WWE Rumor Roundup - Former Champion considered to be dangerous in the ring, Big name has had talks with AEW, Secrecy over Keith Lee's status - 16th May 2021 

#2 WWE's nixed plans for Throwback SmackDown; why Vince McMahon cut parody segment

The throwback episode of WWE SmackDown had some decent moments throughout the show, but it could have been a whole lot better had the original plans gone through.

Dave Meltzer has now revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE canceled multiple pre-planned segments due to time constraints.

WWE had booked Mia Yim to make her SmackDown debut on the show, but the angle was pulled. Also nixed was an Aleister Black vignette.

Dave Meltzer added that Mia Yim's debut was tentatively rescheduled for the May 14th episode, but the plan didn't come to fruition again.

Pat McAfee's parody segment on Vince McMahon was also not aired on SmackDown as Vince McMahon felt that the spoof angle looked stupid and comical in the wrong way.

Here's what Meltzer noted:

Also on the Throwback show, there was a Pat McAfee taped segment where he would pretend to be a young Vince McMahon. It was cut out of the show. We were told the reason McMahon cut if from the show is that McAfee didn't look or sound like a young McMahon, and he thought it looked stupid, comical in the wrong way. He felt that instead of what he was looking for, a parody of himself, he felt it was a parody of a parody.

Last-minute changes in the WWE are pretty standard, but several superstars are missing TV time due to the oft-repeated backstage chaos. Mia Yim's SmackDown debut, however, should ideally happen soon.