Vince McMahon would never have agreed to current WWE storyline, ex-writer claims (Exclusive)

Vince McMahon has not been involved with WWE's storyline direction since Triple H replaced him as the company's creative figurehead in 2022. According to veteran writer Vince Russo, the 79-year-old would not have approved Travis Scott's WWE appearances in recent months.

Scott walked through the crowd with Jey Uso on RAW's Netflix premiere on January 6. The rapper went on to play a part in John Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber on March 1. He also helped Cena win the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 on April 20.

Russo appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws with EC3 and host Dr. Chris Featherstone. The 64-year-old speculated that McMahon would not have allowed Scott to get involved in the storyline. He also doubted whether Bad Bunny would have competed in a singles match had Triple H not taken over.

"If he [Vince McMahon] didn't know it, bro, he thought everybody didn't know it," Russo said. "I mean, you would never, Chris, have the Travis Scotts today. Vince would have no clue in the world. You think you'd be seeing Bad Bunny on Vince's dime? Never, bro. Never." [From 4:14 – 4:37]

Bad Bunny competed in a tag team match and a Royal Rumble during McMahon's tenure. However, his one-on-one bout with Damian Priest at Backlash 2023 came after the former WWE Chairman had relinquished creative responsibilities.

In the video above, Russo recalled how McMahon reacted when Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons wanted to have a meeting with him.

Vince Russo on Vince McMahon's interests outside of WWE

In the early years of WrestleMania, Vince McMahon tried to broaden WWE's global appeal by bringing in pianist Liberace and singer Aretha Franklin. Liberace served as a guest timekeeper at WrestleMania 1, while Franklin sang at WrestleMania 3 before returning in 2007 to perform at WrestleMania 23.

Vince Russo added that the likes of Franklin and Liberace were included on WWE shows because McMahon enjoyed their work:

"He loved James Brown and Aretha. That was his wheelhouse. Liberace. That's the stuff he loved. He loved that stuff, man." [From 4:47 – 4:59]

In the same episode, Russo explained why McMahon nixed a WWE storyline days before SmackDown debuted as a weekly show in 1999.

Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart