Was Vince McMahon Backstage At WWE Raw This Week?

Vince McMahon was not present at this week's WWE Raw in North Little Rock, Arkansas, reports Fightful Select.

Currently, there is no word on what kind of creative influence, if any, McMahon may have enforced on the saw, having recently returned to power in the wake of WrestleMania 39 - and Endeavor's takeover of the company.

Vince, 77, has been back on WWE's Board of Directors as Executive Chairman since January. Effectively holding the promotion to ransom, he had stated, in a letter to the Board, that unless they consented to his return, he would not agree to any sale of the company or new media rights deals. Returning as an executive, McMahon then set about replacing non-compliant executives with more agreeable names, including George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, both of whom he had fired previously.

Endeavor's WWE buyout was formally announced on Monday, 3 April. Appearing on CNBC later that day, McMahon stated that although he would have a degree of creative control over WWE's big decisions, he wouldn't be "in the weeks" as he was prior to resigning in disgrace last July. Later that day, Vince made wholesale changes to the 3 April Raw script, some of which were still ongoing after the broadcast had commenced.

Vince was not backstage at the 7 April SmackDown, 10 April Raw, or 14 April SmackDown, though multiple reports from different outlets have confirmed his return to creative power. Triple H remains WWE's Chief Content Officer, but McMahon, if he pleases to do so, can have final say on all creative matters.