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Report: Vince McMahon Has 'Been in Touch' with The Rock, John Cena Since WWE Exit

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVApril 17, 2024

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 23: TKO Executive Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon is seen during a ceremony announcing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has joined the Board of Directors for TKO at New York Stock Exchange on January 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michelle Farsi/Zuffa LLC)
Michelle Farsi/Zuffa LLC

Longtime WWE executive Vince McMahon has "been in touch" with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena since his resignation, according to NBC News' Chloe Melas and CNBC's Alex Sherman.

His conversations with Johnson are particularly notable considering Johnson joined TKO Group's board of directors in January. TKO Group Holdings is the parent company of WWE.

Per Melas and Sherman, a spokesperson for The Rock declined to provide a comment for the story, while multiple requests for comment to a representative for Cena went unanswered.

Meanwhile, Melas and Sherman reported McMahon hasn't had contact with daughter Stephanie or son-in-law Paul "Triple H" Levesque regarding company matters since his resignation in January.

McMahon stepped down as executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings after the Wall Street Journal's Khadeeja Safdar reported on a lawsuit filed by a former employee of WWE. The employee accused the 78-year-old of sexual abuse and sex trafficking, the latter of which are reportedly the subject of a federal investigation as well.

Levesque, WWE's chief content officer, has in effect supplanted McMahon as the public face of the company. The first night of WrestleMania XL opened with the former world champion in the ring to celebrate a "new time" and a "new era."

The following night saw Stephanie McMahon get the festivities underway. It was her first appearance on WWE programming after she resigned as co-CEO in January 2023.

For all intents and purposes, it looks as though WWE has totally cut ties with Vince McMahon in any official or unofficial capacity. TKO Group president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro was unequivocal when he said in March that McMahon "doesn't work for the company, doesn't come into the office" and is "not coming back to the company."

Despite no longer working for TKO Group, McMahon continues to benefit from his investment in the conglomerate. Earlier this month, he sold off $311 million in stock shares, bringing his overall earnings to around $1.5 billion.