Post by Head Booker on Jul 18, 2007 22:29:31 GMT -6
The Raw rating was a bigger cause of stress for Vince on Tuesday than Benoit's toxicology report. He's very much on edge, particularly since sources say Bonnie Hammer is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on him to get the ratings up.
There is strong talk, as appalling as this sounds, that USA wants Raw to move to three hours permanently in the fall. WWE is very much against it, citing the burnout factor, but it's unlikely they'd be able (or willing) to turn it down. Vince, despite being the main guy in charge of every storyline, is blaming everyone but himself, and the feeling is that if things don't turn around soon there will be a major shake-up and the only ones safe will be Stephanie, Kevin Dunn and perhaps John Lauranitis, since he's a schmoozer and a good talker and is the only one they have faith in to do the Director of Talent Relations job, even though he's often largely incompetent.
Michael Hayes has taken more than his fair share of abuse over the past month or so with Vince constantly mocking him at all the producer's meetings, making fun of him in front of his own creative team, and making comments about him to other people when he knows Hayes is within earshot.
Brian Gewirtz was also on the crap list Tuesday after the rating came in, ending up on the receiving end of the McMahon blow-up. The feeling is that he's actually OK, and the reason Vince went nuts on him is because he's super close to Vince and Vince always bullies the people closest to him (Shane was often an easy target and would always pout, whereas Stephanie would "take it like Vince would"). Stephanie had to calm Vince down and apparently everything is fine now.
There is strong talk, as appalling as this sounds, that USA wants Raw to move to three hours permanently in the fall. WWE is very much against it, citing the burnout factor, but it's unlikely they'd be able (or willing) to turn it down. Vince, despite being the main guy in charge of every storyline, is blaming everyone but himself, and the feeling is that if things don't turn around soon there will be a major shake-up and the only ones safe will be Stephanie, Kevin Dunn and perhaps John Lauranitis, since he's a schmoozer and a good talker and is the only one they have faith in to do the Director of Talent Relations job, even though he's often largely incompetent.
Michael Hayes has taken more than his fair share of abuse over the past month or so with Vince constantly mocking him at all the producer's meetings, making fun of him in front of his own creative team, and making comments about him to other people when he knows Hayes is within earshot.
Brian Gewirtz was also on the crap list Tuesday after the rating came in, ending up on the receiving end of the McMahon blow-up. The feeling is that he's actually OK, and the reason Vince went nuts on him is because he's super close to Vince and Vince always bullies the people closest to him (Shane was often an easy target and would always pout, whereas Stephanie would "take it like Vince would"). Stephanie had to calm Vince down and apparently everything is fine now.
