Vince McMahon‘s reported return to being in charge with the April 3 episode WWE RAW led to a major hit to morale, according to a number of sources.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that there was a “huge hit” to morale after McMahon made sweeping changes in the aftermath of a talent meeting on April 3, where Triple H and Nick Khan emphasized that nothing would be changing.
Sapp wrote that several WWE talent were frustrated with the way a number of McMahon-like changes were made the day WWE announced that it had reached an agreement with Endeavor. The report notes that McMahon changed a lot of the plans for WWE RAW, and he was in Gorilla position all night, though WWE sources had previously made it clear that Triple H would be leading creative.
The report also stated that last-minute changes were made during the show, even as it was on the air, which led to more frustration within the roster. Some expressed that they were upset with the “dishonesty of the situation”, rather than the changes themselves, as they felt like they were misled with the claim that Triple H would still be leading the charge
In the report, Sapp noted that the last-minute changes were a departure from the way things had been going under Triple H’s leadership. Two women’s triple threat matches were scrapped from the show, and Bayley was scheduled to be at ringside for the tag team championship contender match, but this was also cut, leading to more frustration.
On that note, several of the women’s wrestlers were “very disappointed”, including some who weren’t even at RAW on Monday. The situation was said to be biggest hit to morale since McMahon stepped away in 2022.
Sapp cited one source who noted that the April 7 episode of WWE SmackDown will be a “big test”; McMahon was already in Los Angeles ahead of the RAW after Mania, as he was at WrestleMania 39. If he travels to Portland for SmackDown, the source expressed that this would be a “huge negative sign to talent and staff.”
Additionally, Sapp cited at least two talent, including one star that’s near the top of the card, who stated they would likely request their release if the RAW after WrestleMania became a trend moving forward and another who indicated that they would ride out their deal. Meanwhile multiple wrestlers are reportedly exploring their hypothetical options if McMahon became consistently involved, as he was on Monday.
WrestleZone will continue to monitor the situation and provide information as it becomes available.
