Backstage reaction of Superstars to Paul Heyman being removed as Executive Director of RAW

WWE announced that Paul Heyman is no longer the Executive Director of RAW in a statement released on its official website. The creative teams of RAW and SmackDown have now been consolidated, and Bruce Prichard will lead the group.

WWE issued the following statement:

In an effort to streamline our creative writing process for television, we have consolidated both teams from Raw and SmackDown into one group, led by Bruce Prichard. Paul Heyman will concentrate on his role as an in-ring performer.

Sean Ross Sapp released an exclusive Fightul Select report, which revealed the initial backstage reactions to Paul Heyman's removal from his backstage role. There is general disappointment and surprise amongst some, and that's understandable.

It was noted that none of the people that Fightful spoke to were aware of the backstage changes before WWE made the official announcement on Twitter.

It was also revealed that the younger wrestlers from the roster are particularly disappointed as Paul Heyman was known for his desire to push new blood on his shows. Fightful spoke to many performers both in and out of the WWE, and the responses were said to have 'landed all over the map.'

Some people also indicated that the 'writing was on the wall of late' when it came to Paul Heyman being stripped of his role.

In an update, Fightful added that none of the people they spoke to could point towards a possible argument, blow up, or any disagreement that could have acted as the catalyst for the decision. Even if there was one, the details of it have not been doing the rounds backstage.

What's next for Paul Heyman?

Almost everyone working on #wweraw has been thrilled to work under Heyman and has developed massively in some cases.That said, #SmackDown has very much found a rhythm so we'll see what comes of this.#wwe accounce that Bruce Pritchard takes over Raw and Smackdown. https://t.co/axHUpbSOAI

— Tom Colohue (@Colohue) June 11, 2020

There are currently no details about the reason behind WWE's decision to end Paul Heyman's stint as the Executive Director of RAW.

The official reason stated is to 'streamline the creative writing process' on both brands, but there could be more to the story than what meets the eye. We should ideally know more about the same in the days to follow.

Paul Heyman will continue to focus on his on-screen role, which should primarily involve managing Brock Lesnar, who is expected to return soon. Paul Heyman was appointed the Executive Director of RAW in June 2019, and he relinquishes the role exactly one year later.

The saddest thing for me regarding Paul Heyman no longer being the Executive Director of #WWERAW is that he‘s largely to thank for @DMcIntyreWWE cutting “unscripted” promos - as the WWE Champion himself told me.Hopefully the change isn’t too notable.pic.twitter.com/gASURL6iqI

— Gary Cassidy (@WrestlingGary) June 11, 2020

What's next for Paul Heyman? Did WWE make the right call with the massive backstage changes? Will Bruce Prichard replicate his recent success on SmackDown on the Red Brand? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section and stay tuned for more updates on this big story.