TKO CEO Ari Emanuel reveals details about Vince McMahon’s departure from WWE

The TKO chief executive recounts the conversations that led to McMahon’s exit in his new memoir, Roll the Calls.

Ari Emanuel is sharing new details about his dealings with Vince McMahon during the scandals that preceded WWE’s sale and McMahon’s eventual departure from TKO Group in 2024.

In his memoir, Roll the Calls, Emanuel recalled being at Wimbledon in July 2022 when The Wall Street Journal published its first report about allegations of sexual misconduct and hush-money payments involving McMahon.

Ari Emanuel said Vince McMahon called after the report, denied the allegations, and told him he planned to step down from WWE.

“I was at Wimbledon when The Wall Street Journal dropped its first bombshell report: Vince making secret payouts to several women to settle harassment suits,” Emanuel wrote.

“As I walked out of Wimbledon, Vince called and assured me the charges were false. But he also said he was going to step down, for the good of the company. His daughter, whom I’ve always remembered fondly from our first meeting, would take over.”

Vince McMahon retired in July 2022, with Stephanie McMahon taking over, but returned to the company in early 2023. Emanuel described the reversal as a “mess” and began pitching a sale that would combine WWE with UFC.

Endeavor pitched a WWE-UFC merger

Emanuel wrote that he and Mark Shapiro presented Vince McMahon with the idea of merging WWE and UFC into one company, with McMahon potentially remaining as “chairman emeritus.”

He said the pitch focused on applying UFC’s business knowledge to WWE and “saving the company,” which he described as “teetering.”

Emanuel also noted McMahon was experiencing health problems and “seems not to fully understand.” Endeavor and WWE eventually reached an agreement, bringing both promotions under TKO Group Holdings in mid-2023.

Janel Grant’s lawsuit prompted a final break for Vince McMahon

The situation changed in January 2024, when former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking, among other allegations. McMahon has denied Grant’s allegations.

Emanuel described the new revelations as “orders of magnitude more troubling” than those that came before. He recalled Shapiro calling and insisting McMahon had to be removed completely, with “no emeritus position” and “no involvement in the company whatsoever.”

Emanuel said he was uncomfortable delivering the message himself, so he told Shapiro, “Tell him, Mark.”

According to Emanuel, Shapiro told McMahon they had “crossed several red lines” and were in “new territory.” McMahon eventually responded: “Okay. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Today.”

McMahon resigned as TKO Executive Chairman shortly after Grant filed her lawsuit. Emanuel wrote that the company hoped its new structure would “thrill Wall Street,” but added that “the stock price doesn’t budge.”

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