WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair says Vince McMahon has been leaving most of the promotion's creative up to other folks lately.
The WWE owner has often been criticized for being too involved in the running of its shows and his refusal to listen to anyone. But the Nature Boy says he understands the veteran promoter has since taken a back seat and is leaving creative for others to handle.
Flair was a recent guest on Wrestling Inc's WINCLY Podcast and indicated that McMahon is no longer fully in charge when it comes to storylines and the like, also claiming that WWE officials haven't figured out who their main guy should be just yet, despite having so much talent at their disposal.
“I think Vince leaves a lot of the creative up to other people now," Flair said. "That’s my understanding. And where, at one time, you could say he was in total control of creative, I don’t think that’s the case anymore.
"And I see that they’re moving people in, and out, and around now; I think they’re trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. This is one of those times in the business where they are looking for ‘The Guy’… ‘The Guy’ being Hulk Hogan – I’m going WWE – ‘The Guy’ being Roddy Piper, ‘The Guy’ being Shawn Michaels, ‘The Guy’ being Hunter [Triple H], ‘The Guy’ being Undertaker, ‘The Guy’ being The Rock, ‘The Guy’ being Stone Cold."
The former superstar mentioned the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles. But he reckons Randy Orton's the one who really fits the bill.
“They’ve got some phenomenal talent [in WWE right now]. I’m not saying they’re not carrying the torch, I’m saying that they haven’t, in my opinion, decided who they want to carry it. You’ve got Roman [Reigns], you’ve got Seth [Rollins], you’ve got AJ Styles, all three tremendous.
"Randy Orton: there isn’t a better worker in the business, when he wants to work, than Randy Orton. But Randy has been there. When he does those interviews where he says he’s been here for fifteen years and done it all, that’s the truth! That’s how fast time has gone by. Randy Orton, if you take his size into consideration, his looks, it’s hard to say Randy is not ‘The Man’."
Vince's taking a back seat has become quite apparent and the appointments of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff lend strength to the notion. Will WWE's shows be better for it? Time will tell. But it's certainly looking that way at the moment.