Read Vince McMahon’s internal letter to WWE talent announcing retirement

  • F4W Staff
  • By 

In addition to publicly announcing his retirement from WWE on Friday afternoon, Vince McMahon sent an internal message to WWE talent informing them of the news.

The message was shared by an insider on Reddit and has been confirmed by us. In the message, McMahon wrote that he has thoroughly enjoyed sharing his “passion, wisdom, and love of the business” with the WWE talent. He encouraged the talent to bust their asses to be everything they can be as a person and a performer.

The full message is available below:

To all WWE Superstars: as I approach 77 years old (OMG am I really that old?), I feel it’s time for me to retire. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing my passion, wisdom, and love of the business with you. No longer will you see the smiling, docile, level-headed, calm presence at Gorilla every week.

Your dedication to WWE will ensure that our company will continue to grow and prosper. Our organization is nothing without you. You are WWE’s only natural resource, chosen to perform in front of a global audience.

You are all WWE Global Ambassadors. Carry the WWE flag wherever you go. Wave it high and proud. And bust your ass to be all you can be as a person and as a performer.

One other thing-I won’t be with you, but I’ll be watching. Remember to keep your hands up, grab a hold, and sell. Btw, SmackDown airs live tonight at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central on FOX.

Vince

McMahon is retiring as WWE’s chairman and CEO and is no longer the company’s head of creative. He will continue to be WWE’s majority shareholder.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in June that the WWE Board of Directors was investigating McMahon over a secret $3 million settlement that McMahon had agreed to pay a former employee who he allegedly had an affair with.

The WSJ then published a follow-up story earlier this month reporting that McMahon had agreed to pay a total of more than $12 million to four women formerly affiliated with WWE over the past 16 years to “suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.”

Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan are WWE’s new co-CEOs.