Why Paul Heyman Was Removed From WWE Exec. Role, Talent Concerned
"Vince did not like Paul."
Late last week, it was revealed that Paul Heyman had been removed from his Monday Night Raw Executive Director role, as part of a consolidation of WWE's creative team in a bid to address perpetually tumbling ratings.
In his stead is drafted SmackDown director and Vince McMahon's right-hand man Bruce Prichard, who now sees his backstage power extended across both of the company's main roster brands.
According to Justin Barrasso, writing for Sports Illustrated, it wasn't one specific incident or failure which led to Heyman's demotion, but rather a fundamental difference in philosophy between he and Vince McMahon - something that has only been exacerbated since the latter's attention was diverted from the aborted XFL reboot.
Prichard, Barrasso states, is much more adept at pitching the sort of ideas McMahon will accept - as opposed to the ones which might make for a better product.
The reason for Heyman's departure was presented in much simpler terms by one front-office worker, speaking anonymously with Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter: "Everyone knew it was coming. Vince did not like Paul."
The Observer further reports that a number of Raw talent, and in particular those who have received pushes under Heyman, are understandably concerned at the backroom changes. The lack of live crowds has made it impossible to tell which of the new acts have been getting over, and there's a fear they will now be scapegoated for dwindling TV ratings - in reality, part of an endemic problem that has been aggravated by an ongoing global crisis which has severely hampered the presentation of the product.
Meltzer speculates that with Heyman out the picture, long-term planning will be out the window, and we could see a return to the sort of slapdash hot-shotting which has contributed to Raw's decline prior to 2020's woes.