Reports: Is Vince McMahon Back on WWE's Creative Team?
When WWE announced Vince McMahon had returned to the company last month as its executive chairman, it was repeatedly stated publicly by McMahon, company officials and Paul Levesque that he would not be stepping back into his old role overseeing WWE's booking on its Creative Team. And while speculation that he would try to gradually maneuver his way back into that position simmered throughout January, it suddenly reached a boiling point this week.
It started with Dave Meltzer via Wrestling Observer Radio, who claimed McMahon "definitely" had creative input into the Bloodline vs. Sami Zayn storyline. Zayn, despite having a massive wave of fan support, came up short against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber this past Saturday in his hometown of Montreal.
“It’s Paul Levesque and Vince (McMahon). Vince does have input into this 1 (Sami Zayn/Bloodline story). He definitely does.
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) February 18, 2023
But still in theory it’s Paul’s decision & we’ll see, I don’t know, Paul’s never been in this situation ever as a creative guy”
- Dave Meltzer
(via WOR) pic.twitter.com/4ntSsOx1Yb
This lines up with previous comments Levesque has made about taking input on booking from a variety of people, including his father-in-law. But Levesque reportedly emphasized in talent meetings shortly after McMahon's return that he still has the final say when it comes to booking and that McMahon's focus is on WWE's attempt at a sale.
"I want to reiterate just how excited I am and how much fun I am having in my role as Chief Content Officer. And I also want to add that having Vince around has been great. And I will tell you this, it will allow me to speak for our entire creative team, that we're standing on the shoulders of giants. So having him back and involved, even at just The Board level, comes with his incredible insight, and he is a tremendous asset to this company...I look forward to continuing to build the business alongside this leadership team for the long term," Levesque said during the latest quarterly investors' conference call.
Then this week's Monday Night Raw rolled around, which featured the announcement that Omos was challenging Brock Lesnar to a match at WrestleMania 39 this coming April. Online wrestling fans thought this might be a sign of McMahon stepping back in as this was the type of match he loved to book. This prompted a response from Meltzer on Wednesday.
I don't have the answer but people who know Vince better than almost anyone have said that. They don't know either. But they know his mindset. I'll have more on that tonight as far as that match in the Mania report coverage. https://t.co/AcuCYZkLKV
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) February 22, 2023
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp then tweeted out that a wrestler had reached out to him believing that McMahon was back to running creative, while also noting he personally hasn't heard of Vince being at any of WWE's shows since forcing his way back onto the WWE Board of Directors.
He then broke down the situation on Fightful Select's The List Goes On Podcast. He stated that a wrestler reached out to him claiming that another power struggle was going on behind the scenes and that McMahon and forced his way back to the Creative Team, but had nothing to verify those claims. Sapp then noted that a high-ranking WWE official responded by saying the claim was "absolutely false," though WWE declined to officially comment on the record.
1commentsSources within WWE that would be in the position to know tell Fightful Select that these fears are unfounded. We couldn't get any confirmations on those talent's fears, as noted in the original post.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) February 22, 2023
HHH has been open that Vince has input, and is been adamant to talent that… https://t.co/T7zN7mkyPi