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Vince McMahon once again made wrestling headlines when it was announced that the recently retired WWE Chairman would return to the company's Board of Directors.
It has been barely half a year since the infidelity and misconduct reports that forced McMahon to step down from his previous position. The 77-year-old now intends to oversee plans to renegotiate the deals for WWE's flagship programs, RAW and SmackDown, and help facilitate a future sale of the sports entertainment giant.
In a press release, WWE outlined McMahon's reasons for coming out of his shortlived retirement:
"Vince McMahon, the founder and controlling shareholder of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. ("WWE" or the "Company') (NYSE: WWE), announced today that he has taken necessary actions to position the Company to capitalize on a unique opportunity to maximize long-term value for all WWE shareholders."
They went on to mention that he was bringing two former executives back into the fold:
"The actions, communicated to WWE's Board of Directors today via written consent, include the election to the Board of Mr. McMahon, as well as Michelle Wilson and George Barrios - former WWE Co-Presidents and Board members, and currently the Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Isos Capital Management - and the requisite removal from the Board of three directors. Mr. McMahon expects to assume the role of Executive Chairman of the Board."
This new development would have come as a blow to WWE fans who had been enjoying the product better under Triple H's regime as Chief Content Officer. Company morale had also reportedly gone up in the last few months, and McMahon's return might cause some concern for a few WWE Superstars.
What will the future of the wrestlers who have just returned to the company be like? Will any among the current roster be angling for a move away now? Here are 5 WWE stars who could potentially switch to AEW with Vince McMahon's return:
#5. Naomi's ongoing talks with WWE could stall with Vince McMahon's return
Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out of WWE Raw in May 2022, but The Boss made her return to pro wrestling this past week at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. Rechristening herself as Mercedes Mone, the former WWE Women's Champion has her sights set on becoming an international star.
But what's next for her former tag team partner Naomi? There hasn’t been much of an update on her status this far. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer was recently told she had to make a decision.
Initially, Naomi wanted to return to WWE with Banks as a tag team, but that is now no longer an option.
With Triple H in charge of creative, it felt like a no-brainer. But given the fallout Naomi had with Vince McMahon, it might not be such an appealing option now to make a WWE comeback.
Perhaps Tony Khan could make a play for Naomi and sign her to the AEW women's division. She could join the likes of Saraya, Ruby Soho, Athena, and Toni Storm as the latest former WWE women's star to cross over to AEW.
#4. Karrion Kross was mishandled by Vince McMahon during his first WWE main roster run
Karrion Kross was one of the WWE Superstars who made a return to WWE under Triple H's regime. Despite being a dominant NXT Champion, his previous main roster run under Vince McMahon was nothing short of disastrous.
The former WWE Chairman changed up Kross' entire presentation, put a helmet on him, and made him lose his main roster debut to Jeff Hardy.
It was no surprise when he was eventually released, after which it was revealed that he didn't build a strong relationship with Vince McMahon.
"The information that I needed to be this character was given to me by writers, agents, producers, and stuff like that," Kross had said at the time. "Which wasn't very much information, unfortunately."
Since returning a second time around, Karrion Kross has been presented much better. He has even been involved in high-profile feuds with Drew McIntyre and now Rey Mysterio.
Kross might be fearful of what a Vince McMahon return would do to his current position on the roster. There's no guarantee that his booking won't suffer, the way it did previously.
Karrion has previously thrived in smaller promotions like IMPACT Wrestling. Perhaps AEW could be an exit strategy for the wrestler if things do indeed go sideways in WWE.
#3. Braun Strowman was previously released by Vince McMahon
News of WWE's release of Braun Strowman back in 2021 shocked the entire pro wrestling community. Strowman was a former Universal Champion and one of the biggest stars in the company prior to his departure.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Vince McMahon's decision was made because he felt Omos could replace him as the new giant in WWE. The Monster Among Men previously held this position.
“All of a sudden Braun Strowman at a legitimate 6 foot 6 when you got Omos, who is the new toy who is 7 foot 3…Braun Strowman’s big thing was that he had size and power and now they are going with a new giant. He can’t be the giant anymore when you got this guy who is legitimately 9 inches taller than him," Dave Meltzer had said earlier.
"Granted, Strowman’s got the big body and everything like that but you can only do the giant thing when you’re the giant of the company on the brand but he isn’t that guy anymore. Like with Big Show. If you remember with Big Show, when Strowman came, Big Show was obsolete. They put Big Show in there Strowman to get Strowman over because Big Show was a good enough worker and had pretty good matches with Strowman," he had added.
However, Strowman has proven since his return that he still has star power with the audience. Judging by the crowd's reaction to him at Crown Jewel when he defeated Omos, Strowman fits the WWE mold, and many believe he should have never been let go in the first place.
Now that McMahon is back, could Strowman's spot be threatened? There's always AEW as an alternative, which has no bona fide big-man star.
#2. Johnny Gargano is not your typical Vince McMahon guy
Johnny Gargano was one of the biggest stars in WWE NXT history, but WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg recently claimed that Gargano would never have succeeded under Vince McMahon.
When Gargano’s WWE NXT contract expired in December 2021, he gave an emotional farewell speech to NXT fans and viewers at home. Here’s what Road Dogg said recently on his ‘Oh… You Didn’t Know’ podcast.
“I don’t think [Vince McMahon and Triple H] see things that differently, I just think they see things — one was a promoter and then became the owner of a company and then one was just a top guy Talent who learned from the school of hard knocks by being a top guy and working under Vince as to how to make business decisions and some life decisions, too, I would imagine. so, I think they both have very similar leadership strategies and we’ll get into that a little later but as far as talent, look, Vince likes a bigger guy and Hunter likes a better wrestler.”
Gargano will make his WWE return and debut on the main roster shortly. Triple H clearly knows what Gargano can do as a performer.
The sense among fans is that Gargano has a better chance of being successful on the WWE roster now compared to when Vince McMahon reigned.
If the ex-Chairman has creative control once more, it could spell doom for Gargano. Many believe he would be better off in AEW, where he could thrive on a roster with a similar style and size to him.
#1. Bray Wyatt would be better appreciated in AEW
Bray Wyatt has had a frustrating time in WWE. He was often on the verge of going on a great run before getting bad bookings under Vince McMahon.
Despite multiple setbacks throughout his time in the company, Wyatt managed to reinvent himself with a new gimmick every time.
His unfortunate release from WWE was a topic of debate even after his recent return at the Extreme Rules PPV. Fans couldn't comprehend the logic behind Vince McMahon letting The Eater of Worlds go in the first place.
However, legendary wrestling manager Dutch Mantell recently sat with SK Wrestling and gave a nuanced explanation as to why Wyatt was mishandled under Vince McMahon.
Mantell believes Wyatt wanted control over his destiny, which was not an option under the old regime. He felt that although Vince McMahon listened to Wyatt, he never understood his vision:
“I think Bray Wyatt, right now, he’s in control of his own destiny. And I think that’s what he was looking for. I think before they listened to him, but I don’t think Vince got it the way he got it. Now the new regime may get it, so I think it works well for him…”
The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Wyatt has now been able to pace his storyline with LA Knight while introducing Uncle Howdy into the fold and hinting at an overarching storyline.
With McMahon's return, Wyatt's long-term vision could be seriously jeopardized. He could definitely have the same freedom in AEW as he has under Triple H, if it comes to that. But it would certainly be a shame if Wyatt's latest run gets stymied once again.
