What Did Vince McMahon Say To Kick-Off WWE SmackDown?

By Colby Faria

Vince McMahon was a man of few words during tonight's broadcast of WWE "SmackDown".

Mere hours after stepping down as Chairman and CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon kicked off the 6/17 edition of "SmackDown" and didn't mince words during his brief statement.

"I'm here to simply remind you about the four words that we just saw in what we like to call, the WWE signature. Those four words are Then, Now, Forever and the most important one, Together. Welcome to SmackDown!" McMahon shouted.

Earlier today, the 76-year-old stepped down as Chairman and CEO of WWE following the allegations that he supplied hush-money payments to a former employee of the company, a matter that is currently being investigated. McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon was named the interim Chairwoman and CEO of the company, which comes just weeks after she announced that she'd be taking a leave of absence from her duties as WWE's Chief Brand Officer (CBO). The investigation has reportedly uncovered other non-disclosure agreements by former WWE employees, which claim misconduct by not only McMahon but also Head of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis. While there's no word on how many agreements were unearthed by the investigation, the total amount paid in non-disclosure agreements has yet to be determined by the board, but a source noted that it was in the millions.

Ahead of tonight's show, WWE announced that McMahon would be addressing the WWE Universe during "SmackDown", however, the allegations and subsequent step down didn't deter McMahon's mood while backstage earlier this evening as the now-former Chairman was reportedly in a 'great mood' despite today's news.

Wrestling Inc. has ongoing coverage of tonight's episode of WWE "SmackDown", which can be found by clicking here.

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