Ari Emanuel Wasn’t Going To Let Vince McMahon Leave WWE

Following Raw on Monday night many WWE fans have expressed their displeasure at Vince McMahon apparently running the show once again, and now it seems they know who to blame.

McMahon is believed to be “firmly back in charge” of the creative side of WWE and was running the show on Monday night in Los Angeles following the news that the company he had led for 40 years had been sold to Endeavor as part of a $21 billion deal.

Speaking on CNBC Squawk on the Street, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel noted that for him, there was no way he was allowing Vince McMahon to leave the business:

“I would have bodyslammed him if he thought he thought he was going to leave. Here’s a man who has seen around the corner at every beat over the last 40 years of this business and has a vision of this business way before a lot of people see it. Him now being able to utilize what we’ve built in our flywheel, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I have Vince McMahon, a visionary that sees around the corner, I have Dana White and what we’ve built. That’s pretty unstoppable.”

“I wasn’t going to let him [leave WWE]. We’ve had a relationship for 23 years. There’s a trust, a friendship. When you’re going into business and going forward, that’s important. I’m glad he chose us because it was a very competitive situation. For us, it’s an honor, and we’re so lucky because of his vision of where the business is and where it’s going.”

Following the takeover, McMahon is set to become Executive Chairman of NewCo – the as yet unnamed company which will be owned by Endeavor and in turn own both WWE and UFC.

Many had wondered about Vince McMahon being a part of WWE post-sale given his scandal-hit past that included recently paying out millions of dollars to a former WWE referee who accused him of raping her in 1986.

h/t Fightful