WWE Rumors: Backstage Anger Reportedly At An ‘All-Time High’ Ahead Of This Week’s ‘Friday Night SmackDown’
Morale was reportedly very low backstage in WWE in the lead up to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown, according to WrestleVotes.
The insider Twitter account’s source claimed that “anger” and “unhappiness” was at an “all-time high,” with everyone from the talent to the crew said to have been in a bad mood on Friday.
As WrestlingNews.co pointed out, this marked a drastic change from how everyone behind the scenes felt only a couple of weeks ago. According to the outlet, the mood was upbeat then due to it being WrestleMania season and there behind a light at the end of the tunnel.
The latest development didn’t mention what caused this week’s hostile environment, but WrestlingNews.co speculated that it may have stemmed from the company’s disorganization and uncertainty.
In the report, it was noted that Roman Reigns’ announcement and Seth Rollins’ return to television were the only segments confirmed for this week’s show prior to it airing.
The last-minute nature of the production could have caused some frustration as no one knew what they were doing going into the program.
Of course, it’s not uncommon for officials to leave it until late before confirming which matches and segments make the cut. As The Inquisitr documented last year, Vince McMahon is reportedly difficult to please and prone to tearing up scripts and rewriting entire episodes on a whim.
This has supposedly upset the talent and creative team on occasion, especially since the chairman’s unexpected updates have arguably been worse than the original plans.
In a separate report from Fightful Select, by way of Wrestling Inc, the issues may have stemmed from a meeting that took place earlier today. At the meeting in questions, employees were reportedly told that they wouldn’t be getting promotions, bonuses or raises in the near future.
The article stated that the meeting only involved office workers and backstage employees. However, the unhappiness could have been the result of all of the aforementioned factors if some of the performers were upset, too.
WrestleVotes‘ followers also weighed in and speculated on the matter, with the wrestling fans coming up with a variety of possible reasons.
“Yeah, you should know by now the dramatic changes WWE management makes right before a show might ruffle some feathers,” tweeted one social media user.
“Imagine a billionaire telling his employees they can’t have a pay raise/bonus during a pandemic,” another Twitter user pointed out, echoing the views of several commenters.
