Report: WWE Backstage In "Chaos" Thanks To You Know Who...
An update on the current backstage situation WWE following a certain high-level return...
In what has become a familiar topic since WrestleMania 39, Vince McMahon's return to day-to-day WWE operations has coincided with an increasingly chaotic feeling backstage, according to a new report.
Dave Meltzer stated as much on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He noted Bianca Belair referring to herself as the "SmackDown Women's Champion" during Monday's Raw, while Rhea Ripley, the true SmackDown title-holder did the same, pointing to this as an example of "people being told different things that change all the time."
While WWE isn't in "complete chaos" backstage, there is "a lot of chaos right now."
When co-host Bryan Alvarez called out the hokeyness surrounding a potential Belair/Ripley belt swap, which seems inevitable after the Raw and SmackDown Women's Champions were drafted to the opposite brand, Meltzer attributed this to Vince. "WWE is written for Vince McMahon," he said. "It's going to be hokey. It's just how it is."
Having resigned in disgrace amidst multiple sexual misconduct allegations in July 2022, McMahon, 77, returned to the company's Board of Directors as Executive Chairman in January 2023. Effectively, this was a coup. Writing to the Board, who initially objected to his advances, McMahon stated that unless he was allowed to return in his new position, he would not consent to a new media rights deal being signed or the sale of the company. Despite resigning last July, McMahon retained majority decision-making power, giving him the power to make good on his threats.
Vince has since regained the final say on all things creative in WWE, per post-WrestleMania 39 reports. Nary a Raw passes without reports of scripts being torn up and last-minute changes. Paul 'Triple H' Levesque remains WWE's Chief Content Officer, albeit at the mercy of Vince's approval.