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HARDY VS. SYTCH, ALBERTO LAWSUIT, WWE'S INTERNAL RESPONSE TO VINCE ALLEGATIONS AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2022-06-23 10:00:00

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Has there been any word what the internal reaction is to the Vince McMahon situation among WWE employees?

Yes, the primary thing we've heard is a lot of sympathy for Stephanie McMahon since she has been all but forced back to work despite wanting to distance herself from the company and take a deep breath for herself.  Quite a few have noted to me that they have marveled about how strong Stephanie has been despite what was described as her mother being "disrespected" publicly by the situation, especially since there's obviously been multiple NDAs involving multiple people beyond the relationship being investigated by the WWE Board of Directors.

There's also been a lot of headshaking at Vince McMahon putting himself back on TV in what some have seen as an act of denial towards anyone questioning him and whether that will come back to bite him.   Some have wondered if this will be the beginning of the end for him, but that seems to be a minority based on what we have heard.  There's been more talk about whether larger checks and balances will be put into practice in the company and if so, how could anyone enforce them on Vince.

There is a lot of silence among employees as they are all waiting to see how bad this situation can get and whether this is something that could really hurt the company.    There's been a real concern among some to keep their heads down and not get caught up in the mess, especially since they don't know what executives will end up with larger amounts of power when the dust settles, so a lot are biting their tongues on giving opinions right now, at least in places and ways that could come back to bite them.

What was the reaction to Bruce Pricard being named the Interim Talent Relations Head?

The general response we've heard from employees is basically "who else were they going to choose" given the level of trust Prichard has in the company from the McMahon family, as they aren't going to promote someone while John Laurinaitis is still technically, at least through the investigation, with the company. 

Have the Bellas commented on any of the allegations involving their father-in-law, Johnny Ace?

Not to the best of my knowledge and honestly, they shouldn't.  Nothing good can come of it.

I was wondering if there was any update on the Alberto Del Rio lawsuit against Combates?

No updates.  They are still making their way through the legal process.

Why do you jump on Tammy Sytch so hard but forgive Jeff Hardy when he's arrested for the same thing?

I'd love to see anything I've ever written or said or stated where I forgave Jeff Hardy for his most recent DUI arrest.  I think I have said that there's more sympathy in certain circles for Hardy because unlike Sytch, he has been publicly apologetic for his mistakes, criminal and otherwise, while Sytch has never, ever taken any blame for her numerous arrests. 

Unlike Hardy, Sytch also lied and claimed our reporting was wrong, specifically claiming she wasn't arrested for a DUI when we reported she was - a DUI she later plead guilty to in the State of Pennsylvania.  Every time Sytch has served her prison/jail time, I've always defended her ability to return to pro wrestling and make a career and move forward in her life.  Sadly, she has never moved forward and even more sadly, her issues were progressing and getting worse and now a man is dead. 

Hardy is in a situation where his issues continue to manifest and now he's looking at jail time.  If the court rules he deserves to serve time, then he should, the same as Sytch should if the court determines she is criminally guilty.  Hardy shouldn't be forgiven for what he's done, but given that he's tried numerous times to get himself right (and hopefully will do that again) and has been contrite and open about his issues vs. deflecting blame and ignoring the obvious - that's the difference between Hardy and Sytch, although each situation is equally maddening in that they each got behind the wheel without legally being able to do so.

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