A WWE hiring freeze seems to be taking place after all the latest changes. And, SmackDown morale saw a boost without Vince McMahon.
WWE Hiring Freeze
Typically, the RAW and SmackDown following WrestleMania are two of the best shows each year. The reason: the crowd is fire as many names return, NXT wrestlers join the main roster and superstars return.
Although, that was not the case last week. Yes, Matt Riddle returned after months away following his rehab stint.
Outside of that, fans were not treated to many surprise appearances. Instead, the same names seen each week were present.
Now, Fightful Select reports how a WWE hiring freeze has been taking place. So far, 2023 has not witnessed WWE hire any new or returning wrestlers.
The report continued how Triple H wanted to bring in some wrestles. In particular, Nick Aldis was someone Triple H wanted to be part on the WWE roster.
Clearly, that did not happen. Naturally, people are looking at the sale of WWE to Endeavor as a possible reason.
Remember, Vince McMahon returned to WWE because he wanted to sell the company. Last summer, McMahon briefly retired before forcing his way back into the mix.
Aldis first gained major attention as part of Impact Wrestling. He had two stints and lasted about seven years with the promotion.
At the time, he was known as, Magnus. His biggest moment there was becoming their World Champion.
After departing, he would eventually land in the NWA. There, he won the prestigious NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
During that time, he got married to Mickie James; who is well-known for her time in WWE and Impact Wrestling. Together they have one child.
Fightful Select compared Aldis’ situation to Tama Tonga and Brian Cage. WWE seemed interested in both wrestlers, but they were “left out in the cold” after Vince regained power.
So, do you like the WWE hiring freeze currently in place?
Latest SmackDown Morale Sees Boost
Speaking of Vince McMahon, he played a big factor in last Monday’s RAW and everyone noticed. The show did not come across well and many could tell Vince was the reason why.
As for Friday’s SmackDown, the show ran much smoother. It was far from perfect, but considered an improvement following the awful episode of RAW.
Sean Sapp of Fightful reported morale significantly improved Friday without Vince. Although, many are under the impression of “we’ll see what happens” next.
RAW was full of last minute rewrites, which Vince is known to do. As a result, many matches and segments were either redone or completely scratched from the show.
Clearly, fans and talent are much more comfortable when Triple H is running things and not his father-in-law.
There is concern that Vince will eventually completely takeover creative once again. His version of the product left many unhappy as angles were completely dropped and pushes would be randomly stopped.
When WWE was sold, Vince was adamant about still having a major say in the company. Endeavor owns 51% of the company, so a majority.
The rest of the stock was divided, but Vince has a ton of shares and is back on their board. Many potential buyers were not interested in purchasing WWE as they did not feel comfortable with Vince present.
The only reason Vince stepped down over the summer was after several hush-money settlements went public. He apologized for his past behavior, but sometimes saying sorry is not enough.
Now, Endeavor owns a majority of both WWE and UFC. Therefore, do not be surprised if names from either company make the jump.
In particular, UFC fighters joining WWE seems like a strong possibility. MMA fighters do not have long careers, but now they can easily transition into pro wrestling.
And, with McMahon and Dana White together, they make for a powerful combination. We will have to see if two hotheads can successfully work together.
