WWE Twitter Questions Vince McMahon's Appearance on SmackDown amid Investigation
It can be said Vince McMahon has no shame as the WWE chairman made a rare television appearance to open Friday Night SmackDown.
The move came amid a report from Joe Palazzolo and Ted Mann of the Wall Street Journal that McMahon is being investigated by WWE's board of directors over an alleged $3 million hush pact he had with a former company employee that he had an affair with.
McMahon's appearance lasted only about three minutes from the time his music hit until he left the ring. He only said the company mantra of "Then. Now. Forever. Together" but even showing his face did lead to some questions.
WWE announced Friday that McMahon voluntarily stepped down as CEO and chairman of the board while the investigation is ongoing but will retain his role in creative content. Stephanie McMahon is stepping in as interim CEO and chairwoman for the time being.
Stephanie announced May 19 she was taking a leave of absence from her role as Chief Brand Officer "to focus on my family."
According to the Wall Street Journal report, a person who tipped off the board to McMahon's relationship with the woman, who was hired by WWE as a paralegal in 2019, said he "gave her like a toy" to general manager of talent relations, John Laurinaitis.
The person said in an email her friend was "so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry [McDevitt] paid her millions of dollars to shut up."
The settlement, which prevents the woman from speaking about her relationship with McMahon or disparaging him, called for an initial payment of $1 million and an additional $2 million to be paid out over a five-year period.
McDevitt said the settlement was used from McMahon's personal funds, and the former employee has not made any claims of sexual harassment.
McMahon purchased WWE from his father, Vince McMahon Sr., in 1982.
Vince McMahon Steps Aside as WWE CEO, Chairman amid Probe; Stephanie Named Interim
Vince McMahon is stepping away from his roles as CEO and chairman of the WWE board of directors amid an investigation into alleged misconduct, the company announced Friday.
McMahon will be replaced by his daughter, Stephanie, on an interim basis while the investigation is ongoing. The company's board formed a Special Committee to investigate McMahon and head of talent relations John Laurinaitis after both allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with a former employee.
McMahon will retain his role overseeing WWE's creative direction during the probe. Laurinaitis will also remain in his role.
Joe Palazzolo and Ted Mann of the Wall Street Journal reported McMahon secretly agreed to pay a former employee $3 million in January. McMahon and the employee allegedly had an affair.
"I have pledged my complete cooperation to the investigation by the Special Committee, and I will do everything possible to support the investigation. I have also pledged to accept the findings and outcome of the investigation, whatever they are," McMahon said.
The board's investigation began in April and uncovered past nondisclosure agreements related to allegations made against McMahon and Laurinaitis, according to the Wall Street Journal. Payments made to the former employees "totaled in the millions of dollars."
A WWE spokesperson said the relationship between McMahon and the former employee who prompted the probe was consensual. The ex-employee was hired as a paralegal in 2019, and McMahon allegedly increased her salary from $100,000 to $200,000 after they began a sexual relationship.
A person who tipped off the board to McMahon's relationship with the woman said he "gave her like a toy" to Laurinaitis; she was reportedly moved from the legal department to become Laurinaitis' assistant in 2021.
"My friend was so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry [McDevitt] paid her millions of dollars to shut up," an email read.
The settlement called for an initial $1 million payment, followed by $2 million to be paid out over five years.
McDevitt said the settlement was paid using McMahon's personal funds, and the ex-employee has not made a claim of sexual harassment.
Stephanie McMahon had stepped away from her role as WWE's Chief Brand Officer last month to spend more time with her family.
"I love this company and am committed to working with the Independent Directors to strengthen our culture and our Company; it is extremely important to me that we have a safe and collaborative workplace. I have committed to doing everything in my power to help the Special Committee complete its work, including marshaling the cooperation of the entire company to assist in the completion of the investigation and to implement its findings," Stephanie McMahon said.
WWE Rumors on Cody Rhodes, Vince McMahon and Roman Reigns; Alexa Bliss Had Surgery
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
McMahon Reportedly Views Rhodes as a Top WWE Star
WWE chairman Vince McMahon reportedly views Cody Rhodes as a potential face of the company moving forward.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan), it was McMahon who made the call for Rhodes to defeat Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell despite the fact that Rhodes was dealing with a torn pectoral muscle.
Meltzer noted that a wrestler typically loses before undergoing surgery and taking significant time off to recover, but the fact that Rhodes won speaks to how he is viewed by WWE higher-ups.
Lending further credence to Rhodes' standing is the fact that the WWE and WWE Network Twitter accounts have made a photo of Rhodes performing at Hell in a Cell their header photos for over a week, per Mohan.
Rhodes has not lost a match since returning to WWE in April following a stint as one of the founders of AEW. That includes pay-per-view wins over Rollins at WrestleMania 38, WrestleMania Backlash and Hell in a Cell.
After undergoing surgery to repair his torn pec, WWE announced that Rhodes is expected to miss nine months. While that may be true, most fans seem to believe that Cody will be back in time for the Royal Rumble in January and win it to earn a title match at WrestleMania 39.
WWE has gone to great lengths to present Rhodes as a top star and make him look strong, so there is every reason to believe he is destined to become world champion.
Winning the Rumble and winning the title at WrestleMania would create the biggest possible moments, and based on how he has been handled thus far, those seem to be likely scenarios.
Updates on Reigns' Reported WWE Raw Schedule
Despite having unified the WWE and Universal Championships, Roman Reigns reportedly isn't slated to have much of a presence on Raw throughout the summer.
According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc's Eric Mutter), Reigns is only advertised for one episode of Raw this summer, that being the July 25 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
That event is notable for being the go-home episode of Raw prior to SummerSlam in Nashville, Tennessee.
Reigns is technically part of the SmackDown roster, but he has even been absent from the blue brand recently and has not defended the undisputed WWE Universal Championship since beating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38.
That will change this week on SmackDown, as Reigns is set to defend against Riddle, marking Reigns' first televised match of any kind since competing in a six-man tag team bout at WrestleMania Backlash early last month.
Although WWE never stated it as fact, many fans assumed Reigns would be seen more often on both Raw and SmackDown after unifying the titles.
For years, WWE had brand-exclusive world titles, but now that Reigns owns both of them, a world title can only be seen if he is present.
Reigns has taken on a significantly lighter workload since WrestleMania, though, and it seems like he will primarily be confined to SmackDown moving forward.
With Reigns likely slated to defend his title at SummerSlam in July and Clash at the Castle in September, he should at least appear more regularly on SmackDown in the coming weeks and months, even if showing up on Raw is a rarity.
Bliss Underwent Surgery on Nose
Alexa Bliss recently divulged that she underwent surgery on her nose during her hiatus from WWE.
Appearing on T95 The Rock Station (h/t WrestlingInc's Dakota Cohen), Bliss discussed the procedure:
"I had surgery," Bliss said. I had to get my nose all handled because, after six broken noses, it finally collapsed."
Since September, Bliss has had two lengthy absences from WWE programming. The first lasted from September until the start of 2022. Vignettes began airing for Alexa's return to WWE, and she competed in an Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February.
After that, Bliss was off TV again for another three months before showing up on Raw in May.
Bliss got married during that second absence, but as she revealed in the interview, she underwent a procedure on her nose as well.
Alexa has enjoyed a great deal of success since returning, with her only loss being in a Fatal 4-Way that also involved Rhea Ripley, Doudrop and Liv Morgan.
On Monday's episode of Raw, Bliss and Liv Morgan beat Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. in a Money in the Bank qualifier, meaning Bliss will be in the women's ladder match.
Bliss won Money in the Bank and successfully cashed in once before, and doing so again would put her back atop the WWE women's division.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).
WWE Rumors on Sasha Banks, Naomi, Vince McMahon, Money in the Bank; Cody Speaks Out
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Latest Details on Sasha Banks and Naomi Leaving Raw
Sasha Banks and Naomi were scheduled to take part in Raw's main event on Monday night alongside Becky Lynch, Asuka, Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. The six-pack challenge was slated to determine the No. 1 contender for Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship.
Instead, the bout was changed to a singles match between Lynch and Asuka, with Asuka picking up the victory to earn the match against Belair at Hell in a Cell on June 5.
WWE then took the extraordinary step of providing behind-the-scenes details about why it couldn't deliver the promoted main event. In the statement, the company said Banks and Naomi "walked into WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis' office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out":
They claimed they weren't respected enough as tag team champions. And even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match, they claimed they were uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents even though they'd had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence. Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract. We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight's main event.
Fightful Select reported the women's tag team champions expressed concern about the direction of the division after multiple ideas they pitched were turned down, and the duo also denied they raised concern about "unsafe" opponents.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio added Banks is now facing "a lot" of backstage heat following the walkout. Naomi's status wasn't mentioned.
Given the nature of WWE's statement and the subsequent reporting, it's unlikely the situation is a work. There's still a lot of uncertainty about what actually sparked the walkout, though.
It creates a lot of intrigue moving toward SmackDown on Friday night, though the company could provide more details about the state of the women's tag division before that point.
Money in the Bank Cash-In Option Expected To Stay; Vince McMahon's Role
Questions were raised about the future of the Money in the Bank contract after Cody Rhodes mentioned in a promo video the winners "will win the chance to main event WrestleMania."
The MITB contract has long featured a cash-in option, giving the holders a chance to receive their title shot anytime, anywhere at a moment's notice. While that included WrestleMania, it hadn't previously guaranteed a place in the Mania main event.
H. Jenkins of Ringside News reported the MITB stipulations are expected to remain the same as past years and Rhodes' comment in the commercial was a "major source of confusion with writers and producers."
Meltzer noted that Rhodes' remark was added to the script by Vince McMahon, but the reasoning is unclear since the creative team was told no changes are being made to the MITB contract.
The cash-in element is a major part of what's made the MITB idea such a long-term success, so it would be a surprise if that's removed for a single WrestleMania title shot, especially since there's nine months between the two PPV shows.
For now, it appears McMahon was merely working with semantics since technically anyone has the "chance to main event WrestleMania" and it seems there's no significant changes on the horizon for either the men's or women's contract.
Rhodes Considers Himself the Best in the World
Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in April after a six-year hiatus that included stops with various promotions, including working as both a wrestler and executive for AEW.
He's received a significant push since his return, picking up back-to-back PPV victories over Seth Rollins and getting plenty of air time on Raw to push the "American Nightmare" gimmick.
While Roman Reigns' dominant run as the Universal champion combined with his WrestleMania win over WWE champion Brock Lesnar to unify the company's top belts has made him a popular choice as the best wrestler in the world, Rhodes believes he's the one who deserves that distinction.
He also told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated it's not necessarily a close competition.
"I think I'm the best wrestler in the world. And I think it's by a large margin," Rhodes said. "That upsets a lot of people, but I don't mean it to draw ire. This is all I do. I'm not in charge. I'm here to hone my craft, build my body and win matches. Every week, I have to be better. That's the ultimate clarity for me."
Rhodes has definitely upped his game since he departed WWE in 2016. The fan support since his return suggests he's due for a major title run in the near future.
As for Reigns, the former two-time intercontinental champion said questions about who's actually better can't be answered until they face off.
"The difference between the two best wrestlers in the world is that one has both titles to prove it," Rhodes told Barrasso. "The WWE championship is the biggest title in the game. That's never been in dispute, and that's not a knock on any title anywhere else. The way to define the best in the world is the one holding the belt, and that's Roman Reigns."
So far, WWE has resisted the urge to use Rhodes' momentum since his return to throw him into a feud with Reigns, but it seems like only a matter of that before that storyline arrives.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
AEW's William Regal on Blackpool Combat Club, Keys to Success in Pro Wrestling
When it comes to pro wrestling legends, few are as universally respected by fans and wrestlers as William Regal.
His career in the industry spans more than 30 years and includes runs with several different promotions, including both WCW and WWE at the height of their powers.
Nowadays, the former King of the Ring is helping others in their quest for greatness by running The Blackpool Combat Club in All Elite Wrestling. With Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta as his proteges, Regal has quickly built one of the most popular factions in all of pro wrestling.
We had a chance to speak to the Englishman about joining AEW, forming the BCC, how he's feeling physically, his approach to performing and much more.
How He is Holding Up
No matter what kind of style you work, spending over 30 years in the wrestling business is going to take its toll on your body.
Regal has dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years, but he is doing well these days as he celebrated turning 54 on Tuesday.
"I feel as good as I can possibly feel as far as from what I've been through, if that makes any sense," he said. "You know, major neck surgeries. I've had a pericardiectomy, which was this very, very rare thing to have. Thirty years as a wrestler, 26 of those full-time.
"So I've just finished doing 200 Hindu squats, and 100 Hindu push-ups and walked a couple of miles. So for being 54 in a few days, I feel as good as I think I'm ever going to. I probably could feel a bit better if I really put my mind to it as far as getting my work done on my body and all that kind of stuff, or doing extra bits of whatever, but I think I feel as good as I possibly can be and for what I've done with my life, so I feel good."
Joining AEW
Regal made his AEW debut at the Revolution pay-per-view on March 6 at the end of Danielson and Moxley's brutal encounter.
As somebody who has had a big impact on the careers of both men, he took it upon himself to break up their post-match fight and put them on the same page.
And the four-time WCW TV champion seems to be having the time of his life with his new role.
"I've enjoyed it immensely," Regal said. "How many weeks am I in? I really don't even know how many weeks, it's just gone by so quickly. And if I actually take a step out of it for a second and look back and think, 'Well, I was fortunate enough to get brought into this company to be in a role. And that role worked out.'
"And we're only in two months, which is nothing really, and we've made a new star. And we haven't even scratched the surface of what we can do with this group. It's just been great."
Forming the Blackpool Combat Club
When Regal confronted Moxley and Danielson at Revolution, he instantly put them in their place with a couple of slaps to the face. Once everybody calmed down, they immediately got on the same page and began forming a plan.
A few weeks later, Yuta was added to the group. He not only proved himself in a brutal encounter against Mox, but he also didn't back down from Regal despite being a bloody mess after the match.
They took the ROH Pure champion under their wing and have been dominating ever since. Regal spoke about bringing the group together and how it all came about.
"So Bryan gave me a call," he said. "It might have been three weeks maybe before I actually debuted, and he said 'Could you talk to Tony [Khan] please? Would you like to come in here? We have this idea.' And I thought, 'That sounds like a lot of fun.' And then I talked to Tony, and it all sounded like a lot of fun to come in as a talent and again just be me and be with Bryan because we've got such a long history together.
"Then I started watching the show because when I was let go by WWE, I checked out of wrestling completely. It might have only been six weeks, but when I say that I checked out, I checked out because all I've ever done is wrestling. And the only times I haven't done it is has been when I've been really, really ill.
"So it wasn't my job anymore. Let me have a complete break from this and not think about it, except for stuff that I liked, which is watching old British wrestling with my son who lives in England. We watched some old British stuff and some old Japanese stuff, and that was it. Then I was checked out.
"So I started watching the show. And then I saw Bryan mentioning there was stuff going on with him and Jon, which looked to me like they were going to be together. And then I spoke to Bryan again. He said, 'Yes, this is the idea.' So I'm saying, 'Thank you. Great.' So I turn up and just do my thing. I didn't know what I was doing until about maybe 15 minutes before we actually did it.
"I got to the building at 7:15 p.m. or something that night. I was in the room. Finally, Jon and Bryan came in and said 'Right, here we go. This is it.' And I'm like "What, this is it?"
"They told me, 'Yep, this is it. We're going out and having a match in a bit, we'll see you then. You just come out and react.' And that's exactly what we did. I just went out and reacted. And, you know, they gave me half an idea of what they wanted and where they wanted to go."
The name of the group is obviously a reference to where Regal grew up and got his start in the business, but he wasn't the one to suggest Blackpool Combat Club as the group's title.
"So the name, the Blackpool Combat Club, it was Jon's idea. I was like, 'You sure you want to call it that?' And Jon said, 'Yeah, it sounds great.'Wheeler's name was mentioned and he came on board. And then we're where we're at, as of this moment. And so that's how it's all worked out.
"We all get on together and just seem to work. Whatever it is, it just seems to click, which is a fantastic thing to have. Something else I've been very fortunate with. I've never been involved with any group or tag team that I haven't clicked with, which is a great thing to have. And I seem to just be clicking with this group, and they get on together. And we all get on together, and it just clicks.
"And that's what's happening at the moment. When you're comfortable being who you are, you can go out and pull anything off really, once you've done this a while. And we just all seem to work as a unit."
Giving Advice to Young Talent
For years, Regal has been passing his wealth of knowledge on to the next generation of pro wrestlers. He worked with many people in NXT, and he is continuing to help the roster in AEW both on and off-screen.
"I love being around a lot of young talents who want to be wrestlers," he said. "I enjoy it because I was very fortunate when I was a teenager to get into this job with the best wrestlers possible in Britain, and then Europe, and then different parts of the world.
"Because they knew I wasn't going anywhere and I worked hard, they gave me all their time and taught me a lot. I've never forced myself on anybody, but anybody wants to come and work on wrestling, that's what I love to do.
"I feel bad that I haven't gotten enough time for the amount of people who are coming up to me. You know, I just want to start working on something with somebody, that's the day gone. I'm really enjoying it."
His Approach to Performing
As a veteran of the business, Regal has done just about everything you could imagine. He has played the hero and the villain, he has worked as both a serious and a comedic character, and he has worked with opponents at every level.
The BCC leader has learned to not only make the most of every situation but also how to enjoy himself while he is doing it.
"I love the fact that I can just go out and be me, which took a bit of getting used to, to be honest," Regal said. "And when I say me, there is no real me. There's whatever William Regal turns into, and that is influenced from all kinds of wrestlers, all kinds of entertainers, a lot of old British stuff.
"It's very similar to when I was Lord Steven Regal in WCW. And nobody's saying don't do that. And really, I didn't have [people saying no] in WWE. I was very fortunate there because Mr. McMahon trusted me with whatever he gave me. And so when I hear these stories about people, you know, having to do these different things. I was given ideas, and it was just 'Go and do it.'
"And I've always had the attitude of 'Let's just make it work.' So I've just gone and done it. This might offend a few people but you hear these things, 'Well, they have all these writers, scripts, all the stuff.' Well, they do that so you know what you're doing.
"As long as you earn the trust first, and they know that you can actually pull off what they need, you take that and make it your own and go and sit in the stands for an hour, and like 'How can I make this into something and use my own words.' As long as you get that trust at the beginning, when you go there, you can go where you want with that stuff."
While being a pro wrestler involved a certain level of acting, Regal doesn't see himself as an actor in the strictest sense. He approaches things from more of a reactionary standpoint.
"There's learning how to react, or there's being an actor," he said. "I'm not an actor, I react to things. And it takes a long time to get to that. But fortunately, I had a lot of experience before I came here and failed miserably. That was before I came to America and died on my backside a thousand times trying different things.
"But once I came here, I just learned to react to situations. And so whatever you've got, you can make it into something. I've got that now, where I can just go out and be William Regal, and whatever's on my mind or however the mood takes me.
"I'm even sat there saying stuff and thinking, 'Where's that come from?' It's like something that somebody said 50 years ago and I happen to see on a piece of film 30 years ago, and it just comes out for me. So I'm really enjoying that bit of it.
"So, again, I've been fortunate that I've had a lot of that in my career where I've had some great talent where I could just go out and be amazed. For any younger talent reading this, you have to earn that trust with whatever company you're working for. You have to earn that trust first. I'm having a blast."
The Full Conversation
Regal was generous with his time and we spoke for over an hour on many topics. To hear the full conversation, check out the video above.
Here is a list of some of the other topics he covered:
- Whether he has considered a career in acting.
- What makes Danielson, Moxley and Yuta special.
- Wrestlers like Danhausen getting themselves over in the pandemic era.
- The relationship between comedy and pro wrestling.
- What we can expect from his new podcast.
- Review of a TV series.
All quotes were given directly to the author and edited for clarity. You can follow William Regal on Twitter @RealKingRegal and you can follow Chris Mueller @BR_Doctor.
WWE Hot Take: Hopefully We Just Saw Vince McMahon's Last in-Ring Appearance
When one tried to project the absolute top moments exiting WrestleMania 38 before the event happened, Vince McMahon's legendary botching of a stunner from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin wasn't high on the list.
Yet here we are, with the 76-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of WWE going endlessly viral for a huge (botched) moment—and one that hopefully signals the end of his in-ring career.
That's meant in the nicest way possible, of course. McMahon bumbling through one major-botched spot is a funny, if not charming moment. A second and...things get out of hand.
It would appear Vince himself would agree, too. According to Fightful (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), he knows his sell of Austin's stunner was "terrible," but in the end, it entertained and had fans laughing.
Call that summation the understatement of the century.
A short play-by-play for those who have somehow missed the clip.
Austin, a night removed from his in-ring return nearly two decades in the making, interfered with McMahon's big moment during a match against Pat McAfee. After the usual beer-me awkwardness with Vince, Austin went to hit the stunner.
Except, Vince took the kick to set up the move and started backpedaling faster than an NFL cornerback covering Tyreek Hill, to the point Austin—who didn't run at all during his match the night before—had to sprint just to catch his elderly victim (and might not have if Vince hadn't bounced off the ropes) and finish off the move.
The finish was more of both guys collapsing together before Austin popped back up, unable to stop himself from cracking up.
It's that funny:
The whole ordeal sort of self-explains why that probably needs to be the last of Vince as an in-ring performer or wrestler. Besides the botch, he doesn't really have any close connections with any other current Superstars like he did Stone Cold or Undertaker, anyway. And to his credit, had Austin not shockingly returned, he probably wouldn't have been in the ring at all.
If it's any consolation to all involved, fans included, everyone knows Vince has been pretty awful at selling stunners from the very beginning. That his final sell was the worst of all is, if nothing else, pretty fitting.
All the funny stuff aside, we do have to touch on how poorly it made McAfee look in spots. Admittedly, it's an eye-of-the-beholder thing. Some fans are going to wave it off and give it a mulligan—he was humoring everyone and selling for a legend. There will undoubtedly be some fans that discredit McAfee as a challenger to other Superstars though after throwing himself into Vince's arm and then doing flips.
But it was a little jarring to see McAfee's budding stardom shine against Austin Theory before selling for Vince. Most of it looked bad, and then McMahon turned around and did that, which only made things worse.
Keep in mind this strictly refers to Vince the in-ring performer, not the boss personality or—dare we wish for it—Vince the Superstar manager. He's still a genius in terms of live crowds and psychology. Attaching him to Theory for good and even bringing him out as a full-time manager could work wonders for both theory and a company that continues to have a hard time creating new main-event Superstars.
The fact we're even writing about a 76-year-old man's in-ring performance is a testament to Vince's staying power and willingness to put himself at risk for fans. It would have felt strange to see Stone Cold back but without an interaction with McMahon given their storied history.
And in an odd twist, things going off without a hitch might've ended up less memorable compared to this stunner botch that will go down in history. So much so, WWE would be wise to just embrace it like Austin did for the hilarious moment it was, as opposed to attempting video-editing wizardry and pretending it didn't happen.
It did, and it was glorious, but it also needs to signal the last time Vince steps into the ring as an actual wrestler. If that's really the end, it was a fitting one on many levels, especially with it coming against Stone Cold.
Vince McMahon's Grandson Declan Commits to Play Football at Indiana
Declan McMahon, the eldest son of Shane McMahon and grandson of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, announced his commitment to play football for Indiana University on Wednesday.
McMahon played running back for Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn. His father took to Twitter to express his joy:
McMahon also received scholarship offers from East Carolina and Fordham, per his Twitter account. He earned an offer from the Hoosiers after taking a trip to Bloomington in March.
McMahon is unranked by 247Sports. His Hudl profile lists him at 6'0" and 192 pounds. He also saw time at quarterback during his senior season.
The Hoosiers' 2022 recruiting class is ranked 26th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten by 247Sports. The 21-man group is headlined by four 4-star recruits. Indiana is coming off a 2-10 season in 2021, its first losing record in three years.
McMahon's commitment comes on the heels of a big weekend for his family, as the two-night WrestleMania 38 took place in Dallas on Saturday and Sunday.
One of the most memorable moments of the biggest show of the year came on Night 2, when Vince McMahon challenged Pat McAfee to a match. McAfee had just defeated Austin Theory after an impressive showing, but he was pinned by McMahon after Theory attacked him.
However, McMahon didn't get the last laugh as he was visited by his old friend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. After offering a beer to his former boss, Austin delivered a stunner to the 76-year-old.