Fans accuse TKO's CEO Ari Emanuel of inserting Travis Scott into WWE programming as favor to friend

Travis Scott was last seen on WWE television during WrestleMania 41!

Amid reports of a fallout between WWE and Travis Scott, the blame is now being pointed at WWE’s parent company, TKO’s CEO, Ari Emanuel. During a recent episode of The Stevie Richards Show hosted by James Romero, Stevie criticized the rapper’s stint and accused corporate influence.

Scott’s strange WWE stint included an appearance at Elimination Chamber alongside The Rock, where John Cena turned heel and Scott landed the infamous slap that injured Cody Rhodes. Scott also made an appearance in the main event of WrestleMania 41, helping Cena to win the Undisputed title against Rhodes.

Stevie not only criticized Scott’s run but also claimed that his run was influenced by the TKO CEO.

“Literally an indie promoter saying, ‘Put over one of my best friends on the show and make him a star because it’s I Emanuel.’ And I can’t believe, usually in wrestling when somebody like I Emanuel is in power and everybody’s kind of puckered up trying to just plate him and not get fired and not get heat with the company.”

Stevie also implied that Scott’s push stopped solely because he ruined his own chances before WWE needed to take action. He also implied that if Scott had not “been lazy and a slow learner“, no one backstage would have dared to speak up.

“This Travis Scott run, I think, because Travis Scott ended up, like they said, half in—and he just doesn’t care, and he’s kind of got ADD, scattered and all over the place. He kind of eliminated himself from the company.”

The conversation has left many fans wondering if WWE’s internal decisions are driven solely by power plays from the top, with wrestling minds forced to follow through. Many fans are now blasting Emanuel after these claims.

Fans criticize TKO influencing WWE’s internal decisions

Since claims made by Stevie, many fans on X (Twitter) started speaking up about TKO’s influence not just in creative decisions, but also took the opportunity to highlight the rising ticket prices.

“I think WWE is going to be an interesting case study since they sold to Ari Emanuel and company. Ticket prices are way up. They sold ad space on tables and ladders, made weird roster moves, bought a Mexican company, and cut benefits for employees.” wrote a fan.

Fans also pointed out that unless a celebrity is 100% on board, there isn’t any point in bringing them inside the ring and including them in storylines.

While such accusations of forced celebrity involvement aren’t new and have been seen in both TKO Group companies, WWE, and UFC. What do you think of the accusations? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

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