The aging media mogul in WWE’s case is Vince McMahon, and in Succession, it’s Logan Roy. Both men have indirectly hinted at who could succeed them, but they’ve never given into it.
The McMahon’s and Roy’s have a lot more in common than you’d think
By Mo Hussain, Contributor
With WWE releasing Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon continuing to run the company at 76-years old with no end in sight, it’s very hard not to liken the current state of the company to HBO’s Succession.
Succession is a television series about an aging media mogul refusing to give up power despite being out of touch with the current media landscape, while his children are in this constant battle to take it from him so they can move the company forward. The aging media mogul in WWE’s case is Vince McMahon, and in Succession, it’s Logan Roy. Both men have indirectly hinted at who could succeed them, but they’ve never given into it.
In McMahon’s case, many thought that his son Shane would be the heir to the throne since he’s been in the business his whole life. He’s also had a lot of experience in the corporate world and the ring. Shane’s shown foresight into how WWE could innovate by pitching his dad to buy the UFC back in 2005, how ECW (an alternate wrestling program) could’ve aired exclusively online back in 2006, etc. However, Vince is yet to give up power to Shane and actually ended up releasing him in January.
In Succession, Logan Roy’s son Kendall was supposed to replace his father as CEO, but Logan is yet to give up power. In the show, Kendall proposes the company start investing a lot into digital platforms. However, Logan continues to invest in television networks despite the ongoing trend of cord-cutting. Like Vince, Logan also fired his own son in the first season of the show.
Both Vince McMahon and Logan Roy also have daughters in high positions of power within their companies, alongside their in-laws. In Vince’s case, his daughter Stephanie is the Chief Brand Officer for WWE, where she is essentially the corporate face of the company. She’s also married to Triple H, who runs WWE’s developmental program NXT, and has a big influence on the overall in-ring product on the main roster.
In Logan’s case, his daughter Shiv plays a big role in the company’s strategic direction and PR departments. Like Stephanie McMahon, she’s also the company’s corporate spokesperson. Shiv’s husband Tom Wambsgans runs the company’s news department and plays a big role in developing Logan’s family member Greg into a solid executive.
Although Succession is a fictitious show, and no one really knows what happens behind closed doors at WWE, it’s hard to look at the similarities and not think how there can potentially be some element of truth from the TV show to the actual company.
