Why Big E Wasn’t On WWE SmackDown This Week

Vince McMahon is the ultimate decision maker in WWE, and nobody wants to have their idea rejected by the Chairman. This is why it is rare to hear an idea pitched to him that he didn’t invite.

We previously covered how WWE’s scripts come together. There are a serious of pitches, but in the end, Vince McMahon must sign off on everything. If someone isn’t pitched then they’re not making it on the show, even if that particular Superstar should be on the show.

Ringside News has learned that Vince McMahon didn’t explicitly say anything about Big E or Chad Gable this week. He also didn’t ask, “what do you have for Big E?” or “what do you have for Gable?” This is why nothing was pitched.

A tenured member of the creative team explained the situation that simply. We were told “since [McMahon] didn’t ask about them, no one pitched anything.”

Nobody wants to be in the position where they pitch something to Vince McMahon that he doesn’t want to hear. Rejection is a terrible thing and nobody wants it. They certainly don’t want to pitch something in that environment that they aren’t certain Vince McMahon even wants to hear. If he doesn’t mention someone specifically then he might not want to hear something for them.

It is also important to remember that this is not the end of any push for Big E. Superstars can skip a week, but when those absences become too frequent then it is time to start worrying. There is still a plan for Big E.

We have been told there is no consistency from the top of the creative chain for months, a situation that was amplified by Paul Heyman’s firing. Heyman pulled for continuity and a flow of storylines as Executive Director of Raw. Hey also pushed for long-term storyline plans. Obviously, that practice is a thing of the past in WWE.