In a recent report that documented the alleged backstage chaos that took place during this week’s Monday Night Raw , PWInsider noted that WWE official Bruce Prichard — who has served as executive director of both main roster brands for the past several months — has been rather unpopular among many performers as of late.
On Tuesday, the publication’s Mike Johnson pointed out that at the moment, company chairman Vince McMahon and Prichard are the two people who have the final word when it comes to creative decisions. He cited multiple unnamed wrestlers, who supposedly told the outlet that Prichard, in specific, is now the “most powerful person” in WWE who isn’t a McMahon family member and that his word is “very much the Gospel” for the chairman. All told, Johnson wrote that this “translates into a lot of frustration and heat” toward the executive director.
While there were certain issues during this week’s Raw , including how McMahon allegedly overruled his creative team’s concerns that the opening segment with Alexa Bliss, Randy Orton, and Bray Wyatt was too weak, PWInsider ‘s Johnson noted that Prichard was not present backstage on Monday night. Instead, Triple H was reportedly overseeing matters and serving as a “breath of fresh air” for many of those who showed up for the red brand’s weekly taping.
Separately, WrestlingNews.co reported that per its sources, there have been various wrestlers who have expressed similar frustration with their lack of exposure on television. The outlet explained that some of the negative sentiments have been directed toward Prichard, though there are certain superstars who believe WWE, in general, has not been able to give them the exposure they deserve because it tends to hire so many individuals to “stack [its] roster.”
In yet another update on the situation, Ringside News wrote on Wednesday morning that Prichard has been “terribly unpopular with the talent,” with a tenured creative team member purportedly telling the site that in order to be an executive director like Prichard, one has to be a “bit of a bullsh*t artist.”
The source added that the veteran official has a tendency to promote his own agendas, either by pushing certain individuals whom he believes in or by randomly burying other talents “for no reason.”
Despite all the rumors of backstage heat surrounding Prichard that emerged over the past few days, previous reports have suggested that the pressure of overseeing both main roster brands has affected him adversely. In August, Something to Wrestle With podcast co-host Conrad Thompson revealed that Prichard was “ stressing ” on a regular basis, with other sources claiming that he had been open about his desire for a lighter workload and his difficulty dealing with the long hours his job entails.
