Update on Stephanie McMahon

[Liz]

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer backed up Wade Keller's report about there being other reasons why Stephanie McMahon stepped away from WWE. Meltzer stated that while the story about wanting to spend time with her family is true, there are other reasons that are being kept quiet and nothing has gotten out.

It was noted in the report that one person close to the situation stated that they could say "for sure" that she will not be back anytime soon and that they do not know if she will ever be back in her role of Chief Brand Officer.

WWE has been looking for people to take on her CBO duties, which confirms that it's not expected that she will be back anytime soon. In a company meeting this week, staff was given the public reason for Stephanie's sabbatical. It was said that this past year has been rough with Triple H's heart issue and that is why she needed the time off.

Over the weekend, Wade Keller said the following about Stephanie McMahon's leave of absence on a PWTorchVIP.com audio update: "The indications that I've gotten is this is largely her just stepping away. She has worked for WWE for over 20 years, Shane McMahon has been in and out. She's the child of Vince McMahon, who has been most embedded in this company. Most recently, the Chief Brand Officer."

He continued, "I have been told not to expect the reasons that Stephanie is stepping away, to come out. But the implication is, there are reasons. So this isn't going to be a public scandal. But it's something. That's about as much as I think I can say right now, based on the indications I've gotten from talking to people who know or know Stephanie and Hunter or know people who know them. And yeah, [they] are giving me indications of things."

PWInsider's Dave Scherer said the following about McMahon this week: "I have heard a lot of stories and frankly, until we can confirm them, I am not going to speculate. I don't think it's responsible or fair to be quite frank. All I will say is I do believe there is a lot more to it than we know right now."