Stephanie McMahon is not expected back with WWE after announcing an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month.
Last week, McMahon tweeted that she is stepping away from the majority of her duties with the company. She cited the need to spend more time with her family as the reason for her hiatus.
The news was kept secret from other high-ranking WWE executives who did not know anything until her tweet was sent out. PWInsider reported:
“There were lots of high-up executives who had no inkling this was coming until it very quickly spread across the company after she tweeted.”
– Mike Johnson, PWInsider
Despite the secrecy surrounding Stephanie McMahon stepping away, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that she had been planning the move for several months.
She is not expected back any time soon as evidenced by the company’s decision to swiftly seek a replacement.
Triple H recently returned to work at the WWE office, but industry observers are in disbelief how much the expected “line of succession” for WWE’s future has changed. At point, it was considered a foregone conclusion that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would be running WWE for decades to come once Vince McMahon steps down.
We’ve seen WWE President Nick Khan’s power grow year after year and the chances of an eventual sale are more likely than ever.
Stephanie McMahon’s Replacement
It’s been speculated that Nick Khan will take on a lot of Stephanie McMahon’s duties. WWE posted a job listing for one of McMahon’s roles, ‘Director of Brand and Marketing.’
The ideal candidate will be “an important contributor to the growth and success of the WWE Premium Live Events” according to their listing.
Stephanie McMahon has worked for decades in multiple roles for WWE, starting off as a model in WWF Merchandise catalogs.
In 1999, Stephanie became an on-screen character and joined forces with Triple H that December.
The McMahon-Hemsley regime dominated the WWE for much of 2003 and the couple married for real in late 2003.
