Welcome to the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the important founded and unfounded rumors floating around the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed over the past few days. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt!
Note on Vince McMahon's current creative process
Vince McMahon is said to keep WWE creative the way it is moving forward. He is apparently surrounding himself with people who are telling him that everything is "great" and "TV ratings don't mean what they used to," which was why John Laurinaitis was placed back in talent relations. It is a departure from his behavior in the past, in which he still surrounded himself with people who would tell him the truth. The new guaranteed TV and streaming deals also aren't helping matters. (Source: WON)
We say: We're not sure just how much of this is anti-WWE bias from Dave Meltzer, but it's easy for anyone to believe. It makes sense—when you've got guaranteed revenue streams and worldwide popularity from both lucrative deals and shortchanging your talents and employees, it's real easy to be complacent. The status quo isn't changing anytime soon, perhaps until he finally kicks the bucket.
Vince McMahon strict with COVID-19 measures
In other news, McMahon is also now strict with wrestlers taking the necessary COVID-19 precautions. He has become "upset" with people who have been lax. WWE's COVID-19 response has improved since the beginning of the pandemic, with tests being done every week before tapings and events. (Source: Fightful Select)
We say: Well, there's that, at the very least.
Update on WWE's leg-slapping ban
People in WWE are confident that Vince McMahon's notorious ban on leg-slapping during strikes will go away quietly. The ban was a knee-jerk reaction from McMahon after a wrestler on SmackDown slapped his leg in a very obvious way. Leg-slapping is a technique that has been around for generations of pro wrestling to make strikes sound more impactful. (Source: WON)
We say: The idea of leg-slapping itself is silly, but is something already bought into by the current generation of fandom. There's really not much impact on banning the practice when it's already widely known.
Photo from WWE
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