🔥 “He Never Really Left?” Vince Russo Claims He Has PROOF Vince McMahon Is Still Pulling WWE’s Creative Strings
Despite officially stepping away from WWE—twice—Vince McMahon may not be as gone as fans have been led to believe. At least, that’s the explosive claim being made by former WWE writer Vince Russo, who insists McMahon is still quietly influencing the company’s creative direction behind the scenes.
McMahon first resigned in July 2022 amid the infamous hush-money scandal, only to force his way back into power in early 2023. Then, in January 2024, he stepped down once again following serious allegations outlined in Janel Grant’s lawsuit. Since then, WWE and its parent company TKO have publicly maintained that McMahon is completely out of the picture.
But Russo isn’t buying it—not even close.
“It Was All for Show,” Russo Claims
Speaking on a recent episode of his “Coach & Bro Show” podcast, Russo suggested that McMahon’s exits were more about optics than reality. According to Russo, the board’s decisions were carefully staged to appease shareholders, not to truly remove Vince from power.
“Stephanie and Triple H were supposed to come back for 90 days, and Vince was going to be welcomed back with open arms,” Russo said. “The only thing that changed was Vince came back in 60 days instead. That tells me they purposely voted against him to make things look good… Vince still held the trump card.”
In Russo’s view, McMahon never actually lost control—he just stepped into the shadows.
A SmackDown Segment as “Proof”?
Russo then pointed to a recent SmackDown moment involving a parody entrance song by Joe Hendry that took repeated jabs at The Miz, focusing on crude humor that many fans found… questionable.
To Russo, that segment screamed one thing: Vince McMahon.
“Did you hear the lyrics? The whole song was built around Miz’s ‘tiny balls,’” Russo said. “Who does that sound like to you? Who would be cracking up in the gorilla position over something like that?”
Russo believes the juvenile humor is a signature McMahon trait—and clear evidence that Vince still has a voice in WWE’s creative process.
“He Thinks This Is Hysterical”
Russo wrapped up his argument with a blunt conclusion: McMahon has never truly been gone.
“Give me a break… This guy is still involved,” Russo said. “Vince is somewhere slapping his leg, thinking this is hysterical. Everything we’ve learned tells us he’s never truly not been involved.”
WWE’s Official Stance Says Otherwise
These claims directly contradict WWE’s official position. In March 2024, TKO COO Mark Shapiro publicly stated that Vince McMahon was fully and permanently removed from WWE operations—and would not be returning in any capacity.
McMahon, for his part, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Still, Russo’s comments have reignited a long-simmering debate among fans:
👉 Is WWE really in a new era—or is Vince McMahon still pulling the strings from behind the curtain?
One thing is certain: the question isn’t going away anytime soon. 👀🔥
