Backstage Atmosphere At WWE SmackDown, Vince McMahon’s Mood

As noted, Vince McMahon stepped down as Chairman and CEO of WWE this week after allegations were made surrounding an affair he had with a former employee.

It was claimed that Vince raised the individual's salary during the time the misconduct was going on, and then allegedly supplied hush-money payments to her in an attempt to keep the situation quiet. The investigation has reportedly uncovered other non-disclosure agreements by former WWE employees, claiming misconduct by not only McMahon but also Head of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis.

Fightful Select has reported on more backstage reactions to Vince McMahon kicking off last night's episode of WWE "SmackDown." You can read the latest backstage reactions at this link here.

One SmackDown talent told Fightful that they were expecting an "eventful day," though the show was a lot more relaxed than usual by the time it kicked off. Vince "wasn't selling" the fact that he was being investigated, and was particularly jovial.

Vince was said to be very hands-on on Friday more than usual, which longtime staff member told Fightful that they thought that was McMahon's way of establishing that he's still running the show.

As noted, Stephanie McMahon is taking over as interim Chairwoman and CEO of WWE, while her father steps down from the role. Vince will still be influencing creative decisions and attending shows with the company.

The investigations are still ongoing at this time.