Rumor Mill - Triple H And Vince McMahon's Roles In WWE Creative

Rumors began to emerge yesterday suggesting that Paul "Triple H" Levesque is fully in control of WWE creative following the formation of TKO Group Holdings. In this scenario, it was said that Vince McMahon still retains his position on the board, but is no longer submitting last-minute creative changes to "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown." On today's "Wrestling Observer Radio," journalist Dave Meltzer shared what he's heard regarding the creative situation in WWE.

McMahon has reportedly "backed off" of the company's creative. However, that is only for the time being, and McMahon still retains the power to change things if he desires. As of now, though, the creative direction is said to be almost entirely set by Levesque. Meltzer stated he was unsure why exactly McMahon seems to have chosen to take a step back willingly, as he has expressed no desire to do that in the past. In fact, McMahon pushed hard to return to the company in the wake of his retirement last year, and for a period of time was said to be making a number of creative changes to WWE shows.

While the details are not yet clear, McMahon is currently under investigation by the federal government. The investigation is likely diving into alleged "hush money" payments made by McMahon to several women previously employed by WWE. Several months after news of the scandal first broke, McMahon stepped down as WWE CEO, and soon after announced his retirement. Early this year, however, McMahon would shockingly re-appoint himself to the board, quickly changing the rules to allow himself to become the company's Executive Chairman. McMahon then presided over the merger between WWE and UFC under the umbrella of Endeavor, which was finalized last month.