Vince McMahon Reportedly Has Backstage Heat With WWE Talent
Vince McMahon has stepped down from his roles as CEO and chairman of WWE, but that won't prevent him from reportedly appearing on the June 17 edition of Friday Night SmackDown. This is amid an investigation by WWE's board into an alleged $3 million hush payment to a former paralegal to not speak about an affair with the former CEO.
His daughter, Stephanie, has taken over as interim CEO and chairwoman. Head of talent relations, John Laurinaitis, is also being investigated by the board and at this time it isn't known whether or not he'll remain with WWE. McMahon, despite the examinations of his past behavior, will remain in control of creative. It also remains to be seen whether or not he'll be appearing in character on SmackDown, but some talents are apparently unhappy with the idea of him going out on television.
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A report by Fightful indicates that when asked about the SmackDown appearance the "immediate reaction...in the company was frustration, as several said they viewed the move as a largely superficial move." The report also states that "(o)ne talent said they saw Vince McMahon appearing on screen as a 'cheap ratings ploy in the middle of something serious.'" CNBC.com initially reported that Vince would be appearing on SmackDown. WWE.com is actively advertising his appearance on Fox as well.
It isn't particularly difficult to imagine wrestlers backstage being upset by the idea of McMahon appearing on SmackDown given everything that is going on. His past relationships were allegedly consensual, but this is still a massive deal for both him personally and WWE as a whole. Maintaining control over creative means that he'll be interacting with talent
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