Report: "Huge Negative Shift" In WWE Morale Following Vince McMahon's Return
Vince McMahon was "firmly back in charge" at last night's WWE Raw.
Morale at last night's episode of WWE Raw took a "huge negative shift" as a direct consequence of Vince McMahon's involvement in the show, reports PWInsider's Mike Johnson.
McMahon, who is set to become Executive Chairman of a NewCo emerging from WWE's impending merger with the UFC after Endeavor's takeover was announced yesterday, was backstage at Raw for the first time since 6 March. A poorly-received broadcast was hit with a number of last-minute changes, a McMahon hallmark during his time as WWE Chairman and CEO.
PWInsider has confirmed Vince's "heavy involvement" in the show, despite the 77-year-old's assertion, on Monday, that he wouldn't be "in the weeds" when it comes to WWE creative.
Raw rewrites were ordered as late as 15-20 minutes prior to the show. Per sources, these didn't feel like the kind of changes WWE personnel expect under Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, who remains WWE's Chief Content Officer under Endeavor. The alterations didn't stop there, continuing as Raw started airing, coming directly from McMahon.
PWInsider's sources have indicated that "there was no doubt that Vince was firmly back in charge following the Endeavor acquisition." Although Monday began with Levesque running Raw via headset, Vince became more involved as the show progressed, doing so as Raw's point person. The disgraced executive, forced to resign amidst sexual misconduct allegations last July, called the shots from the Gorilla Position.
Talent noted the "huge negative shift in morale" upon realising that things had returned to "exactly where they were" prior to Levesque's July 2022 promotion. "The place felt nuked", commented one source. Now, there is a feeling that McMahon will continue overseeing everything going forward, with creative falling under his influence.
That Levesque is a well-liked figure backstage has created a feeling of resignation. Some talents have lost a feeling of security built between SummerSlam 2022 and WrestleMania 39, which represents a big departure. Other talents, however, "more or less shrugged it off", saying they felt McMahon was always going to return to creative in the end, unsure if last night only happened because Vince was in town for WrestleMania and the Endeavor announcement.
Users of the popular wrestling ratings website CAGEMATCH.net have voted last night's Raw the worst in WWE history.