Reports of Vince McMahon undergoing spinal surgery surfaced this past week. The longtime WWE Chairman’s medical procedure was kept relatively close to the vest, as reports about it did not come about until almost two weeks after the surgery happened. The reports that did come out noted that it was “pretty intensive” and lasted for about five hours. Now being in post-surgery, McMahon is spending his time recovering from the procedure. Most of McMahon’s current responsibilities within WWE exist from a corporate standpoint, as WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque runs Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown on a day-to-day basis. That said, McMahon has had his fingerprints on just about every show since April, as he has reportedly making creative tweaks from a remote capacity.
Vince McMahon Takes Medical Leave From WWE
It sounds like McMahon’s WWE input will be reduced to zero for the foreseeable future. As addressed by WWE CEO Nick Khan on the company’s second quarter earnings call, McMahon is set to take a medical leave of absence from WWE.
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“On July 21, 2023, Mr. McMahon went on medical leave after undergoing major spinal surgery. Mr. McMahon will remain on medical leave until further notice but will remain Executive Chairman of the Company,” WWE reported.
Deja Vu For Triple H’s WWE Creative
This time last year, McMahon had retired from WWE amidst an internal investigation into his alleged misconduct with various WWE employees. That left the creative reins in Triple H’s hands, which allowed The Game to book the company’s storylines as he pleased. Triple H’s first premium live event with his new creative control was WWE SummerSlam 2022.
While Triple H’s power has been slightly reduced since McMahon’s WWE comeback earlier this year, he still remains the point person regarding WWE creative. With McMahon on medical leave for the foreseeable future, Triple H’s creative power essentially resumes to what it was when McMahon was retired, and the first premium live event he books without McMahon this time around is WWE SummerSlam once again.
WWE SummerSlam goes down this Saturday, August 5th.
WWE SummerSlam 2023 Card
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)
- World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair
- Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre
- Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
- Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
- Ricochet vs. Logan Paul
- SummerSlam Battle Royal
