Report: WWE WrestleMania 40 Infused With 'Aura Of Excitement' With Vince McMahon Gone

He was part of every WrestleMania in some shape or form since the very first iteration of the event back in 1985, but this year will be the first time Vince McMahon will have no hand in "The Showcase of the Immortals." Fightful Select recently reached out to the talent ahead of this weekend's highly anticipated WrestleMania 40 and painted an interesting picture of the backstage morale in McMahon's absence.

According to the report, McMahon made last-minute changes ahead of WrestleMania 39 in 2023 despite not having any direct dealings with WWE creative, even changing the finish of one match so a different wrestler won. However, this year he has absolutely no presence at WrestleMania, per Fightful's sources. The WWE higher-ups that Fightful spoke to stated that they have no incentive to push any of McMahon's preferences and that he probably has bigger things to think about — namely, the ongoing Janel Grant lawsuit. Someone on the WWE roster notably told Fightful that there is "an aura of excitement" ahead of the massive event, and while the locker room hasn't forgotten about the allegations McMahon is facing, there's relief that he at least won't barge in and "f*** up everyone's good time."

Fightful was told that the episode of "WWE Raw" after WrestleMania is also highly anticipated this year, and that the show feels like "an event" again for the first time in a long while. Fightful's source claimed that McMahon made "sweeping changes" to last year's "Raw" after 'Mania, which led to it being a creative disaster. Multiple sources claimed the original "Raw" plans were far better than what fans ended up getting.

McMahon is not expected to appear any capacity at WrestleMania 40, but of course, the card is always subject to change.