Report: Vince McMahon No Longer Involved In WWE Creative
WWE patriarch gets marching orders from his boss to stay out of creative process.
The era of Vince McMahon tearing up a WWE Raw script hours before the show goes live and upending the entire three-hour program might finally be at an end... for now.
McMahon reportedly "is no longer directly involved in dictating the weekly creative," according to an SI.com report from Justin Barrasso. The report notes that both Triple H and Vince have more defined roles within WWE that more closely align with their job titles. Triple H is the Head of Creative, so that has been left in his control - not Vince's.
Multiple contacts within the WWE and UFC have confirmed that Ari Emanuel, who wields power as the Endeavor CEO, is behind the change. Emanuel has long been a firm believer that, in order for an organization to be as effective as possible, people need to do the job they are assigned. In this case, that approach has empowered Levesque to exert his full influence in the company’s creative sphere.
McMahon spent 40 years overseeing every aspect of WWE until he resigned in disgrace last year amidst allegations he paid millions in hush money to cover up sexual misconduct. He forced his way back into the company just six months later and orchestrated a merger with Endeavor, who also own UFC. At the same time, he began reinserting himself into the creative process for Raw and SmackDown after initially saying he wouldn't have anything to do with those workings.
With the merger being completed last month, McMahon lost majority control of WWE, giving him a boss for the first time since the 1980s. This opened the door for Emanuel to draw more clear distinctions in roles for Vince and his son-in-law. McMahon retained the title of executive chairman and reportedly is overseeing the new media rights contract for Raw and NXT.
Considering that Vince is used to having a stranglehold on every aspect of WWE, it will be fascinating to see how he acclimates to receiving marching orders and being told to stay out of the creative kitchen, so to speak. Maybe he'll grow a beard in protest. Or maybe he'll throw a temper-tantrum. Time will indeed tell.