Roman Reigns Comments On Vince McMahon's Retirement
Roman Reigns wishes Vince McMahon well in his future endeavors.
Reigns recently made an appearance on "The Today Show" to talk about his upcoming Undisputed WWE Universal Title defense against Brock Lesnar, a Last Man Standing Match at WWE SummerSlam that will supposedly be their final encounter. While leaving 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Reigns stopped to sign autographs and take pictures with fans, and YouTuber RainmakerNYC asked Reigns about his recently resigned boss, McMahon.
"I wish him nothing but luck and happiness in his future," Reigns said. "He's been great to me and my family."
As a member of the Anoa'i dynasty, many of Reign's family members have indeed worked with McMahon, going back to McMahon's early days promoting the WWF. From The Wild Samoans to Rikishi to Reigns's cousins The Rock and the Usos, the Anoa'is have been one of wrestling's proverbial "royal families" for generations.
The 76-year old former-Chairman & CEO resigned from all duties, corporate and creative, on Friday, ahead of news that the Securities & Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors were investigating a series of hush money payments, totaling $14.6 million, that McMahon made to former female employees, alleging misconduct, harassment, and abuse at the hands of McMahon and former-Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. WWE recently made an 8-K filing with the SEC, reporting that they were amending past financial reports to include the payments, as they were beneficial to the company and should be recorded as such. The company noted that McMahon has paid or will pay the entirety of the $14.6 million with his own funds, suggesting that some payments have either not been made, or were made with company funds that must be reimbursed.
A backstage report after McMahon's surprise retirement noted that some top WWE stars were "dejected" by his abrupt exit. McMahon had reportedly decided to retire a week previous, but had made very few aware of his intentions before the announcement.