Today is the end of an era. WWE’s sale to Endeavor goes into effect on Tuesday, September 12th, meaning there is just a matter of hours left that the company remains under McMahon ownership. The global leader in sports-entertainment has been owned and operated by a McMahon since it’s earliest days. WWE started out as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation before becoming the World Wide Wrestling Federation, both of those eras helmed by Vince J. McMahon. Vince Sr.’s son, Vince K. McMahon, took over the company in 1982 and ditched the “wide,” rebranding it to just the WWF. Come 2002, the company underwent its final rebrand to World Wrestling Entertainment, a title it still holds to this day.
Unlike his father, Vince K. McMahon operated as both a behind-the-scenes and on-screen figure. McMahon started his on-camera role as a commentator before eventually portraying a fictionalized version of his legitimate backstage role. The Vince McMahon character was a weekly fixture during the Attitude Era and went on to make sporadic appearances throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
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The last time McMahon was a staple of WWE programming was Summer 2022. The same day reports of sexual misconduct allegations against him came out, McMahon appeared on WWE SmackDown. He went on to pop up on Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown regularly over the next couple of weeks, never addressing the allegations but instead welcoming fans to the show.
Will Vince McMahon Appear on WWE Raw Tonight?
Vince McMahon has not appeared on a WWE broadcast since his initial retirement in July 2022. The longtime WWE executive laid low during the next six months before returning to the company’s board of directors this past January. The closest thing McMahon has had to a WWE TV appearance was when he popped by CNBC this past April with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel to officially announce the WWE sale.
Considering there has been limited bad publicity about McMahon in recent weeks, there is a realistic possibility that he appears on Monday Night Raw tonight. While there has been no official announcement and WWE has steered clear of acknowledging corporate changes on television, this is essentially McMahon’s last opportunity to appear on WWE TV with reason.
All that being said, McMahon has been followed by controversy everywhere he goes for well over one year now. With the sale set to finalize in just a matter of hours, Endeavor might mandate that McMahon stay away from the on-screen product in order to maintain good standing with the public eye.
There is no telling what McMahon’s plans are for tonight nor if he is even traveling to Norfolk, Virginia for the show. It is a short flight from WWE HQ in Stamford, Connecticut if McMahon does decide to make a late trip.
Monday Night Raw goes down at 8 PM ET on USA Network.