Vince McMahon officially retired from all of his duties in WWE last month. While Triple H has taken over the title of 'Head of Creative', many have questioned whether Vince is still running the show backstage. Recent reports have refuted the claims.
Recent episodes of RAW and SmackDown, along with the SummerSlam premium live event on July 31 have been well received by fans. The shows have had fingerprints of The Game all over, from the returns of previously released stars like Karrion Cross and Dakota Kai, to perceived pushes to stars like Ciampa. However, rumors and conspiracy theories about the former CEO still being a big part of the company's backstage have been ongoing.
Fightful Select has reported that not only are the rumors about Vince pulling the strings not true, but the 77-year old might have limited access to WWE facilities at this point.
The report also states that several sources in the promotion claimed that SummerSlam was a "statement show" and a hint towards how the television shows will run from now onwards.
"If Vince McMahon was still involved to any degree, neither Summerslam or WWE Raw would have resembled what they looked like. Dakota would not have been brought back, Raw would have been several Summerslam rematches." a WWE higher up said, according to Fightful Select
It is also being said that the elder McMahon has no say in WWE's day-to-day runnings.
Following Vince McMahon's exit, Triple H is working to improve the backstage environment
With Vince McMahon now retired, Triple H has not only taken over the creative, but he is also the EVP of Talent Relations. While Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon are co-CEOs of the company, it would not be a mistake to say that WWE is 'The Triple H Show.'
In the same report by Fightful Select, it was stated that the 14-time World Champion is actively working on making the backstage environment better.
Under Vince's reign, people in the company have sometimes had to wait to get clearance from him, making the most of things on the show 'last minute'. This has not been the case under The Cerebral Assassin.
With the reception of WWE's television product after Vince McMahon's retirement, coupled with high TV ratings and reports claiming more released talent are on their way back to the company, WWE's future in the Triple H era looks bright.