Welcome to the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the founded and unfounded rumors abound the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt!
- Vince McMahon is apparently on "fuck it" mode nowadays. This may explain the bizarre promo he cut on the D-Generation X segment during last Friday's SmackDown, in which he praised son-in-law Triple H and even defended Bayley from the infamous "This Is Your Life" segment with Alexa Bliss in 2017. McMahon has apparently been like this for the past two weeks backstage, reportedly due to the various mishaps that have happened recently, including the lockdown and the XFL folding again. However, he was still "all business" during the WWE Q1 2020 investors' call. (Source: Wrestling Inc)
We say: Sounds mighty familiar—if this is the guy being tapped by the president to help restart the US economy, then there's something not right. Might as well hand the reins over to someone who could keep it together and steer the company better during this storm.
- Interesting bits from the conference call include plans for WWE to return to Saudi Arabia later in the year and possible contingency plans for studio tapings. Vince McMahon says the company aims to return to the country by November or December, and there are other states who would allow them to continue should Florida shut them down. Losing the second Saudi event this year would not lose them the guaranteed money, as they could just move the canceled show to after the end of the original agreement. (Source: Wrestling Inc)
We say: This company continues to find ways to defy expectations—and that's not necessarily a good thing, especially when it comes to COVID-19.
Let us know what you think of today's news in the comments!
Photo from WWE
