Why is Vince McMahon Backstage at WWE Raw? (Update)
Vince McMahon is at the TD Garden Arena in Boston for tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw, according to Fightful Select. This marks the first time McMahon has been at a WWE event since making his way back to the company's Board of Directors in January, and it's unclear why he's there. There's been growing concern among online fans (and even some wrestlers, based on recent reports) that McMahon is forcing his way back into his old position of running WWE's booking, even as high-ranking WWE officials continue to deny it both on and off the record.
There's a theory that McMahon was brought to the show to play some sort of role in the storyline between John Cena and Austin Theory. Prior to his sudden departure from the company last July, McMahon had positioned himself as Theory's onscreen mentor. It's possible that he could appear to play into his history with both men, but that's yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
Update: Per Sean Ross Sapp, it's now believed McMahon is at the arena only to see Cena. The 16-time world champion is back on Raw for the first time since last year.
Everything that I've heard thus far indicates that people at WWE Raw believe Vince McMahon was at the show to visit John Cena.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 7, 2023
He's visited Cena multiple times outside of WWE over the last year
McMahon wrote in his initial statement upon his return that his only intention to return to the company was to oversee its potential sale. When he left in 2022, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan became the company's co-CEOs while Paul Levesque became the Chief Content office. Stephanie left the company shortly after Vince's return.
The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives. My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder," Vince wrote.
"WWE has an exceptional management team in place, and I do not intend for my return to have any impact on their roles, duties, or responsibilities," he continued.
WWE Raw Card (March 6, 2023)
- Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa
- John Cena returns to Raw
- Bianca Belair vs. Carmella
- Seth Rollins & Logan Paul confrontation
- Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor
- Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso