10 Most Fascinating Unanswered Questions In Wrestling

3. What The Hell Happened With The McMahon Family?

Cody Young Bucks
WWE

You needn't even be cynical to infer, from the NXT 2.0 rebrand, that there was at least a degree of acrimony within the McMahon clan during 2021.

Vince took everything that Triple H held dear - intense dudes in black trunks, skulls and heavy metal - and allowed Bruce Prichard to play Splatoon over the rotting corpse of his creation. NXT transformed from a workrate outfit with no lights into a brightly-coloured New Generation reboot. Occupational gimmicks and blokes drooling over t*ts: imagine a crazed fusion of the years 1995 and 1998, only wrestled at 2004 quality, and you're somewhere close.

Honestly, it's a wonder that Vince didn't have somebody break Triple H's beloved throne as punishment for losing to Tony Khan. Actually, he went one better: Bron Breakker literally destroyed the old NXT symbol.

Later in the saga, Stephanie McMahon removed herself from her corporate duties whilst Triple H was making a strong recovery from the near-tragic cardiac event he suffered in September 2021. Not then and there.

Then, she made a sensation return as interim COO before taking the mantle formally when Vince resigned in disgrace amid sexual misconduct allegations. This was thought inconceivable, since the reputable Andrew Zarian of the We're Live, Pal podcast was told by "someone in the know in WWE, this wasn’t like a guy in catering" that "internally, there was doubt put on Steph, her abilities as an executive".

So how come she was considered the best person for a more important, high-pressure job?

Who knew and who leaked info to the Wall Street Journal?

And was the united front presented after the scandal an exercise in optics?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!