UPDATE: We reported earlier today here on eWn that WWE has “consolidated” their creative teams into one. According to sources, Vince McMahon is said to have been openly frustrated and “very upset” with the red brand in recent months. RAW is the show that has been hit the hardest by the ratings drop.
For those unaware, RAW is down 23% in the key 18 – 49 demo rating since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The show is also down 20% in viewership. According to Pwinsider, the plan was always for Bruce Prichard to become one of the top executives in the company when he returned in February of 2019. As of this writing, there is no word on whether the latest consolidation will lead to more cuts to the creative team. WWE posted a new job listing just last week, looking for a new lead SmackDown writer. That listing is still available.
Also, the official WrestleVotes Twitter account noted that RAW has been a “mess” backstage as of late. Some say there are creative changes ongoing until the show goes on the air. Even during the taped shows, they are re-writing things on the fly. According to the tweet, Paul Heyman isn’t entirely to blame but he’s taking the fall and a source said, “It couldn’t continue like this.” For what it’s worth, the ratings for many wrestling and TV shows in general have been all over the place lately due to the lack of live crowds/studio audiences, etc.
Regarding the creative change, source indicates that RAW has been a mess lately. At times recently the show has changed up to the point of air. While the blame isn’t solely on Heyman, he is the one taking the fall here. “It couldn’t continue like this” was an exact quote I got.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) June 12, 2020
ORIGINAL: WWE.com just posted the following:
In an effort to streamline our creative writing process for television, we have consolidated both teams from Raw and SmackDown into one group, led by Bruce Prichard. Paul Heyman will concentrate on his role as an in-ring performer.
As many of you know, Paul Heyman has been the Executive Director of RAW since June of 2019. He was originally working opposite Eric Bischoff, who was Executive Director on SmackDown. Both men were announced at the time as “oversee[ing] the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business.” Bischoff was fired from WWE and replaced by Prichard in October of last year.
We are working to confirm more details. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.