AEW's Tony Khan savagely trolls Vince McMahon after WWE CEO announces shock retirement

The CEO of All Elite Wrestling Tony Khan has trolled Vince McMahon after the long-time CEO and chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment announced his shock retirement on Friday, while under investigation for a series of scandals.

77-year-old McMahon is being investigated by the WWE board after a number of accusations were made against him, including him paying millions of dollars in hush money to women that he'd had alleged affairs with.

McMahon has ceased his duties as CEO, handing the reins over to his daughter Stephanie but was still in charge of the creative on WWE television. However, in a seemingly unprecedented turn of events, McMahon announced his retirement with a tweet writing: "At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together."

McMahon has been in charge of WWE since the early 1980s having inherited the company from his father and has effectively ruled the wrestling world with an iron fist since the early 2000s, having brought out his main opposition World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling in 2001.

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This remained that way until 2019 when Tony Khan, who also owns the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the Premier League side Fulham, started All Elite Wrestling which has been going strong ever since.

After the news was announced that McMahon was retiring, Khan took the opportunity to take a dig at his opponent in the wrestling business, writing: "Thanks to you wrestling fans and your great support of @AEW, I’m grateful to now be the longest-tenured CEO in pro wrestling."

Stephanie McMahon will now be the chairwoman and co-CEO of WWE along with Nick Khan (no relation). Her husband Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, who retired from in-ring action, returned to the company earlier on Friday and will now act as Executive Vice-President, Global Talent Strategy & Development to EVP of Talent Relations.

In a full statement Mr McMahon said: "As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE. Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand. Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.

“Our global audience can take comfort in knowing WWE will continue to entertain you with the same fervor, dedication, and passion as always. I am extremely confident in the continued success of WWE, and I leave our company in the capable hands of an extraordinary group of Superstars, employees, and executives – in particular, both Chairwoman and Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and Co-CEO Nick Khan. As the majority shareholder, I will continue to support WWE in any way I can. My personal thanks to our community and business partners, shareholders, and Board of Directors for their guidance and support through the years. Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

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