Agree with the posters who say that this is not about cash, and who say that this must be a personal vendetta possibly involving family.
The obvious facts of this situation are simple. Vince McMahon has done business with a number of the old WCW folks. Hogan, Bischoff, Hall, Nash, and Flair have each been back in the good graces of the WWE since the old MNW's ended in 2001. So this issue is not simply a case of Savage jumping ship to a rival company.
Furthermore, Hogan left the company on perhaps the worst reported terms in the history of the company. For those too young to remember, Hogan testified against VKM during the steroid trials in '93. VKM famously attacked Hogan outside the courthouse. So it's hard to fathom that the Savage issue is something personal only to McMahon.
Another disgruntled former employee, the Ultimate Warrior was asked to be inducted into this year's Hall of Fame before declining the invitation. If you recall, VKM is on the record of saying, "I've never been so happy to fire a guy" when recalling firing the Warrior after he held the Summer Slam 91 show hostage --- refusing to appear the night of the show if he wasn't given more money. VKM later rehired the guy twice because he saw profit in it ... So we know that the Savage case is not simply a case of screwing VKM on a business deal.
Now, I've heard the rumors about him taking Stephanie's virginity - though I'm not sure how old she was according to the rumor. I have not heard the rumor that he introduced Shane to cocaine --- I've also never heard the rumor that Shane ever had a drug problem. Though, I'm unsure of the validity of either rumor, I do believe that the issue with Savage MUST have dealt with his children. McMahon comes off as a guy who would do a business deal with Satan if it made him an extra $5 ... at the same time, he also comes off as a guy who would punch Jesus Christ if he insulted Stephanie's weight.
Here is another layer to the Savage case that not many people have mentioned. Bischoff's book claims that Savage left for WCW mainly because Vince wanted him to concentrate as a commentator in WWE while Savage wanted to wrestle. At this time, Savage was 41-years old and - based on his performance in WCW - was still good enough to wrestle full time. The question is, "Why did McMahon not let him wrestle?"
Think about it this way: HBK is 45-years old and in the biggest non-title match at WrestleMania. Triple H is 41-years old and will probably headline another 5 WrestleManias. Flair was wrestling a major match at WrestleMania at 59-years old. Hogan was winning WWE World Titles in his 50s.
Is it possible that VKM was abiding by the old adage, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" when dealing with Savage. Is it possible that VKM refused to allow Savage to wrestle because he knew it would make him miserable? Just a conspiracy theory, I know - but I am curious as to why Savage was given the shaft with WWE when it came to wrestling into his 40s and 50s when so many before him and after him were allowed to wrestle as long as they wanted to wrestle.