Tag: Vince McMahon

WWE HOFer Goldberg Says Vince McMahon Never Gave Him The Retirement Match He Expected

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg has hit out at Vince McMahon after the former WWE Chairman didn’t stand by a promise he made to the former WCW star.

In his recent appearance on “Steve & Captain Evil: The Podcast,” Goldberg revealed that McMahon had promised him a retirement match after the veteran star agreed to face Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia in 2022. He disclosed that he had COVID prior to the show and had to work hard to get in shape, but McMahon didn’t honor his promise.

“Vince is like Dana White. He’s the big boss and he makes everything happen. In all honesty, he gave me the opportunity to put my wife and my son on the front row and gave me the ability to perform again in front of them. So, I owe him everything,” Goldberg admitted. “Until we went to Saudi Arabia and he asked me to put Roman Reigns over, and I had COVID. I remember calling him from my house and I said, ‘Listen, here is the deal. I’ll do it if you give me a retirement match.’

“I did what he asked. As a performer that runs around in his underwear … I was 56 years old when I did this. As a human being, you’re conscientious about how you look in a bathing suit. Especially two months prior to being in that bathing suit, you couldn’t work out for two months because you had COVID. I put myself in a horribly shi*ty situation to get what I wanted to, but to satiate him and to give him what he wanted. Problem is he never held up his bargain.”

The legendary star didn’t mince words about how he feels about McMahon at the moment: “Vince is a piece of sh*t as far as I’m concerned.”

Earlier this year, Goldberg flouted the idea of possibly having a retirement match in Israel. His last match in WWE was the aforementioned match against Reigns, where he lost to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by submission.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Details On Why Vince McMahon Backed Away From WWE Creative Reportedly Revealed

The roles of Vince McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque in WWE’s creative department appear to have changed. While the latter has been in charge of these duties for quite some time, McMahon is known for having a very hands-on approach when it comes to the company’s television product. However, a report from Sports Illustrated states that Levesque is in charge in the wake of WWE merging with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings following the completion of the Endeavor sale.

According to the report, Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, is behind the change as he believes that everyone in the company should focus on the jobs they’ve been assigned. McMahon is currently an executive chairman, and his main focus for now is to oversee media rights negotiations. As WWE’s Chief Content Officer, however, it’s Levesque’s role to spearhead the creative direction of “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown.”

What’s more, McMahon is said to have an iron-clad contract that protects him financially. However, there doesn’t appear to be any clauses in the agreement that give him license to run the company however he sees fit. Emanuel has the final say over all matters.

Previously, it was reported that McMahon was involved in WWE creative prior to his spinal surgery, which led to him making several changes to the shows. That being said, it’s believed that he stepped away from the role willingly to allow Levesque to steer the ship in that department.

As of this writing, McMahon is under investigation by the federal government, presumably in regard to the hush money payments he made to several women in the past. The outcome of the case remains to be seen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Confirms Vince McMahon’s Recent Spinal Surgery

As previously reported, Vince McMahon underwent major spinal surgery last month.

WWE reported second quarter 2023 financial results on Wednesday. In company filings, WWE confirmed McMahon did undergo surgery.

The filing noted, “On July 21, 2023, Mr. McMahon went on medical leave after undergoing major spinal surgery. Mr. McMahon will remain on medical leave until further notice but will remain Executive Chairman of the Company.”

McMahon walked away from WWE last summer as WWE CEO and Chairman amid the sexual misconduct and hush money allegations that were being investigated at the time. He eventually returned in January and later signed off on the Endeavor Group acquiring WWE to merge the promotion into a new company with the UFC later this year.

Source: eWn

Vince McMahon Underwent Major Spinal Surgery – Was A ‘Major Life-Altering Operation’

Vince McMahon underwent major spinal surgery last week.

Fightful Select has now confirmed with WWE sources that McMahon’s surgery prevented him from working on last week’s SmackDown and this week’s RAW.

The surgery reportedly took five hours and those close to McMahon said that it was a “major, life-altering operation.”

No direct answer was provided when asked if the surgery would affect McMahon’s work on the WWE product in the immediate future.

In addition, Triple H was absent from RAW this week and Bruce Prichard ran the show. Triple H is expected to return imminently.

Several talents on the roster expressed they had no idea about McMahon’s surgery until it was made public.

Source: eWn

WWE Trying To Vince-Proof Bookings From Last-Minute Changes

Vince McMahon has been making increasing changes to WWE RAW and SmackDown in recent weeks, thereby frustrating people in WWE to such an extent that there were recent attempts to minimize those changes.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, McMahon has generally avoided making changes to advertised matches. As such, WWE has been advertising some matches weeks ahead of their planned air dates to “Vince-proof” them.

McMahon reportedly requested new match orders, match times, and additional segments for the June 5th episode of WWE RAW.

However, McMahon’s influence was more significant during the June 19th edition of RAW, as he reportedly made changes to an important storyline segment and WWE World Championship match within the first half hour of the show.

In addition, several matches on the June 23rd episode of SmackDown were changed at McMahon’s command, marking the first time that the blue brand has seen any major alterations since Vince’s return to WWE’s Board Of Directors.

McMahon’s incessant tampering with creative plans has reportedly caused significant frustration throughout WWE.

Source: eWn

Vince McMahon To Become More Involved In WWE Creative

While Vince McMahon has been working remotely since WrestleMania 39, he often makes last-minute changes to the RAW and SmackDown TV tapings.

According to a report from Pwinsider, Vince McMahon’s role in creative is expected to grow in the coming weeks. There were said to have been significant changes made to last week’s RAW and SmackDown TV tapings.

Additionally, it was noted that last night’s episode of RAW would have a lot of “Vince McMahon fingerprints” on it. The belief among some in the company is that this is directly related to WWE’s acquisition by Endeavor.

Finally, it was noted that Vince McMahon would not be n Savannah, Georgia, the site of last night’s WWE RAW TV tapings.

Source: eWn

People In WWE Trying To Prevent Vince McMahon From Making Creative Changes

Vince McMahon changed several things on last week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, including the open challenge by World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. 

After he changed several things on last week’s SmackDown, it left many people in the company frustrated. Matches advertised, such as Bayley vs. Shotzi, Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin, and Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. LA Knight were all nixed. 

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed Fightful’s report that many were left frustrated with McMahon making last-minute changes to the shows.

Meltzer added that there are people in WWE attempting to figure out a way to prevent McMahon from making the changes, but that’s easier said than done.

Source: eWn

Vince McMahon reportedly made changes to Monday’s WWE Raw

According to F4WOnline, although Vince McMahon was not at tonight’s Raw in Chicago, he has still made major changes to Monday’s show.

PWInsider said they were told there had been some major changes to Monday’s Raw script, which were done remotely at Vince McMahon’s request.

PWInsider in their Elite subscription section said that McMahon changed finishes on several matches. The report also notes the match between The Street Profits and Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin was added to the show after McMahon’s changes. 

Fightful reported that Piper Niven and Candice LeRae were scheduled for a backstage segment, then a match, but that The Street Profits vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin was done instead.

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1650664551774314503

PWInsider Elite and Fightconcluded by noting It was also reported that “a number of segments” with the female talents were cut from the show. That would include a backstage segment that was planned with Candice LeRae and Piper Niven. There reportedly was another segment cut that involved Adam Pearce, Sonya Deville, and other female talent. The decision to cut that segment was reportedly made so that they could spend more time on setting up the six-woman tag team match with Damage CTRL. It is interesting that LeRae and Niven were cut because they were also cut at the last minute on the Raw after Mania. Vince McMahon was backstage and running that show.

Source: WrestleView

Details On Vince McMahon’s Lack Of Influence On WWE SmackDown And WrestleMania 39

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque was reportedly the go-to person with regard to creative operations on this week’s “WWE SmackDown.”

As reported earlier, Vince McMahon was not present at the tapings in Portland, Oregon, and “reviewed creative plans remotely.” While there were minor changes made to the script, there was nothing major, which represents a drastic shift from the backstage environment during Monday’s post-WrestleMania 39 “WWE Raw” in Los Angeles.

In an update from PWInsiderElite, a source at the tapings described whatever changes made to the script as “nothing out of the ordinary” in comparison to changes made since Levesque took over creative last year. Typically, rewrites ordered by McMahon are known to wipe out multiple segments and/or matches, but there was “no sign of that today,” the source added. 

Furthermore, Mike Johnson of PWInsider confirmed that the main event plan for WrestleMania 39 was “always locked in” for Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes. Contrary to fan speculation, there were “no last-minute changes due to Vince McMahon” or anyone else. Johnson added that “Cody will be pushed going forward as a top-tier talent,” and the finish to his match with Reigns was kept a secret to the “absolute bare minimum of those who needed to know.” 

For fans who missed “SmackDown,” Triple H cut a very uplifting promo on the show, addressing “the future” in his address to the WWE Universe in Portland. While the primary focus of his speech was to announce the upcoming WWE Draft, Triple H seemed to firmly suggest that he was back calling the shots as it pertains to WWE creative operations, asking fans if they were “ready to play the game.”

It now remains to be seen if the script for Monday’s “Raw” is again altered by McMahon, as was reportedly the case earlier this week.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

‘Fire Vince’ Chant Breaks Out During Commercial Break On WWE NXT

Vince McMahon’s divisive return to WWE in recent months is now starting to spill over into its live audience’s reactions. Wrestling Inc. has independently confirmed reports that the “WWE NXT” crowd began chanting “Fire Vince!” during commercial breaks of Tuesday night’s episode.”‘Fire Vince’ chants on NXT programming … if that isn’t a wake up call to Ari Emanuel and Endeavor I don’t know what is,” one fan tweeted, referencing the company WWE was sold to this week. At least two other users who appeared to be in attendance at the show also shared posts that said “Fire Vince!” chants broke out.

McMahon returned to WWE as its Chairman in January, according to a recent SEC filing, resulting in this week’s sale of the company. His return has sparked concern among a fanbase that had overwhelmingly been in favor of the iconic 77-year-old pro wrestling promoter stepping back from leading the company’s creative direction last year. McMahon initially announced his retirement last summer following the revelation that he made $17.4 million in hush money payments to several women who accused him of sexual misconduct. In doing so, McMahon ceded creative control to his son-in-law Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who took over as WWE’s new Chief Content Officer.

But since the turn of the year, McMahon has brazenly retaken control of the company he built ahead of its sale to Endeavor, reclaimed his position as chairman, and has appeared more and more frequently backstage — culminating in reports that he took firm creative control of this week’s “WWE Raw,” and leaving many fans concerned for WWE’s creative future.

Source: Wrestling Inc.