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As we first reported this morning in the Elite section, WWE Hall of Fame Warrior Award Recipient Rich Hering, who was with World Wrestling Entertainment as Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Risk Management and had been one of the most important names behind the scenes, exited the company late last month after a 50 year run.
The word we are hearing is that shortly after the Endeavor takeover, Hering opted to retire. He was not cut by new management. We are told that internally, the company would have wanted him to remain, but Hering decided it was his time to quietly step down and exit. Word began to circulate last week that Hering had retired. PWInsider.com confirmed with multiple sources this morning.
Hering's association with WWE lasted over 50 years, dating back to the time period when Vincent J. McMahon ran the WWWF. He had worked for The New York State Athletic Commission and eventually came on board with the company, becoming one of the longest standing employees there as well as one of the most trusted liaisons for the McMahon family ever.
Prior to his time with WWE, Hering worked in the criminal justice field, which gave him great insight into different issues the company dealt with over the decades He is truly someone who knows where all the bodies would be buried, but also how and why. Behind the scenes, he was among one of the most powerful and important WWE employees of all time.
While Hering was not often seen on screen, he did appear as the official who "married" Randy Savage and Elizabeth to close out WWF Summerslam 1991 in NYC's Madison Square Garden.
Among fans who traveled to Wrestlemania weekends, Hering was often the last person you wanted to see if you were at WWE's Mania weekend hotel as he was well known for being gruff towards anyone who "wasn't supposed to be there" once the hotels were locked down to WWE personnel only, so if fans ran into him after that period, chances were they would soon be walked out. Hering was a bulldog in that way.
In 2021, Hering was given the company's Warrior Award at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. At the time, then-WWE Executive Stephanie McMahon commented, "On behalf of everyone at WWE, we are proud to present Rich Hering with this incredible honor. Rich has dedicated more than half a century to WWE and the WWE Universe, and has truly seen and done it all. From ensuring the health and safety of WWE Superstars and employees; presiding over the wedding of Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth; and being an ‘uncle’ to Dana Warrior and her children, Mattie and Indy, there is no one more deserving of this accolade.”
Hering's exit is massive as there's probably no one in the world who could fill his shoes within WWE.
It's truly the end of an era.
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