H Jenkins on January 5, 2023
Vince McMahon has a new plan to make a WWE return, and he is executing it right in front of our eyes. The company’s stock is on the rise as McMahon’s plan to return and sell the sports entertainment giant is seemingly underway.
According to a report from Fightful’s paywall, WWE talent are “floored” by Vince McMahon’s plan to come back. He plans to leverage the company’s upcoming television rights deals into putting him back in control. If he can pull this off, it will drastically derail what Triple H is building, something everyone is very happy with.
Fightful has already heard from dozens within WWE, who were all floored by the announcement. Nobody in any department — talent, production, creative, or general staff — that we heard back from was briefed, tipped off, or given any information before or immediately after the news broke.
“Not one bit, but considering some people from his regime were kept this long, they must have known it would happen. We’ll see if they talk to us tomorrow,” one talent told Fightful, referring to the upcoming January 6th Smackdown taping.
Last month, WSJ reported Vince McMahon told people close to him he was hoping to return, but didn’t state in what capacity. WWE sources came out of the woodwork to let Fightful know — albeit anonymously — that McMahon was not wanted back in a general sense.
Another top WWE talent wasn’t only given any information, but also asked what the possibilities of a return to creative would be. The idea that McMahon could return to creative has been a common concern among talent. The two sources we heard back from within the creative department had not learned of any adjustments to their duties, and said they were sent some notes for Smackdown shortly before the Wall Street Journal’s Vince McMahon story.
Keeping with the theme, production employees were also not informed. The unanimous reaction that we gained from the many who commented on the matter was either bad news, or “news above their pay grade” that they wouldn’t concern themselves with until they needed to. One source noted the increase in the after hours stock price.
One talent said, “Finding out online is scary, and it’s Vince, so I don’t believe a word he says. I hope current management and everything doesn’t change, but only time will tell,” before noting they have a lot of respect for Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Another talent says they believe there will be roster uproar if Vince McMahon returns to head up creative.
“I can’t count how many interviews I’ve read or people I talked to outside the company that said ‘Vince liked me, but I got fired.’ He didn’t like you, he didn’t like any of them. He fired or they wouldn’t have been fired during a pandemic,” one concerned higher up said.
“I would be blown away if he returned to creative,” a recently signed talent said.
Triple H took over WWE’s creative direction, and he got to quick work in re-hiring many people that Vince McMahon fired. It makes a lot of sense if there are a few nervous individuals around WWE right now, especially those who benefited from Triple H’s rise to power.
We will have to keep a close eye on this story as it develops. We aren’t a week into 2023 yet, and this situation is far from over.
What’s your take on this situation? Sound off in the comments!
January 5, 2023 6:55 pm
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