Latest on Vince McMahon, Gunther and More

Exactly how much of an impact did Vince McMahon have when he appeared backstage at WWE Raw in Boston?

It’s something fans and industry insiders have been speculating about since the chief executive appeared behind the scenes for the first time since July, but a new report sheds some light on exactly what McMahon was up to on the night in question.

That, plus the latest on Gunther’s teased match with Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre emerging as the dressing room leader, and Jon Moxley’s displeasure with All Elite Wrestling management over a recent booking decision makes up this collection of pro wrestling rumors.

Although Vince McMahon appeared backstage at the Boston episode of WWE Raw two weeks ago, he wasn’t at all involved with talent or producing Justin Barrasso’s show sports illustrated reported.

“Even though he’s front and center, he sits in the middle of Bruce Prichard and [Paul] Levesque in the gorilla position, McMahon was not wearing a headset and spent much of the evening on his cellphone,” he wrote.

The report continued, “When one of the wrestlers reached out to Levesque for feedback after his segment, McMahon barely raised his head — and never offered any insight.”

The report sheds additional light on exactly what McMahon’s first trip backstage looked like since he resigned from his post in July last year amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Barrasso was quick to hint that, as so many have suspected, his appearance likely had an ulterior motive, one that will likely result in his making his presence felt in some shape or form at WrestleMania on April 1st and 2nd.

It’s almost impossible to imagine McMahon coming to Raw simply to say hello to John Cena, whom he’s often met away from WWE television productions in the past.

Without speculating, history dictates that McMahon is notorious for wanting his fingerprints on everything WWE-related, and while Triple H may be at the head of the creative process, his influence shouldn’t be counted.

Barrasso also reported that the internal belief is that Gunther needs another year of strong bookings before he can credibly beat a guy like Brock Lesnar.

Gunther has been a revelation as an intercontinental champion since Triple H took over WWE Creative. He has blossomed into the badass World Champion he was during his time as WALTER at NXT UK and has been responsible for some of the best matches at the company during that time.

Look no further than his fight with Sheamus at September’s Clash at the Castle for evidence of his ability to team with a heavyweight punch and provide a match of the year contender in the process.

A match with Lesnar would do wonders for The Ring General’s legitimacy as a top star and most likely give The Beast Incarnate its best as well wrestling match in age.

But anyone who thinks Gunther needs another year to really grow into the role of main event talent is right. He’s been exceptional over the past eight months, but he needs another year to firmly establish himself as someone who can share the ring with Lesnar and make fans believe he can beat him.

If he continues to shine at the level he is, it will absolutely happen.

Drew McIntyre will fight Sheamus this Friday for the right to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania, but the Fatal Five-Way that got The Scottish Warrior to this point almost didn’t happen.

“Sources indicate that Drew McIntyre has been extremely ill for the past week and was only cleared to return to the ring after he arrived at the taping and was examined by the company’s medical team,” reported PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson .

It’s not the first time the Scot has turned up for work sick or in a bad mood, but the former WWE Champion has rarely allowed himself to keep him from his work.

In fact, despite the illness that almost kept him away from television, McIntyre was still headlining the weekend’s live events.

In doing so, Johnson reported, he had established himself as the dressing room leader in that regard.

McIntyre has also been a workhorse for WWE for the past three years, working on television, live events and making a ton of media appearances as one of the faces of the company. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that he’s managed to make cities and records for giving shows that star power fans demand.

The former WWE, NXT, Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion has watched The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and John Cena lead by example earlier in his career and knows what it takes to be at the highest level to be successful.

McIntyre is now in a position to return that favor and from the sound of it he’s doing just that.

Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Watchers Live reported that Jon Moxley was “not happy” about being pulled from a booking in Ireland to perform at AEW’s first house show event this weekend.

AEW, the central figure on all marketing materials for The House Rules, would understandably expect him to be on the show, given that it’s taking place in his home state of Ohio.

Still, the last thing a wrestler wants to do is go back on his word and pull out of a big booking, especially an international one where he was probably the big draw. Personally, even if he is signed to the company, it’s not a good deal, forcing him to back out of the deal.

How deep his displeasure with his current employer runs remains to be seen, but hopefully Moxley will have the opportunity to go to Ireland for a “good” gig at some point in the near future.

Expect more of that and the resulting uncomfortable feelings as AEW expands its in-house exhibition business. Especially if this weekend’s event is a success.