New head of creative, Brock Lesnar's SummerSlam status - 4 fascinating fan theories after the first post-Vince McMahon SmackDown
July 22, 2022 will go down in history as one of the most significant days in WWE history. Long-serving company CEO Vince McMahon, Chairman of the Board and Head of Creative, announced his retirement via Twitter just hours before this week's SmackDown.
What followed was an eruption of emotion from all sides of the internet wrestling community, either thanking the legendary mogul for his service to the business or celebrating a new dawn.
At 77, time for me to retire.
Thank you, WWE Universe.
Then. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #thankful
Naturally, such a huge announcement sent speculation into overdrive, with many wondering what WWE might look like without the 77-year-old at the helm. New management, creative directions and potential signings were among the most discussed topics.
We scoured the internet for the best fan theories in the wake of McMahon's retirement and the eventful episode of Smackdown that came hot on its heels.
Here are four scintillating fan theories that came out of WWE's first televised show since Vince McMahon's retirement.
#4: Brock Lesnar's would-be emergency Summerslam replacement
The big news on the internet throughout SmackDown revolved around Brock Lesnar's Summerslam status. The Beast Incarnate was reported by multiple sources to have walked out on the show after news of Vince McMahon's retirement broke. The rumor mill went wild with most likely, best-case and fantasy replacements for The Beast in the Unified Universal title match at Summerslam.
The favorite to fill Lesnar's shoes was WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg, who is the most like-for-like big-name, highly physical special attraction on the company's books. Other popular names included AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Theory, who would be cashing in the Money In The Bank contract for a fair match in this scenario.
Less-likely options such as Carmelo Hayes and Johnny Gargano also got a shout before The Conqueror put doubts over his availability to bed by appearing on the show.
#3: Theory's cash-in plans to be affected by Vince McMahon's exit?
Theory fails his cash in. twitter.com/WrestleOps/sta…
Mr. Money In The Bank 2022, Theory, has been presented as Vince McMahon's protege on WWE programming for the better part of a year. The selfie-clicking youngster has established himself as a top heel in the company with the backing of the legendary Mr. McMahon character.
With the former chairman now retired, fans theorized (no pun intended) that this change may be incorporated into the storyline. This would lead to an unsuccessful cash-in and subsequently a rebuild of the former United States champion's gimmick independent of the former chairman's name.
Another, somewhat bleaker hypothesis suggests that a new head of creative may not regard the youngster as highly as McMahon did and thus change his creative direction.
Given that the Money In The Bank Briefcase holder has not been presented as a credible threat to Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, a successful Summerslam cash-in looks unlikely.
#2: Who will replace Vince McMahon as Head Of Creative?
The million-dollar question following Vince McMahon's retirement is who will take WWE's creative reins going forward. The internet was abuzz with potential candidates ranging from Triple H to Shawn Michaels, the current head booker of NXT 2.0. Names like Jeff Jarrett, who was once head of creative in Impact Wrestling, were also thrown in the mix.
The name that seemed to excite fans the most was Paul Heyman, the former ECW owner and head of creative. Heyman, who has worked in the business for more than 35 years, is widely heralded as one of the greatest minds in the industry.
WWE's rumored change to a TV-14 rating and the legendary manager's history of controversial and extreme booking decisions could see a drastic change of direction for the company's product.
#1: Was Brock Lesnar's SmackDown walk-out a work?
News of Brock Lesnar walking out of SmackDown due to Vince McMahon's retirement had the whole WWE Universe talking. Many compared Lesnar's alleged walkout to Sasha Banks and Naomi's actions on RAW a few weeks prior, wondering if the company would handle it in similar fashion.
Others wondered if The Beast would be difficult to work with due to the absence of the 77-year-old, who he has called a father-figure in the past.
All the speculation surrounding the former UFC Heavyweight Champion's future was laid to rest, at least for now, when he appeared on the show to confront Theory.
Afterwards, fans were torn down the middle as to whether The Conqueror walked out and later reconsidered, or if it was a case of WWE blurring the lines between reality and entertainment. It will be interesting to see if this is incorporated into storylines going forward.