briefly thanking her father before the show moved on as planned.

With McMahon suddenly gone, the WWE has gone under a reshuffling of power. Paul "Triple H" Levesque is said to now be heading creative in McMahon's stead, meaning he will be in charge of storylines and character development for the show.

This may be a happy side effect of the scandal for WWE fans, as Vince's direction often left many fans dissatisfied with the product. That dissatisfaction was often shared by top talent as well, as many wrestlers ultimately left WWE for other promotions such as AEW, often citing dissatisfaction with how McMahon handled creative.

Triple H as head of creative and talent relations, Kevin Dunn is apparently leaving and RAW potentially moving to TV-14.

I used to pray for times like this. pic.twitter.com/YwykywIXHb

— Fiending For Followers ‼️ (@Fiend4FolIows) July 25, 2022

It remains to be seen if and how the scandals surrounding Vince McMahon will develop in the coming months, as WWE's internal investigation of the charges remains ongoing.