Vince McMahon

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Details on Orton/Bliss/Fiend Raw Segment

The opening segment of Monday's episode of Raw featuring Randy Orton, Alexa Bliss and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt was reportedly completely conceived by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

According to PWInsider's Mike Johnson, the segment was "100 percent Vince McMahon's vision" and went off as planned despite "several" people reportedly arguing against it because of the belief that it was a "weak" segment.

In the opener, Bliss welcomed Orton to the ring after The Fiend cost Orton his match against AJ Styles one week earlier. After some back-and-forth conversation, The Viper suggested that he had figured out The Fiend's weakness.

The lights went out to signal The Fiend's arrival, and when they came back on, Orton was holding Bliss in his arms.

The Fiend called for Orton to hand her over, and he ultimately did before sliding out of the ring and laughing because he knew he had gotten inside The Fiend's head.

It came across as a fairly effective segment since WWE was trying to tell the story of Orton perhaps being on par with The Fiend when it comes to mind games, which is an area no other Superstar has been able to compete with The Fiend in.

The segment also gave The Fiend some level of vulnerability, and it will allow viewers to follow the story of whether Bliss helps The Fiend or makes him weaker.

The rivalry between Orton and The Fiend is just getting started, and there is undoubtedly a much bigger story left to tell.

McMahon Working Closely with McIntyre on Entrance

WWE champion Drew McIntyre has been using a new entrance in recent weeks, complete with a kilt and a sword.

Per Johnson, McMahon has been "completely on-hands" with McIntyre and has spent "a lot of time" working with him on the entrance to ensure it comes off as desired.

The entrance was first used prior to McIntyre's WWE Championship match against Orton on the go-home episode of Raw prior to Survivor Series. WWE told the story that McIntyre's close friend, Sheamus, presented him with the sword and kilt, which were important objects in McIntyre's family.

McIntyre went on to beat Orton for the title and then pushed Universal champion Roman Reigns to the limit at Survivor Series, although he fell short because of interference from Jey Uso.

Now, it appears as though the sword and kilt will be a regular part of McIntyre's entrance moving forward, and there is little doubt that it makes him seem like a huge deal.

The manner in which WWE introduced the entrance also creates some intrigue since most assume it is setting up for Sheamus to eventually turn on McIntyre and feud with him over the WWE Championship.

McIntyre and Sheamus teamed up on Raw against The Miz and John Morrison, but it was mentioned on multiple occasions that Sheamus' motivations were potentially sinister.

That will likely play out in the coming weeks and months, but it should be a compelling feud with some great matches should it happen.

Info on Hardy Swanton Spot on Raw

Jeff Hardy had a rough landing on Monday's episode of Raw when he hit Elias with a Swanton Bomb through a table to win their Symphony of Destruction match.

Hardy dove to the outside of the ring on to Elias, but his head and neck whipped back and hit the steel steps when he landed. Hardy still managed to pin Elias and walk off while playing a tambourine.

According to Johnson, the plan for the spot was for Hardy to clear everything and land in the middle of the table, but he came up a bit short, which resulted in him hitting his head.

Despite the fact that the spot looked bad, Hardy said afterward that he was OK:

Hardy is no stranger to high-risk offense, but at 43 years of age, he could be more susceptible to injury, and it likely isn't as easy to execute the moves as it once was.

Despite that, Hardy continues to go all out and provide WWE fans with the type of moments that made them fall in love with him in the first place.

Monday's match was an entertaining one with plenty of big spots and creativity, and the fact that Hardy ended it with such a significant exclamation point may mean that it's time for him to move on to his next program.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).  

The Undertaker's final farewell on Sunday at Survivor Series was reportedly booked by Vince McMahon. 

Per PW Insider (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.), the WWE chairman was "said to be hands-on with the segment all day in the lead-up to the pay-per-view."

The report also noted that Triple H "likely had some input" in the segment. 

WWE honored the Undertaker in what seems likely to be his final appearance on the 30th anniversary of his debut with the company. A number of The Dead Man's peers came out to the ring before he walked down the aisle and cut a brief promo that served as a farewell to the WWE universe. 

Undertaker debuted at the 1990 Survivor Series as part of the Million Dollar Team in an eight-man tag match. He became one of the most iconic performers in WWE history over the next three decades, with the crown jewels of his career being 21 straight wins at WrestleMania and winning the WWE and world heavyweight titles a combined seven times. 

Given how important and impactful Undertaker was to WWE throughout his career, it's not a surprise that McMahon would want to be hands-on with how best to let him say goodbye.   

WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be the subject of a multi-part Netflix documentary, per WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan (h/t Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter).

Bill Simmons, who founded The Ringer and co-created ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series, will be an executive producer, per Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT.

Simmons also served as an executive producer for the 2018 HBO documentary Andre the Giant, which covered the life of the pro wrestling legend and actor.

Per Meltzer, the McMahon piece will be "one of the highest budgeted docs in Netflix history."

Chris Smith, who directed Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, will be the documentary's director, per Jeremy Lambert of Fightful.

The documentary announcements were made on WWE's third quarter financial call, per Tyler Treese of WrestleZone.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

McIntyre Criticizes Orton's Lack of Effort in Past

Drew McIntyre is set to defend the WWE Championship against Randy Orton inside Hell in a Cell at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view Sunday in what could be the culmination of their long-running rivalry.

Orton has been at the top of his game for quite some time, but during an appearance on Busted Open Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Ross Kelly), McIntyre said there was a time when Orton didn't necessarily put his best foot forward:

"I mean, you got to be on your game in every possible way to try to keep up with someone like Randy Orton. I mean, in general, in the past he wasn't really trying. He was just so naturally gifted. He was one of the best in the world, but I don't know when it was, but I think it was around the time Edge came back. He suddenly founded his next gear. He was so incredibly motivated and wanted to give it all to his promos, his in-ring game. He wants to go out there and he wants to steal the show every single week and it's a Randy I've never seen before. It motivates me personally, because I know, 'Okay, I got to step up to his level.'"

The return of Edge at this year's Royal Rumble undoubtedly helped get Orton to the next level, as their rivalry was consistently the best thing on WWE programming leading up to WrestleMania thanks primarily to their promo work.

Orton has continued to excel on the mic, and his physicality during his feud with McIntyre has been on point as well.

McIntyre and Orton have already faced off twice in pay-per-view matches in recent months, and while those matches were good, Sunday's bout has a chance to top them all since it will take place inside the cell.

Orton has no shortage of Hell in a Cell experience, while McIntyre will be competing in his first cell match, which means he will have plenty to prove.

The saying "iron sharpens iron" perfectly describes McIntyre and Orton right now, and it should lead to a memorable clash at Hell in a Cell.

Uso Says Vince McMahon is Behind Feud with Reigns

Ahead of his Hell in a Cell I Quit match against Universal champion Roman Reigns at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, Jey Uso provided some insight into the storyline that has seen him feud with his cousin.

During an appearance on the Gorilla Position Podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Sai Mohan), Uso divulged that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was the one who came up with the idea to put him in an angle with Reigns:

"That old man is a genius for a reason. I'm pretty sure when he threw the idea out there, most of his team was like, 'Eh, we don't know if it will work.' However, it is working. There's a reason this story is working and people are drawn to it. If it feels real to me, it is definitely going to come off real to the people."

Jey has always been a tag team wrestler alongside his twin brother, Jimmy Uso, and after Jimmy went down with an injury, he was barely seen on television.

That all changed over the past several weeks, as Uso won a Fatal 4-Way match to become No. 1 contender and then faced Reigns for the Universal title at Clash of Champions.

Jey refused to give up amid a beatdown from Reigns, which prompted Jimmy Uso to throw in the towel. Now, Reigns and Jey will meet in a match where the only way to win is to make your opponent say the words, "I quit."

With regard to McMahon and his hand in creative decisions, Uso added: "When it comes to creative, it's all him. He's running it, Uce. It is his show, and whatever goes, goes. The man knows wrestling and storytelling, and that's what separates our whole feud with Reigns, because it feels real, and feels right."

Uso also said little of what he and Reigns have said on the mic during their rivalry has been scripted, as the creative team has "taken the chains off."

It can be argued that Reigns vs. Uso has been the most compelling thing in wrestling, and it is perhaps the most highly anticipated match on the Hell in a Cell card.

Uso isn't expected to beat Reigns for the Universal title, but with another strong performance, he could establish himself as someone worthy of additional singles pushes in the future.

Young Bucks Reportedly Haven't Turned Heel

Despite The Young Bucks' actions on AEW Dynamite in recent weeks, they reportedly have not officially turned heel.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), The Young Bucks have been acting like heels due to "misunderstandings and pressure," but never actually turned heel.

Nick and Matt Jackson have certainly seemed like heels in recent weeks, as they have superkicked people left and right, including interviewer Alex Marvez, announcer Tony Schiavone and referees.

Wednesday's episode of Dynamite provided a sign that they may not be heel, though, as they were viciously attacked by AEW World Tag Team champions FTR after winning a Fatal 4-Way tag team match to become the new No. 1 contenders.

As a result, The Young Bucks are set to challenge FTR for the AEW World Tag Team titles at the upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view.

Despite being regarded as many as the best tag team in the world before AEW began, The Young Bucks have yet to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships. SCU, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, and FTR are the only titleholders thus far.

The idea of The Young Bucks acting like heels due to the mounting pressure of not being able to win the big one makes some sense, and it could be why they have been positioned to face a heel team in FTR despite acting like heels in their own right.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Latest on Reigns-Heyman Relationship

You may have noticed several small differences between Paul Heyman's partnership with Roman Reigns from his one with Brock Lesnar. For one, Reigns actually speaks. Lesnar-Heyman was a partnership and friendship; Heyman was booked as seemingly Lesnar's only close confidante on the roster. This isn't the case with Reigns, who is clearly in control of a subservient Heyman.

These subtle differences were on purpose, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling News Observer. Meltzer said the current storyline is based around Heyman being "done" in wrestling after Lesnar's loss to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. 

Heyman was done in wrestling with Lesnar gone and had nothing left to offer until Reigns made the call to bring him back to the fold. As a result, Heyman is indebted to Reigns for saving his career and keeping him in the business.

Heyman is still Heyman, but this is a fun little wrinkle to the story rather than just making Roman a Lesnar stand-in.

Bret Hart Talks Punching Vince

The story of the Montreal Screwjob is such well-trodden territory that there is rarely any "new" information that comes out from it being discussed by involved parties.

However, Bret Hart is offering clarification on one oft-cited talking point: Vince McMahon never offered him a "free shot" to punch him after the match. 

"The Undertaker had a take on it. His take on it a few months ago—and they always say stuff like, 'Vince probably said before he walked in that he was going to let me take a shot at him.' I don't remember that ever happening, and I don't remember Vince saying anything like that to me in my dressing room that he's going to let me take one shot at him. There was no one shot [offer]. I took my own shot. I doubt that's the case. [McMahon] never saw it coming," Hart said on Confessions of the Hitman.

Hart added that the only reason McMahon met with him after his "loss" to Shawn Michaels was to save face with an angered locker room. He said McMahon never believed there was actually a chance that Hart would punch him.

"I think Vince gambled that I was going to take the high road and say a few words to him, and then I would walk out or grab my stuff and leave the dressing room, and that would be the end of it, and he could say, 'At least I confronted him,'" Hart said.

Cena Talks TLC, Fear of Heights

John Cena has never been one for high-flying maneuvers during his career for several reasons. One, of course, being he didn't need them in his repertoire to become one of the most iconic stars in wrestling history. Another being WWE likely didn't want its biggest star risking injury.

However, Cena revealed the biggest reason: he has a fear of heights. The 16-time champion spoke about his 2006 TLC match with Edge, in which he performed a five-knuckle shuffle off a ladder, admitting the spot scared him.

"I have a fear of heights. Once again, I only did what I knew I could do," Cena said on WWE Untold. "And through the match, I knew every spot I did was hopefully a new take on a maneuver that fans have already seen tens of thousands of times before.

"Also, since it hurts every time you fall off a ladder, you get a gauge of what to expect. That helped me through the process."