WWE's Complete Backstage Chaos Revealed: Wrestlers "Likely" Want Out
Vince McMahon's WWE return crushes morale, leaves wrestlers questioning their future.
WWE's backstage morale has taken a major hit following Vince McMahon's hands-on return to the promotion, leaving several wrestlers claiming they'd question their future should the situation continue.
Several reports on the increasingly chaotic behind-the-scenes situation in WWE emerged following Monday's episode of Raw. Now, Fightful Select has dropped the most comprehensive piece yet, detailing the situation in the wake of Vince's return to power - and Paul 'Triple H' Levesque's apparent elegant to "busy work."
Fightful's report confirms the morale hit. It directly highlights the hypocrisy of McMahon, who claimed in a CNBC interview on Monday that he wouldn't be "in the weeds" of WWE creative, before heading to Raw a few hours later and effectively hacking the show to pieces.
Before Vince's arrival at the arena, WWE President Nick Khan and Levesque led a backstage meeting stressing nothing would change following the promotion's Endeavor takeover. Then, everything changed. Fightful note that McMahon arrived at the building just before Raw started. Much of the broadcast was then changed, with Vince sitting in Gorilla Position, despite WWE sources previously indicating that Triple H would be in that spot as Chief Content Officer and head of creative.
Changes were made as the show was being broadcast, with multiple runsheets passed around. These "sweeping changes" left the roster frustrated. Some felt that even though they didn't think the new creative was poor, necessarily, they didn't like the dishonesty - especially considering many had been fired by Vince during his previous run as Chairman and CEO.
Members of WWE's women's roster were said to be upset by major changes to their night's content, with McMahon scrapping two planned Triple Threat matches and other segments, leaving them with a single tag team match.
Staff and talent were particularly frustrated that after a successful WrestleMania 39, and the past few months proving that WWE could function and prosper without Vince, something like this could happen. The situation was described as "demoralizing." Now, WWE's morale may be at its worst since pre-WrestleMania 38, which Fightful claimed was close to an "all-time low."
All in all, disappointed WWE talent believe the past weekend was a way for McMahon to crowbar himself back into the promotion. His presence - and the promises that he wouldn't be involved to this extent - have left people feeling like they were swindled. At least two talents have indicated that if the situation continues, they will probably request their WWE releases, with another adding that they would "ride out their deal." Several wrestlers are understood to be considering their options should Vince's involvement persist.
Friday's SmackDown show has been described as "a big test and an important day for the company" by one WWE higher-up. Vince was already in Los Angeles, California ahead of Raw, but if he heads to Portland, Oregon for SmackDown, it'll be seen as a huge negative sign.