Teddy Long has confirmed that Vince McMahon was not in attendance for either night of the WWE Draft.
Following WrestleMania 39, McMahon confirmed that he was involved in WWE creative to some degree, and spent the April 3rd episode of Raw in the Gorilla position. This led to reports that numerous Superstars were worried he was back running TV full-time, while it was noted that a number of late changes were made to the show, a trademark of the ‘Vince McMahon era.’
However, in more recent weeks, McMahon has been absent and only involved in the show remotely, although he has impacted the finished product.
This led to speculation that the Executive Chairman might make his presence felt across the two nights of the WWE Draft, given it’s such a big event for the company.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Nick Hausman for Inside The Ropes, Teddy Long, who appeared on both nights of the Draft, dismissed rumours that McMahon was there in person.
When asked whether McMahon was in the building during the Draft, Long said that he wasn’t, noting that he “didn’t see Vince at all.” He went on to confirm that it was Triple H running the show from the Gorilla position.
Long was then asked whether it felt like “business is normal” with Triple H running the show:
“Everything was just like Vince was there. You know, I didn’t see him but Hunter [Triple H] and Bruce Prichard they were running things. So, you know, everything was moving just like Vince was there.”
Teddy Long Claims Backstage Morale Has Improved
Later on in the interview, Long discussed his own relationship with WWE and whether he felt that morale had improved since Triple H had assumed control of creative and TV. The WWE Hall of Famer has previously admitted to feeling frustrated with WWE but explained that this has changed as a result of the regime change. He added that the overall mood backstage has improved.
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