Vince McMahon upset Vic Joseph with WWE PLE decision, ex-talent says

Former WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon
Former WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon

One of Vince McMahon's most controversial creative decisions came at Hell in a Cell 2019 when The Fiend faced Seth Rollins. Matt Camp, a WWE digital team member at the time, recently recalled how Vic Joseph was allegedly upset due to commentators' treatment after the show.

Many fans expected Bray Wyatt's The Fiend persona to capture the Universal Championship inside Hell in a Cell. However, the referee stopped the match without declaring a winner after Rollins used a sledgehammer as a weapon.

On The Wrestling Matt, Camp said then-RAW commentator Joseph was frustrated that fans took their anger out on announcers after the event. He also revealed that McMahon's reaction to the finish was different to the audience:

"Vince is skipping, like he's giddy, and he goes to high-five Vic and Vic blows him off, so now it's me and Vince, and I'm there a month and I'm going [wondering whether to say anything] and he just doesn't even know I'm there and he keeps going," Camp stated. [16:49 – 17:04]
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Vince McMahon's booking decision caused controversy because Hell in a Cell matches are usually competed under No DQ rules. Had regular stipulations been applied, the bout would have continued.


Vince McMahon's Hell in a Cell instruction for WWE commentators

The dual-branded WWE event featured commentators from RAW and SmackDown. While Corey Graves and Michael Cole called the action for the blue brand, RAW matches were covered by Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler, and Vic Joseph.

According to Matt Camp, Vince McMahon wanted the RAW crew to stay seated at the end of the show while fans vented their frustration:

"I found out that Vince made the commentators stay out there in Sacramento, and that crowd was so p****d. They're throwing stuff, and I think Vic was upset about that, like, 'Why are you leaving me out there to get pelted with cr*p?' And Vince loved the crowd reaction." [17:05 – 17:23]

Joseph was the RAW lead announcer for four months before being replaced by Tom Phillips. He has been NXT's play-by-play commentator since August 2020.

What did you make of The Fiend vs. Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell 2019? Hit the discuss button and let us know.


Please credit The Wrestling Matt and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

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Edited by Danny Hart
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