There were rumblings heading into WrestleMania 39 in 2023 that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had decided to get heavily involved with the show and make some sweeping changes.
At the time, he'd supposedly stepped back from creative duties but returned with a vengeance after the Show of Shows to take charge of the RAW after WrestleMania. The show was and remains one of the worst editions of the Monday night show in WWE history.
Now, details have emerged about a big change McMahon made to WWE Hall of Famer Edge's match with the "Demon" Finn Balor.
According to a new Fightful Select report, Balor was supposed to win the match but took a shocking loss to the Rated R Superstar that further devalued the Demon concept. Unsurprisingly, fans weren't happy and wasted no time venting their frustrations online. Also far from a shock is the fact this decision was fully down to McMahon.
The piece explains that Balor and Edge found out about the change at the last minute and, following WrestleMania 39, McMahon started exerting his control on a more regular basis. The quality of WWE programming plummeted until he was finally ousted from the company amid a series of alleged sexual misconduct scandals.
One thing McMahon didn't change was Roman Reigns retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over Cody Rhodes as that was always the plan.
Despite the disappointing conclusion to this Hell in a Cell match, Balor looked back at it with fond memories in an interview which took place last year.
"I’ve been a huge admirer of Edge, not only as a performer but as a person for his whole career. We became close many, many years ago. When he retired, I was personally disappointed for the fact that I’d thought I’d missed out on that opportunity to possibly someday share a ring with him. I always admired how he transitioned out of pro wrestling so gracefully, and I thought ‘If someday I’m gonna retire from this business, I wanna do it the same way Edge has done it.'"
"A lot of people don’t transition out of the business as gracefully or with as much dignity as he returned the first time, and for that, I respect and admire him. On top of that, for him to have the opportunity to come back, that spark that had been extinguished was reignited on the thought, ‘Oh, maybe this match will happen, maybe there is a possibility that I’ll get to share the ring with him."
"Balor then discusses the feud he got to have with Edge that culminated in a Hell in a Cell match at this year’s WrestleMania 39. He adds that he’ll always be grateful to Edge for starting the Judgment Day faction."
"Fast foward three years, and all of the sudden, I’m almost in an eight-month program with someone I’ve looked up to for many many years, in and outside of the ring. Despite the rivalry or the disagreements or the fourteen staples, there’s still a mutual respect, certainly from my end, I hope from Edge’s end. He started something in the Judgment Day that has certainly had a profound impact on my career, Damian’s career, Rhea’s career, and Dominik’s career. If not just for him starting the Judgment Day, there’s a lot to be grateful to Edge for."
Are you relieved that McMahon is no longer around to call the shots in WWE? As always, you can let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.