Vince McMahon Played Up His 'I'm Vince McMahon Damn It' Attitude At WWE Post-Firings Meeting

Vince McMahon was reportedly rambunctious at WWE's all-employee meeting on Tuesday, September 19 that was held only days after the company fired over 100 people in the aftermath of the merger with UFC.

A meeting was held at the new WWE HQ with WWE President Nick Khan, Triple H, Kevin Dunn, Brad Blum, Vince McMahon, and Ari Emanuel all present. 

All of the executives came out from behind an old Raw set, according to PWInsider, and after a short speech from Nick Khan, he introduced Vince McMahon. The 78-year-old reportedly used a cane to reach the stadium, having undergone spinal surgery in July. McMahon seemingly wasn't happy about not receiving a big round of applause when he reached the stage, though, as PWInsider noted that McMahon played up to the several hundred employees at the meeting that "I'm Vince McMahon damn it!". McMahon then said, "This is when you are supposed to clap" and following some more applause, he joked those in attendance were learning. 

As previously noted, McMahon went on to claim that WWE had stagnated as a company and the deal with Endeavor needed to be made to help WWE reach the next level. The comments were met with eye rolls amongst WWE employees since the company had been reporting record profits in recent years. The belief amongst WWE employees is that McMahon sold the company so he could return, having initially resigned in the summer of 2022 amid a sexual misconduct and hush money scandal. PWInsider further reported that employees were unhappy with McMahon's comments as the feeling was the company was doing great without Vince in charge and McMahon's return wouldn't have been initially rejected in December 2022 if the organisation was struggling. 

There was also said to be plenty of sympathy for Stephanie McMahon and Triple H following the meeting. Triple H is the head of WWE creative but any decisions he makes can be overruled by McMahon. Stephanie, meanwhile, resigned from WWE in January 2023 after her father forced his way back into the company. 

Vince McMahon then introduced Ari Emanuel to WWE employees and all of the executives except for McMahon stayed to chat following the meeting. McMahon is believed to have ducked out due to his spinal issues.