Vince McMahon Makes Surprise Appearance On WWE Raw

By Robert Gunier

Vince McMahon isn't letting the increased attention of recent allegations bring him down, at least it doesn't appear so through his cheery behavior on "SmackDown" Friday and "Raw" this evening.

Yes, Mr. McMahon made another appearance on WWE television in less than a week. We noted how this past Friday on the Blue Brand, he reminded the audience watching of the intro that plays before every WWE show.

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"Then. Now. Forever. And most importantly," Vince continued, "together." He then wrapped up the brief segment by saying, "Welcome to SmackDown", tossed the mic to the side, and exited the ring.

Tonight was just as brief of a speech from McMahon, as he welcomed the fans to the show and mentioned how it's the 1,517th edition of Raw which makes it the longest-running episodic television to date. He says that throughout the 30 years WWE has been on the air, one man was on top for 2/3 of that time and his name is John Cena. He praises John's work and promotes that next week on Raw, the legendary WWE star makes his return.

Vince smiled and laughed, exiting the ring with a pep in his step, and then hopped down to the floor. The cameras cut away to the commentators, but Vince was noticeably wobbly as he exited from the ropes.

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As noted, the 76-year-old stepped down as Chairman and CEO of WWE last week after allegations were made surrounding an affair he had with a former employee. It was claimed that Vince raised the individual's salary during the time the misconduct was going on, and then allegedly supplied hush-money payments to her in an attempt to keep the situation quiet. The investigation has reportedly uncovered other non-disclosure agreements by former WWE employees, claiming misconduct by not only McMahon but also Head of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis.

Vince's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, is taking over as interim Chairwoman and CEO of WWE while her father steps down from the role. Vince is still influencing creative decisions and attending shows with the company, proven  by his increased appearances this past week. The investigations are still ongoing at this time, and we will provide any further updates on the situation.

The backstage reaction to the "SmackDown" appearance from Vince McMahon during ongoing investigations range from  "confused" to "disappointed" to "enraged", according to a recent report. One top talent apparently saw it as "tone-deaf and embarrassing," and claimed, "It was his way of putting himself on screen as a power move to lessen the impact of an investigation's findings."

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Keep up with full results from WWE "Raw" at this link.

 

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