The hits just keep on coming for the WWE.
On Friday, Vince McMahon shocked the wrestling universe by announcing his retirement.
“As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE,” McMahon said in a statement. “Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand. Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.”
Roughly an hour after McMahon released that statement, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer reported that Brock Lesnar left SmackDown.
Considering SmackDown is expected to air in roughly three hours, the WWE has to quickly figure out what’s going on with Lesnar.
The expectation coming into this Friday was that Lesnar would appear on SmackDown to promote his match with Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. It’s unclear if those plans are now off the table.
As for the future of the WWE, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan will serve as co-CEOs.