With Vince McMahon officially out as WWE‘s CEO, some have wondered who will ultimately take his place as the company's full-time CEO, Chairman of the Board, and head booker. Will it be Stephanie McMahon? Shane McMahon? Or how about someone from outside of the family like Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Paul Heyman, or even Nick Khan, the company's President?

Well, while we don't quite know who will be booking the shows just yet – for all we know, Vince could keep the role as a shadow producer – the official retirement post published on the WWE's website gives some insight into the former, as this excerpt clearly shows.

“Our global audience can take comfort in knowing WWE will continue to entertain you with the same fervor, dedication, and passion as always. I am extremely confident in the continued success of WWE, and I leave our company in the capable hands of an extraordinary group of Superstars, employees, and executives – in particular, both Chairwoman and Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and Co-CEO Nick Khan. As the majority shareholder, I will continue to support WWE in any way I can. My personal thanks to our community and business partners, shareholders, and Board of Directors for their guidance and support through the years. Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

Well, there you have it – nothing more to say but to say it.

… okay, that isn't really true, now is it? As fans across the wrestling world know all too well, Khan has been the man most visibly linked to the “budget cuts”-related releases of what feels like 100 wrestlers over the past few years, with everyone from “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt to Matt Cardona, and even Parker Boudreaux falling victim to a pink slip. With expansive entertainment experience both on his and on his family's resume – his sister is the creator and executive producer of Young Rock, among other shows – many have feared/theorized that Khan could be the man who oversees a sale of the company to a company like NBC, or Disney, who will surely turn wrestlers like The Undertaker into IPs worthy of animated content and walkaround characters at amusement parks.

Will Stephanie McMahon, who has been on WWE television for the better part of two decades and is married to a former 16-time champion, allow that to happen to the company initially founded by her grandfather Vincent J. McMahon, even after her grandmother, Victoria H. Hanner, passed away at the ripe old age of 101? Or has the public scrutiny levied her family's way in the wake of her father's discussions soured her on the industry she grew up in and opened the door to a career away from the squared circle? McMahon is famously the “Billion Dollar Princess,” and while that number is probably a tad inflated, there's little reason to believe that she will ever have to work again unless she wants to.

Is the WWE really Stephanie's thing, or would she happily accept a lesser, more honorary role in favor of entering a new chapter of her life at the not-even-close-to-old age of 45? I guess we will have to collectively see.

There's no doubt about it; the WWE Universe will never be the same with Vince McMahon officially retired. What happens next, however, could be better, or could be worse – only time, as they say, will tell.