As PWMania.com previously reported, WWE announced that they would be combining the creative teams for both RAW and SmackDown led by Bruce Prichard. WWE also noted that, Paul Heyman would be focusing solely on his on-screen persona and would no longer be the RAW brand’s Executive Director.
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.
Following Christopher DeJoseph’s release, WWE posted a new job listing just last week, looking for a new lead SmackDown writer. That listing is still available.
According to WrestleVotes, sources state that RAW has been a mess backstage lately, with certain changes coming up until the point of airtime. The report also mentions that Heyman is not the only one to blame for the disorder, but he will be the one taking the fall.
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
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.
He was a major component in pushing fresh talent like Ricochet, Apollo Crews, and Drew McIntyre.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more on this developing story.
