Potential reason why Vince McMahon was all smiles during the WWE SmackDown tapings

Vince McMahon may have stepped back from his role as WWE Chairman due to some ongoing investigations, but when the 76-year-old appeared on SmackDown this Friday, he didn't seem stressed at all.

The former Chairman spoke about the old WWE adage of "Then, Now, Forever, Together" that is featured at the start of every show. He stressed the "Together" part of the tagline. The veteran then welcomed the fans in attendance before walking out of the ring.

Backstage reports emerging from Ringside News stated that McMahon was all smiles during the show. The McMahon family patriarch wanted everyone to know that he was confident of his chances and hoped to come out of the situation unscathed.

"Vince made sure everyone saw him smile. If you didn’t know what was going on, you’d think he just won the lottery." (h/t Ringside News)

Bruce Prichard was also not present backstage owing to his shoulder surgery this week. The Executive producer is expected to be out of action for a while and Ed Koskey will be filling up for him in the interim. Another figure missing from the tapings was General Manager of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis.

Reports suggested that Mr. McMahon and Kevin Dunn were present backstage and it was business as usual, the only exception being that the atmosphere was much less stressful.

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Stephanie McMahon has stepped in as the Chairwoman of WWE

After Mr. McMahon voluntarily stepped back from his role as Chairman and CEO, a joint Special Committee of board members appointed Stephanie McMahon as the interim Chairwoman and CEO.

She was previously the Chief Brand Officer for the company and had recently sought some time off from her role to spend more time with her family. Stephanie took to social media to confirm the news and pledged her love for the company and the business.

Mr. McMahon will continue to fulfill his responsibilities as part of the creative team while the Special Committee investigates the alleged misconduct. It will be interesting to see what new changes are in store for WWE as more facts become clear in the days to come.