Vince Russo Says Vince McMahon Won't Forgive Nick Khan Or Triple H For Vetoing His Return To WWE

Over the course of WWE's history, there have been a number of examples where Vince McMahon has been known to hold a grudge and act pettily. For instance, when he initially brought Dusty Rhodes into the company in the 1980s, McMahon notoriously saddled the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion with polka dots and a weird storyline that never saw the charismatic star reach his full potential in WWE. There was also the time that McMahon fired Jeff Jarrett on live TV with no prior notice following the purchase of WCW. But now that he has resumed his spot as chairman (and soon, for a new company formed by the WWE-UFC merger), some are wondering about how petty he will be with Nick Khan and Paul "Triple H" Levesque, who initially opposed McMahon's return to WWE late last year.

On "Writing With Russo," controversial wrestling personality Vince Russo weighed in on the matter. He started by giving props to his former boss, but quickly went into his version of the bleak reality that WWE is dealing with right now.

"The most impressive thing out of this whole thing is just the way Vince McMahon played his hand," he said. "You're talking [about] a master card player. And guys, let's remember – let's remember, Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H vetoed him coming back to the board ... At that point in time when they did that, I really believe that these are the two things that kicked into Vince's mind. Number one: over my dead body will you ever own this company, and number two: not only am I gonna sell the company so it will never be yours, but when I do I am gonna be the one soul in charge of creative."

Russo continued by saying that the current situation involving the higher-ups of WWE reminded him of the time that he wanted to fire Shawn Michaels. Back when "The Heartbreak Kid" was being extremely difficult to work with, despite being one of the best wrestlers on the planet, McMahon shared some wisdom with the aggravated writer that frequently championed the future Hall of Famer.

"Vince looked at me and he said, 'Vince, I'm going to tell you something my father taught me," recalled Russo. "When you want to get rid of somebody, when you want to fire somebody, you do it on your time.' In other words, what Vince was saying to me was there is still money for me to make in Shawn Michaels, but when that time comes, and I'll know it's here, he's gone."

Knowing how McMahon's mind works in that respect, Russo also predicted that Nick Khan will be gone from WWE by 2025 since Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel can handle negotiating television rights and things of that nature. As for Levesque, Russo doesn't see the WWE Hall of Famer, Chief Content Officer, and McMahon's son-in-law going anywhere for the foreseeable future. While he could certainly thrive in AEW or start his own promotion, Russo says that Levesque "is so under Vince's thumb right now" that he likely isn't going anywhere.

During this unprecedented time of change for WWE, it will be interesting to see which (if any) of Russo's predictions come to fruition.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Writing With Russo" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.