WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross believes Vince McMahon could still have a hand in WrestleMania 42, sharing his thoughts on the possibility of McMahon contributing behind the scenes.
Speaking on the latest episode of Grilling JR, Ross was asked whether he sees McMahon returning to WWE in a creative capacity. Ross made it clear he believes McMahon’s involvement is likely.
“Yeah, absolutely no doubt about it. I don’t even have a question in my mind where there’s, you know, it’s the old cliche, or there’s smoke, oftentimes there’s fire, and there’s been a lot of smoke regarding VKM in WWE, and what his future may or may not be, and how he can still contribute. This can still contribute. He’s a big picture guy, and that takes a lot of detail work and planning, but he can do that. He can make all that happen. And you know he’s hungry, so we know he’s in the kitchen. So I don’t think there’s any doubt in my mind that Vince will be instrumental in this year’s Wrestlemania as far as creative is concerned.”
Ross doubled down on that stance when asked directly if he believes McMahon is already involved in shaping this year’s WrestleMania.
“Oh, yeah. He’s not going to wait on anything. He’s not going to, as John Wayne would say, we’re burning daylight. Something’s going to happen. And I believe that McMahon will have the will to contribute to this year’s WrestleMania. That’s one of the great things about pro wrestling nowadays. You get all this input, all this smoke, as we said earlier, and there’s a lot of smoke out there right now. And I think through the haze that Vince McMahon will rise again to some level, and it just may be main events, it just may be titles or whatever, I don’t know. But I can’t see this much talk and speculation about Vince for there not to be something there. He may not be as active as I perceive that he might, but I don’t know. I just think that he’s going to be involved in WrestleMania in some shape, form or fashion. And that’s not a disrespect to Triple H’s team and all that at all. It’s the fact that you got the most successful pro wrestling guy in history who’s available. And I think that you use whoever’s available in the best way they can be used. And call it a day, see where it takes you.”
Ross also weighed in on whether TKO leadership — including Ari Emanuel and Nick Khan — would be open to bringing McMahon back into the fold in any official capacity.
“Absolutely, absolutely. They would not be good businessmen if they weren’t willing to entertain that idea. Because they realize that McMahon is a guy that built the whole damn thing. He has a vision that nobody else has. You know, he’s been doing this a long time. He’s been through every up and down and in and out. And I just think they’d be remiss if the decision makers would not use Vince, if he’s willing and he’s able to be utilized. I think they’re too smart not to utilize Vince McMahon if he’s willing to work.”
Ross’ comments come amid renewed discussion about McMahon’s behind-the-scenes involvement in WWE during transitional periods. Earlier this week, previously surfaced text messages between Triple H and Nick Khan highlighted the extent to which McMahon remained engaged in creative discussions during that time.
Triple H also acknowledged on Cody Rhodes’ podcast that McMahon continued to offer input and guidance from the sidelines before ultimately stepping away.
As WrestleMania 42 approaches, speculation continues regarding whether McMahon could influence WWE’s biggest event of the year in some capacity.
