Vince McMahon may be gone from WWE’s power structure, but the door might not be completely closed on him showing up again.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed McMahon’s future after the Janel Grant lawsuit was moved out of federal court and into private arbitration. Meltzer made it clear that he does not see McMahon ever regaining control of WWE, but he would not be shocked if the company eventually brought him back in a limited figurehead role.
Bryan Alvarez argued that WWE could not allow McMahon to run the company again after the chaos that defined his final years overseeing creative. RAW scripts were regularly changed at the last minute, announced matches disappeared without explanation and entire shows often felt like they had been ripped apart hours before airtime.
Meltzer agreed that there is no realistic path for McMahon to replace Nick Khan or Paul “Triple H” Levesque. However, he believes an occasional television appearance is still possible.
“As far as bringing him back, that’s a whole other story. I don’t know. It would not shock me if he was brought back in a position—just to do what, I don’t know. They may do it. It wouldn’t shock me. I wouldn’t expect it, but I cannot imagine he would be put in charge of anything.”
Meltzer then ruled out the idea of WWE handing McMahon any real authority over the company or its creative direction.
“It’s not like they’re going to have him replace Nick Khan calling the shots. He certainly isn’t going to replace Paul Levesque doing the booking, and there’s no way they can go back to that. That’s not going to happen.”
The possibility Meltzer left open was WWE using McMahon as a ceremonial figure or surprise attraction. McMahon would not be making decisions, but the company could still bring him out in front of a live audience for a major moment.
“But the idea of bringing him in in a figurehead position and trotting him out every now and then, like I said, wouldn’t shock me at all. If he came out as a surprise on a television show, it would get this giant reaction. That’s just the reality of the situation.”
Meltzer stressed that he was not saying a McMahon return was planned. He was only explaining why he could see WWE eventually testing the waters without putting its former chairman back in charge.
“I’m not saying it’ll happen. I don’t know. I cannot imagine him being put in a position of any real decision-making power. That I couldn’t see. Shapiro and Emanuel aren’t going to give up the power they have in that regard. They’re not going to replace Nick Khan. Nick Khan has gotten very powerful and very successful. They’re not going to replace Levesque, I don’t think—not with Vince anyway.”
The comments come as Grant’s lawsuit against McMahon and WWE is being removed from federal court. Grant, McMahon and WWE signed an agreement to move the entire dispute into private arbitration, with Grant set to dismiss the public lawsuit against the two remaining defendants.
That dismissal does not end the legal fight. Grant can still pursue her allegations in arbitration, while McMahon and WWE can continue presenting their defenses. The biggest difference is that the proceedings will now take place away from public court filings, hearings and written rulings.
Grant accused McMahon of sexual abuse and trafficking and alleged that WWE enabled or concealed his conduct. McMahon has denied wrongdoing, while WWE has disputed Grant’s claims. Grant also claimed McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million through a 2022 nondisclosure agreement but stopped after paying the first $1 million.
With the case now heading behind closed doors, there may be far less public scrutiny surrounding McMahon in the months ahead. That does not mean WWE has decided to bring him back, but Meltzer believes a carefully controlled appearance remains possible—even if McMahon never holds power inside the company again.
Would WWE fans accept Vince McMahon returning as a figurehead with no decision-making authority, or should the company keep him off television completely? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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