Possible Reason WWE Attempted To Bury Stephanie McMahon After Her Exit

Stephanie McMahon has returned to WWE sooner than planned after taking a leave of absence last month. The former chief branding officer comes back as the interim CEO and chairman, with Vince McMahon having stepped down in light of the investigation into his alleged misconduct.

Stephanie was the subject of lots of negative publicity upon her exit, and a new report has detailed the reason.

Related: Vince McMahon Has Voluntarily Stepped Down As Chairman And CEO Of WWE

Her announcement did come as a surprise as she has been working with WWE since her teenage years, only taking breaks to give birth to her three children. Shortly after her departure, several reports citing insiders claimed she had been pushed out due to poor performance.

Things became even more interesting when it was reported that Vince McMahon is being investigated by WWE’s board of directors for paying $3 million to a former employee he had an affair with.

Why WWE Buried Stephanie

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE discrediting Stephanie in the wake of her exit was possibly a ploy to keep the company's share price from dropping.

Stephanie’s sudden departure could have been an indicator of something being wrong behind the scenes, which could have prompted investors to short WWE stock. But claiming she was pushed out because she wasn’t good at her job would be unlikely to lead anyone to believe there were issues.

“One person with extensive knowledge of that aspect of the story said that they believed Stephanie McMahon being buried was a preemptive move to preserve the stock price,” Meltzer remarked, per ITR.

“To the outside world, the idea of Vince McMahon’s daughter and the heir apparent to the top position in the company leaving the company she’s worked for her entire adult life would sound like something is wrong with the company.

“So they leak out that she underperformed at her job and her father pushed her out so that would explain that there wasn’t anything wrong, she was just not good at her job.”

Back Now Anyway

Of course, the reports were rubbished by others stating the decision to take a break was 100 percent Stephanie’s, and her return to an even bigger role does give credence.

It will be intriguing to see how WWE moves forward with someone else at the helm for the first time in 40 years.

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