Since Stephanie McMahon announced she was stepping away, rumors started swirling about there being more to it than that.
She made the announcement on May 19 on social media that she was leaving a majority of her responsibilities with the company:
Stephanie McMahon Reportedly Replaced Due to Poor Performance; Catherine Newman Named as Her Replacement
“As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE. WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family.”
This is where the rumors started to come out as fans speculated about why she would so that.
Vince Russo has said he believes the real story is that her and Triple H’s marriage is in danger, but no one’s talking about that.
Given how Triple H had his version of NXT wiped out while he was deathly ill seems to support that to an extent, but it looks like it’s something bigger with Shane McMahon being fired or having his duties cut back after the Royal Rumble.
Poor performance and replacement
The rumors about why Stephanie stepped aside took a more serious and interesting turn when a WWE insider spoke to Business Insider about the growth of the company not being what they expected under her watch.
“Family or not family, we’ve got to get the right people in place. We weren’t seeing that growth. When someone is moved out of a company, it’s usually the result of something not working. We took stronger control of that a few months ago.”
Whatever the reason, it looks like Vince McMahon has handed the business side over to someone else as before this year, being a McMahon meant you had a job for life.
But then wrestling is about never saying never.
To fill the void left by Stephanie stepping aside, the WWE announced in a press release that Catherine Newman has been appointed to the company as the new EVP and Head of Marketing.
It’s been reported that her role differs in name from Stephanie’s Chief Brand Officer, but she’s Stephanie’s replacement.
“STAMFORD, Conn., June 6, 2022 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Catherine Newman has been named Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing.
“Newman brings more than two decades of executive experience to WWE including her most recent role as Chief Marketing Officer of Manchester United Media. She has also held senior positions at The Times of London and Financial Times, leading global marketing initiatives, developing strategic partnerships, and boosting subscription growth across various products.
“As part of WWE’s senior leadership team, Newman’s oversight will include Marketing, Brand, Community Relations, Entertainment Relations, Creative Services and Photography.
“She is a graduate of Loughborough University, a Chartered Institute of Marketing Postgraduate from Buckinghamshire New University and a Fellow & Mentor in the Marketing Academy, United Kingdom.”
Things have been changing in the WWE over the last couple of years, and while there’s still the possibility of Vince selling the company, we’re curious how these changes will look.
We’ve already seen better attendance and excitement from fans at their live events since Jeff Jarrett came on board to run them, so this could be a sign of a positive change coming to the product.
What do you think about Stephanie being replaced? Let us know in the comments below.
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