WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon had not arrived to the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas for tonight’s SmackDown taping as of around 3pm ET today.
There’s no word yet on if Vince will be working the taping after The Wall Street Journal revealed this morning how he has paid more than $12 million in “hush money” to four women over the years, including a former WWE wrestler. You can find full details on the latest allegations below.
We noted before, via Fightful Select, how McMahon was scheduled to fly out of Fort Worth tonight, to Vancouver, British Columbia. Word from backstage was that Vince was flying to Vancouver to meet with John Cena for some reason, as Cena was believed to be in town to film season two of The Peacemaker for HBO Max.
Now Fightful has updated their report to note that Peacemaker isn’t set to film for quite a while. That doesn’t necessarily mean Cena isn’t in Vancouver, but he is not confirmed to be there. Furthermore, they added that Vince’s travel plans have shifted from this weekend to next weekend.
As we’ve noted, it was initially revealed on Wednesday, June 15 that WWE’s Board of Directors has been investigating Vince over the “secret $3 million settlement” he made to the former paralegal that was hired in 2019. John Laurinaitis was also being investigated for his involvement, and it was revealed that the Board has been looking into other instances with former female employees as well. It was then announced on Friday, June 17 that Stephanie McMahon returned from her leave of absence to act as the Interim CEO & Interim Chairwoman after Vince voluntarily stepped away from his Chairman & CEO corporate duties, while still continuing his creative responsibilities. It was then revealed on Monday, June 20 that WWE’s Senior Vice President and RAW/SmackDown Executive Producer Bruce Prichard is also now working as the Interim Senior Vice President of Talent Relations, filling in for Laurinaitis during the investigation. It was then revealed today, Friday, July 8, that McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million in “hush money” to four women, including a former wrestler. You can find full details at the links below, including statements from Vince and Stephanie, full details on the anonymous e-mails that led to the announcements, and more.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more on the WWE investigation and the fallout. Below are links to our various reports on the McMahon – Laurinaitis situation.
FULL COVERAGE OF THE VINCE MCMAHON – JOHN LAURINAITIS ALLEGATIONS:
– WWE Issues Internal Statement on Latest Vince McMahon Allegations
– Vince McMahon Reportedly Paid Millions of Dollars In “Hush Money” to Former Wrestler and Others
– News on Who Made the Decision to Name Stephanie McMahon as WWE’s Interim CEO & Chairwoman
– Stephanie McMahon Addresses Investigation Into Her Father During WWE HQ Meeting
– How Much Value WWE Has Lost Since Vince McMahon Scandal Broke, WWE Ratings Up Due to Buzz?
– WWE Now Facing Multiple Potential Class Action Lawsuits
– Vince McMahon Makes Surprise WWE RAW Appearance to Hype Big Return
– More Details On Vince McMahon’s Mood, Backstage Atmosphere At Friday’s WWE SmackDown
– Vince McMahon Opens Tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Video of the Segment
– Stephanie McMahon Sends Message to WWE Staff After Today’s Huge Announcement
– Vince McMahon Announced for WWE SmackDown
– Pat McAfee Reacts to Vince McMahon Allegations, Thinks We Will Never Get the Truth
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