5 important decisions Vince McMahon reportedly made in 2021

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has made several important decisions since the start of 2021.

A few superstars have returned after long absences, while other top ones have left. WWE has also sent some wrestlers back to NXT and split a few tag teams.

Although several people have contributed to making these decisions backstage in WWE, there have been a few that McMahon has reportedly made himself this year. According to reports, The Chairman was the one who decided to let a legend go and split a successful group.

Here are five decisions Vince McMahon reportedly made in 2021.

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#5. Vince McMahon decided to call up some NXT Superstars to the main roster

WWE called up several NXT talents to the main roster, including Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox, Finn Balor, Toni Storm, and others. Nonetheless, the decision to call up these stars was reportedly Vince McMahon's.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Chairman decided to call several NXT Superstars to RAW and SmackDown after seeing the advance ticket sales for the returning WWE tours. He then thought the main roster needed new, fresh, and exciting talent.

After visiting the WWE Performance Center, The Chairman decided to call up a few NXT Superstars he believed were ready for a bigger role.

More NXT Superstars recently joined RAW and SmackDown as a result of the 2021 WWE Draft. Austin Theory, Drake Maverick, and Mia Yim joined the Red Brand. Meanwhile, Hit Row, Aliyah, Xia Li, and Ridge Holland joined the Blue Brand.

Although McMahon reportedly wanted to add more excitement to the WWE main shows by calling these NXT Superstars up, a few of them have appeared only a few times on television since joining their new brands.

Toni Storm, for example, has only wrestled in three matches on SmackDown since July.

#4. Vince McMahon decided to release several NXT Superstars

Like he decided to call up several NXT Superstars to the main roster, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was reportedly the one behind letting many others go.

Last August, WWE announced the release of several NXT talents, including stars like Bronson Reed, Bobby Fish, Leon Ruff, Mercedes Martinez, and many others. Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that the cuts were Vince McMahon's decision.

Meltzer also explained that McMahon believed NXT had too many people and needed to go through some downsizing. The Chairman reportedly thought several NXT Superstars were too small or too old. Hence, he wanted to bring in bigger and younger guys to WWE's third brand.

Meltzer additionally said WWE President Nick Khan has no say in who gets cut from the talent roster. Instead, McMahon is the only person who can make the call on who WWE releases.

A few of the released NXT Superstars have already joined other promotions. Bobby Fish, for example, recently joined All Elite Wrestling. In his debut match, Fish challenged Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship but came up short. Last Wednesday, he lost to CM Punk on AEW Dynamite.

#3. Vince McMahon decided to let Ric Flair go

Last August, WWE announced the release of Hall of Famer Ric Flair. It was reportedly Vince McMahon's decision to let him go.

Following his WWE release, Flair issued an official statement on his Twitter account. The Nature Boy made it clear that he was not upset with WWE. He said the following to People's Maria Pasquini and Elissa Rosen:

"We just didn't see eye to eye on some business opportunities that I wanted to pursue, so I asked for my release." Flair continued, "There has been no animosity and everything has been on friendly terms."

Nonetheless, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio told a different story about Flair's release. According to Meltzer, Flair was not pleased with the way WWE was booking his daughter, Charlotte. He voiced his opinion in a text message he sent to the WWE Chairman.

“He had sent a message, I think it was a text message, but he had sent a message to Vince McMahon, and it was basically complaining about Ashley’s….Charlotte’s booking, her situation, and now he’s gone. I’ve seen it said it was his decision to leave, and I just know from people who I know who are closer to this situation than I am that say that it was Vince’s decision," Dave Meltzer said.

A few days after his WWE departure, Ric Flair appeared at AAA Triplemania 29 alongside his daughter's fiancé, Andrade.

#2. Vince McMahon decided to split up The Hurt Business

The Hurt Business was one of the most successful stables in WWE between last year and earlier this year. Nonetheless, Vince McMahon was reportedly the one who decided to split them up last March.

The Hurt Business included Bobby Lashley, MVP, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin. After they joined forces, Lashley won the United States Championship and then the WWE Title. Benjamin and Alexander also held the RAW Tag Team Championships for a while.

Despite the group's success, the WWE Chairman decided to break it up, according to a report from Fightful Select. The same report noted that the Hurt Business members did not like the decision. Lashley and MVP even met with McMahon to discuss his idea. However, The Chairman insisted on his decision.

Last March, Lashley attacked Benjamin and Alexander and kicked them out of the group. However, MVP kept referring to himself and The All Mighty as The Hurt Business.

Six months later, The Hurt Business reunited when Benjamin and Alexander helped Lashley fight off The New Day on the September 27 episode of Monday Night RAW.

#1. Vince McMahon decided to take charge of NXT's production

WWE recently rebranded NXT. The show has also reportedly gone through significant changes, including WWE Chairman Vince McMahon taking charge of its production.

Several weeks back, Bryan Alvarez said during Wrestling Observer Live that several sources in WWE told him McMahon would take command of NXT's production alongside Bruce Prichard.

"I have been told by several people that when they go back to live shows that this will be a Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard production. I want you all to remember that and I want you to watch the show if that is the case, because I was told repeatedly by fans that Vince had to be booking NXT for over a year now, and I told you that Vince wasn’t booking NXT and you didn’t believe me. Well, it appears that very soon he is going to be in charge of NXT," Alvarez stated.

NXT recently debuted a new colorful logo and introduced brighter lighting. This change came about as McMahon reportedly wanted to get away from the dark look of the show.

It's also been noted that the WWE Chairman is determined to sign fewer names from the independent scene and depend more on younger talent moving forward.