Backstage ‘Frustration’ Over Vince McMahon WWE SmackDown Appearance

WWE

News of Vince McMahon appearing on tonight’s (June 17) episode of SmackDown has turned a lot of heads today.

Vince McMahon is currently under investigations for allegations against himself and John Laurinaitis, which has led to him temporarily stepping down from his role as CEO and Chairman of the company.

Fightful Select (subscription required) has provided an update on the backstage reaction to the news that McMahon will be on the show. The reaction that Fightful got when speaking to people in the company was frustration, as they said they viewed the move as a largely superficial move.

One talent said they saw Vince appearing on screen as a ‘cheap ratings ploy in the middle of something serious’ and don’t expect much of the culture or presentation of WWE to change with McMahon still around and in control of creative. ‘As long as Vince McMahon still has his creative duties, nothing can change. What could possibly be different? If he asks something of Stephanie as interim CEO, is she going to say no?’ one wrestler said.

There are numerous sources across multiple departments in WWE who have stated to Fightful that they will communicate to higher up and possibly Vince McMahon himself that appearing on screen in-character isn’t a good idea. One wrestler feared that McMahon would attempt to turn this into a “Vince McMahon vs. the world” type narrative that existed after the steroid trial, as seen in Stephanie McMahon’s post-9/11 speech on Smackdown. However, the one source that we spoke to that was close to Vince McMahon now and during those eras agreed this is the biggest threat to McMahon’s power since the steroid trial.

To make sure you stay updated with all the latest wrestling news, add WrestleTalk.com to your Google Discover feed and follow us on Twitter!

• frustration
• Smackdown
• Vince McMahon
• wwe

Share this article with friends