The Vince McMahon rehab tour is coming | Opinion
It was only a matter of time.
With both parties in the Janel Grant lawsuit seeking to move the lawsuit towards private arbitration, one question remains: how long will WWE wait until they test the waters for an eventual on-screen return of their former CEO?
The company shied away from their former longtime boss after Grant filed the lawsuit in 2024, accusing McMahon of not only sexual assault but also sex trafficking. McMahon denied the claims but resigned from his TKO position and has largely appeared out of the public eye since, his only statements coming out following the release of his Mr. McMahon documentary on Netflix (which he distanced himself from) and a Hulk Hogan documentary that aired on Fox shortly after Hogan’s death. But now that the lawsuit is heading into private arbitration (meaning, it would be out of the public eye), McMahon won’t have to deal with any public legal proceedings that could provide even more damaging or embarrassing information.
Both WWE and TKO have a history of bringing back people who were accused of awful things, or simply look the other way if they are high enough on the totem pole. After all, last year WWE brought back Brock Lesnar, who was also named in the Janel Grant suit. They went as far as dropping press conferences from their post-show events just so they wouldn’t have to answer questions as to why they brought him back. Perhaps even worse was when TKO’s parent company Endeavor took no action when Dana White was seen on video assaulting his wife.
We will perhaps get a better idea of where the relationship between WWE and McMahon lies when WWE holds WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia next year. Turki Al-Sheikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has made it very clear he loves McMahon. WWE will need a headliner for their main event, and have established in the last few years that all of the McMahon family will eventually go in, usually via “surprise.” WWE could feel that enough time has passed that they’ll bring him back in and hope nobody complains too much, much like they did with Hulk Hogan years ago.
I don’t think Vince McMahon would ever helm WWE creative again. TKO likes Triple H in the role, at least as of this writing, and isn’t likely to give control back to the aging 80-year-old who micromanaged every aspect of his company. But it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to have him associated with the company in some way, perhaps as an ambassador who occasionally appears on television, particularly during big events like WrestleMania.
It would absolutely be controversial. Morale would probably be terrible for a locker room. But even though he’s been gone for over two years, no one will say anything bad about McMahon either. John Cena has gone on record saying he loves him. Many current stars quietly attended his last birthday party. And some ex-WWE stars are already lining up to kiss the ring, claiming their most prized possession is a tacky bust of McMahon himself.
Not that I advocate McMahon’s return. He shouldn’t have any business being a public figure at this point. I read the entire Grant lawsuit and the things he was accused of doing were, to put it mildly, awful. The same goes for John Laurinaitis, who was also named in the suit and was also accused of sexual assault. And yet people have brought him on to do signings and appearances, as if he’s any other ex-WWE star that’s making the rounds after his release.
We live in a polarized era where it’s harder than ever before for people to be held accountable for their actions, especially if they have enough money, power, and friends in the right places. McMahon should have no business being back in WWE, but yet it’s just a matter of time before he makes his big return because WWE and its parent company have demonstrated time and again to bring back controversial figures after enough time has passed. In any other era, McMahon would likely never be allowed back in polite company. But because where we are today, and given WWE’s track record, it’s very likely McMahon could appear back on television this time next year.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.