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There was a lot of buzz surrounding the Vince McMahon segment that was announced for SmackDown. When the segment happened, the general reaction was to be perplexed, as he just sent a four-word message without addressing any of the allegations.
There were reactions from the moment the segment was announced for SmackDown. Some names, such as Maria Kanellis, expressed that she wasn't happy with it and criticized the decision as "disrespectful" and an "abuse of power".
From the look of things, the backstage reaction wasn't very different. It was reported on Fightful Select that a lot of the talent wasn't pleased with the way McMahon handled the situation. One backstage source described it as tone-deaf and embarrassing:
"A top talent immediately contacted Fightful and said it was "tone deaf and embarrassing," and believed it was his way of putting himself on screen as a power move to lessen the impact of an investigation's findings."
Another former top talent who left the company said that it shows that he has zero accountability.
"A former top talent who left the company said that 'I'm happy it didn't last long, so I didn't have to sit through whatever bulls**t he was going to say. But it shows that he has no accountability, especially when something is directly his fault.'"
A third person who reportedly worked with Vince McMahon said that they were "enraged" by the appearance. This person was supposedly backstage and described the segment as "incredulous" to watch.
Was this Vince McMahon's last TV appearance for a while?
It seems plausible that we witnessed Vince McMahon's last televised appearance. He appeared regularly in 2022, particularly on RAW, where he served as a mentor for the United States Champion Theory.
It wouldn't be surprising to see McMahon step away from the spotlight, at least until the investigation concludes. This will likely mean that Theory will have to move on from Mr. McMahon's storyline.
Was McMahon's SmackDown appearance just a way to pop the ratings? Voice your thoughts in the comments section below.
