Despite Vince McMahon’s seemingly permanent exit from WWE, his influence loomed large over the company throughout 2023, well after his initial “stepping away” in 2022.

In early 2023, reports, most notably from Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, highlighted how McMahon’s presence continued to shape WWE’s creative direction, especially as WrestleMania 39 approached. Even with Triple H officially in charge of day-to-day creative, the decisions did not always reflect his sole vision. Talent were reportedly pulled from television without explanation, and several key storyline plans were significantly altered, illustrating that McMahon’s influence was far from gone.

One striking instance of McMahon’s continued involvement came in the build-up to the WrestleMania 39 clash between Finn Balor and Edge. According to Fightful Select, Balor had originally been booked to defeat Edge, bringing their long-running feud to a close. However, McMahon stepped in and overruled the plan, insisting that Edge go over, despite Edge himself reportedly wanting to elevate Balor. The change, typical of McMahon’s last-minute decision-making, left uncertainty backstage, with some unsure whether the original finish had ever been communicated to the talent involved.

Speculation swirled around McMahon’s potential hand in the outcome of the highly debated WrestleMania 39 main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, particularly after Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. However, reports suggest that this decision had been locked in well in advance and was not altered by McMahon.

Still, his fingerprints were undeniably all over the chaotic Raw that followed WrestleMania. That show reportedly underwent a barrage of last-minute rewrites, with one source describing McMahon’s disruptive presence as that of a “Tazmanian Devil” tearing through the script.

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, Ben Kerin Mar 22, 2025 11:43AM