As PWMania.com previously reported, Stephanie McMahon stated on May 19 that she was stepping down as WWE Chief Brand Officer to spend more time with her family. She stated that she will return because WWE is a part of her life, and word from within WWE is that she will return at some time, despite the corporation employing others to undertake her responsibilities while she is away.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, McMahon was still on the production list and received production e-mails until last week. This week’s RAW changed that since they stopped featuring McMahon in those e-mails. According to WWE sources, the adjustment was due to “housekeeping” and updates.
You can read our report on Stephanie’s leave of absence from earlier this week, by clicking here, which was based on a Business Insider report and rumors that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon forced her out. The report mentions WWE’s $100 million aim. In an update, Fightful Select’s new report states that sources from both the previous regime and the regime managed by WWE President & CFO Nick Khan both believe Stephanie made the choice to take time off.
Even before the news broke, people in the Khan regime were letting people know that the choice was solely Stephanie’s. However, some new hires in the new administration were eager to point out that there were performance difficulties and areas for improvement, but not to the extent that it caused Stephanie’s position to be terminated. Some of these performance concerns were stated in the earlier report.
According to Business Insider, Claudine Lilien was leaving WWE after being appointed by Stephanie in April 2021 as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Partnerships. According to a recent Andrew Zarian report, Lilien was let go around a month ago.
In an update on Lilien’s departure, she was reportedly let go because Vince didn’t think she was a good hire. There were other opportunities for development in that field, such as selling sponsors on a much broader, long-term basis rather than a single-show basis.
For what it’s worth, Lilien is still listed as a WWE employee on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com.
