WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon Reportedly Not A Fan Of Champion, Plans To End His Push Soon
Paul Heyman being fired from his position as the executive director of Monday Night Raw will reportedly see Vince McMahon become even more hands-on with the show. This means that he could stop pushing some of the superstars who Heyman was focusing on prior to his dismissal, such as Apollo Crews.
According to Sportskeeda‘s Tom Colohue, McMahon has never been a fan of the current United States Champion, and he doesn’t seem intent on continuing to push the superstar in the long-term. The report states that several wrestlers are worried about their positions on the card, but Crews is the most likely to have his recent momentum derailed as a result of the backstage shakeup.
“A lot of people who were pushed by Paul Heyman in his time in that role, are likely to suffer now… Ricochet is someone we’ve already seen had the rug pulled out from under him. Apollo Crews is apparently someone that Vince McMahon really isn’t a fan of, and we could see this push could end sooner rather than later.”
Colohue went on to say that Crews might not drop the United States Championship immediately, but it could happen in the coming weeks unless McMahon’s opinion of the star changes during that time. Crews will defend the title against Andrade — who he beat for the championship on a recent episode of Monday Night Raw — at Backlash this Sunday.
While it’s not uncommon for superstars to lose the titles shortly after winning them in WWE, Crews’ win is very recent and Andrade was the champion for months before him. However, there’s no telling which way the match will go at the time of this writing.
According to the report, Colohue’s sources have said that Heyman was pushing the “wrong people” in McMahon’s eyes. Heyman tried to give underutilized stars and young performers a platform during his tenure as the red brand’s executive director, but if the latest rumors are true, those wrestlers are likely to fall back down the pecking order as McMahon initiates some creative changes.
McMahon reportedly fired Heyman due to Monday Night Raw‘s dwindling ratings, so the chairman might not view Heyman’s guys as stars. The creative teams of both brands have been consolidated into one entity that’s being overseen by Bruce Prichard, an executive who supposedly shares McMahon’s tastes and creative vision.
Prichard is one of the masterminds behind the controversial Friday Night SmackDown storyline between Sheamus and Jeff Hardy. That angle was reportedly booked to create shock and bring in more viewers, so perhaps Monday Night Raw will focus more on edgier storylines than pushing promising talents.
