The bell has not rung on Vince McMahon.
After undergoing “major” spinal surgery in July, McMahon is returning to WWE’s offices next week, sources close to the company told The Post.
McMahon, 78, was on hand and upright at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday morning as WWE’s merger with Endeavor-controlled UFC closed and the opening bell for the stock market rung.
WWE and UFC are now combined into a new entity, thematically named TKO Group.
McMahon is executive chairman of the board of the newly combined entities, while Endeavor leaders Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro are CEO and COO, respectively.
McMahon retired from WWE last July after a series of Wall Street Journal stories indicated that he paid out millions to settle sexual misconduct claims, and came storming back this past January, announcing the intent to sell the company he’s presided over for more than four decades.
While McMahon keeps his leadership role at WWE in the merger, Tuesday marked the first day since 1982 in which he is not the controlling shareholder of the company.
WWE President and TKO board member Nick Khan appeared on Bill Simmons’ podcast, which taped Monday and aired Tuesday, and was asked to what extent McMahon’s ability to remain in power was tethered to the decision to bring the company to Endeavor as opposed to a different acquirer.
“I don’t think that was a deciding factor in this,” Khan answered.
“I think Vince approached it as, ‘Hey, I want to make sure every shareholder is treated the same way that I, Vince, am treated,’ and it was the Endeavor folks who asked him to stay in once the process was well underway and bids were already in and all of those things.
“So it already felt like it was going this way, again, once multiple bids were in, and they made the gracious offer and he accepted the position as executive chairman of the new company.”
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