Bruce Pichard Sets The Record Straight on Chaos Erupting in Vince McMahon’s Absence from WWE Shows

Vince McMahon was the prime driving force for WWE for a long time before his departure from the company amidst the lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant.

McMahon has been consistent in producing WWE television content and participating in all backstage work at WWE shows for many years. On the recent episode of Something To Wrestle With, WWE Executive Director—CWT, Bruce Prichard, addressed the reports of chaos erupting at WWE shows when Vince McMahon missed them.

Pichard stated that When Vince McMahon missed shows, it wasn’t chaotic backstage. Everyone knew their roles and could function seamlessly, filling in for absent people. He made it clear that the idea that everything crumbles without Vince is a misconception; the team is well-trained and competent, handling tasks efficiently regardless of his presence.

Moreover, even when Vince left the picture, the operations remained smooth. Reports from outsiders often misrepresented the situation, claiming chaos when, in reality, the team continued their work as usual, sometimes unaware of McMahon’s absence until much later.

“No, not at all. I mean, it was — you know, here’s the thing, people are [like] ‘Oh, my God.’ Everybody is trained. Everybody knows their jobs, and can function and do it. You take away one piece and everybody fills in, does their job, and covers whoever is gone as well. So to that I say, it’s like everybody thinks, ‘Oh my god, if somebody’s gone, it’s gonna just crumble.’ Not even close. Everybody is trained, and everybody is very good at their jobs and what they do, and they just do their jobs. There is no — the rhetoric, the perception that it all just crumbles.

And I think, you even look later on with Vince no longer in the picture, where it’s ‘Oh, my God is gonna crumble.’ No, it’s not. We’ve been trained. Everybody’s been trained for years to do their job. And we did it while he was there, and we did it without him. So that’s what it is. And without him being there, it was not a lot. A lot of times — you know, it’s funny. You read reports from people who aren’t there or have any clue. I would read reports that I wasn’t there, but yet I was there, literally in the building calling the show from an office. But because whoever the stooges were that were feeding the information back to the dirt sheet people didn’t know that. Had no clue, but yet it’s reported as fact. And it’s inaccurate. It’s just lies, it’s just incorrect information. So same thing here. You know, it was like sometimes Vince was there, and sometimes when Vince wasn’t there, people didn’t even notice. Because people just did their jobs and carried on. And a lot of times, they don’t even know that until way down the road.”

Furthermore, Bruce also added that there were fewer changes without Vince McMahon at the show, though communication with him continued on the phone. He believed in improving the show until it aired, which led to last-minute adjustments. Also, Pichard claimed that the necessity to rewrite segments during the show often fell to others, especially when dealing with unforeseen circumstances like injuries or timing issues. These changes were part of the live production process and not arbitrary decisions.

“Less, definitely less. So again, it just comes down to, you’re still talking to him. He has a phone, you’re going to be talking to him. But also, I would say that there was a need, maybe in his mind, to — until that show is on the air live, that you have an opportunity to make it better. Now, that’s all relative, and that’s all personal feeling. I think that the general feeling was that, ‘We can make it better.’ And you’re going to keep going until and relook at it until man, it’s on the air.”

With Vince McMahon now gone from the company, WWE has ushered into a new era under Paul “Triple H” Levesque, which is operating entirely different from McMahon’s style and producing record-smashing and highly enthralling content each week for the WWE Universe.

What are your thoughts on Bruce Pichard setting the record straight regarding the discussion of backstage chaos on WWE shows in Vince McMahon’s absence? Sound off in the comments!