Dave Meltzer On What Made Vince McMahon Decide To Retire From WWE

On July 22, 2022, the landscape for WWE and professional wrestling as a whole changed forever, as Vince McMahon announced his retirement as WWE Chairman and CEO amid an investigation of alleged sexual misconduct. The circumstances surrounding McMahon stepping down continue to be a topic of discussion. In an exclusive conducted by Wrestling Inc. Senior News Editor Nick Hausman, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter weighed in on the timing of McMahon's decision to retire.

"I think it was the second detailed Wall Street Journal article where it talked about whatever it was, the $7 million, $7.5 million dollar settlement that was very graphic about a woman claiming that she was coerced into it, that her job prospects got worse when she stopped," Meltzer said. "That's stuff that in this day and age you don't come back from, and the fact that he paid her so much money to be quiet for all those years. So I think that that was the key thing, really."

There is an ongoing investigation into allegations that McMahon and former EVP of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis paid hush money to multiple women in exchange for their silence regarding inappropriate behavior and sexual advances. Following McMahon's retirement and Laurinaitis being terminated, Paul "Triple H " Levesque was named Chief Content Officer and EVP of Talent Relations, while Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named co=CEOs of WWE.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Wrestling Inc. with a H/T for the transcription.