--0152852dc7a097d34540243e9acaf8df.jpg "Vince McMahon Opens WWE SmackDown (Video)")
Backstage Reaction To Vince McMahon’s Appearance On SmackDown – As noted, Vince McMahon opened last night’s WWE SmackDown, not mentioning how he’s stepped down as Chairman & CEO while the WWE Board of Directors investigates he and John Laurinaitis over alleged misconduct.
Fightful Select gives some insight into the variety of reactions people had backstage after the segment concluded. They reportedly ranged from “confused” to “disappointed” to “enraged”. One top talent apparently reached out directly and opined it was “tone-deaf and embarrassing,” and claimed, “It was his way of putting himself on screen as a power move to lessen the impact of an investigation’s findings.”
A former top WWE star responded by saying, “I’m happy it didn’t last long, so I didn’t have to sit through whatever bulls*it he was going to say. But it shows that he has no accountability, especially when something is directly his fault.”
Another individual that works with Vince McMahon and was backstage while it unfolded was “enraged” by the segment and “incredulous” watching it unfold.
It was also noted that the SmackDown segment wasn’t originally featured on the internal script at 5:30 p.m. ET or in the rundown of the show, which was released at 7:50 p.m. Apparently, the segment was planned differently Friday morning from how it actually unfolded on television. We noted how Vince was in a “great mood” backstage before the show began and the term “business as usual” was a term regularly used throughout the night.
Backstage Reaction To Vince McMahon’s Appearance On SmackDown
