Kids are scared of the bogeyman (or they used to be, at least). For some WWE wrestlers and staff, that same fear is of a very real person: Vince McMahon.
Specifically, after McMahon strongarmed his way back into power in WWE, a number of reputable outlets have cited internal sources suggesting that there was a fear he’d retake creative control. You may recall this is something he and the company had said would not happen, and that Paul “Triple H” Levesque would keep calling the shots on WWE programming.
There was some buzz this week around the internet wrestling community that perhaps Vince had reverse shadow banned himself and was back making the final creative decisions. But that appears to not be the case according to the likes of some of the most well connected peeps in wrestling, like Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp:
Sources 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.
HHH has been open that Vince has input, and is been adamant to talent that… https://t.co/T7zN7mkyPi
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) February 22, 2023
Wade Keller, editor of PWTorch, also says a source told him there’s nothing to this story:
I was told flat out today that Vince McMahon is not back involved in WWE Creative.
— Wade Keller (@thewadekeller) February 22, 2023
Does that mean that absolutely, 100% McMahon isn’t pulling the strings behind the scenes. Of course not. Consider who we’re talking about and how consistently he’s felt (justifiably so, it must be added, at many points) like he’s been the person who know what’s best for WWE over the decades.
But certainly, it seems that from a fan’s perspective, it’s better to save one’s energy for worrying about other things. Like what changes might be coming down the road if/when WWE is sold. Or even sillier little things like why the heck they might book Brock Lesnar vs. Omos for WrestleMania.
On top of that, McMahon seems like he’d just go on Raw and tell the whole world he was back back. That surely would fit the style he’s cultivated over time.
So while talent can understandably ponder anything that might affect them directly, the best thing the rest of us can do is just let this go for now — even if Lesnar vs. Omos does seem suspiciously like the exact match Vince would book if was back in the driver’s seat.