WWE Accused of Still Being Under Vince McMahon’s Creative Influence

Shane Douglas isn’t buying the idea that WWE has truly moved on from Vince McMahon—at least not creatively.

In a recent discussion about WWE’s future under TKO Group Holdings, the ECW legend didn’t hold back when asked whether the company is finally breaking free from McMahon’s influence. Douglas made it clear that while Vince might no longer be the public face of creative decisions, his presence is still being felt behind the scenes thanks to those he trained personally—Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

“The problem I think is that even though Vince is supposedly gone, who did Hunter learn from? Vince. Who did Stephanie learn from? Vince,” Douglas said, questioning the idea that WWE’s creative direction is entirely new. “So them still being involved in it, they're probably going to keep getting Vince.”

He wasn’t necessarily knocking Triple H’s success but emphasized how hard it is to break away from the style you were brought up in.

“It wouldn't surprise you in the least if, in fact, it would be my expectation that Hunter's probably talking to him quite a lot,” he continued. “That's not to say that Hunter's not creating his own ideas or... putting his own stamp on it.”

Douglas drove the point home with a blunt analogy about mentorship and legacy.

“If you learn from Dominic Denucci, you're probably going to deliver like Dominic Denucci, right? If you learn from Shane Douglas and do a promo, you're probably going to sound like Shane Douglas doing a promo.”

While WWE’s public stance is all about moving forward, Douglas sees a company still rooted in its old playbook—because the people writing today’s shows were trained by the man who built yesterday’s.cWhether you agree with Shane or not, the idea that Vince McMahon’s shadow still looms large over WWE is a perspective worth considering—especially as TKO continues to steer the ship.