WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon makes last-minute changes before SmackDown Live

What's the story?

Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin is reporting that WWE chairman Vince McMahon has called in the SmackDown Live creative team to rewrite the July 30 episode.

In case you didn't know…

There has been additional focus on WWE’s storylines ever since the announcement that Paul Heyman would oversee the creative direction of Raw and Eric Bischoff would hold the same position on SmackDown Live.

On Raw, clear changes have been made by Heyman over the last few weeks, with The Street Profits debuting on the main roster in backstage segments and Superstars including Maria Kanellis, Cedric Alexander and Ricochet being given more opportunities.

Meanwhile, over on SmackDown Live, Bischoff only recently started his new Executive Director role, and there have been no obvious alterations made to the blue brand’s programming.

The heart of the matter

WWE’s decision-makers have been known to make last-minute changes to SmackDown Live in the past, notably before WrestleMania 35 when a Fatal 4-Way match to determine a #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship was replaced with a title match between Asuka and Charlotte Flair.

With a few hours to go before the next episode of SmackDown Live, Ryan Satin says Vince McMahon has ordered the brand’s creative team to “totally rewrite” the show.

Hearing from sources that Vince McMahon called in the SmackDown creative team to totally rewrite the show today
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) July 30, 2019

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It had previously been announced that Finn Balor would face Dolph Ziggler in a one-on-one match, while Trish Stratus would appear on a special edition of “The King’s Court” with Jerry Lawler.

Last week’s episode also included a segment between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, who revealed in a conversation between themselves that they would be granted a Women’s Tag Team Championship opportunity if they win a non-title match this week.