Yesterday, along with the first of a series of reports on the job status of SmackDown lead writer Brian James, we got a story about another writer being fired at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Robert Evans was said to have been canned on the spot when the speech he wrote for Bret Hart’s induction last Saturday (April 6) mentioned Vince McMahon - a big no-no.
Evans, on the other hand, countered with this:
My Official Statement: pic.twitter.com/m8AIQcMOBr
— R.D. Evans (@Oh_Robert_Evans) April 11, 2019
Wrestling Observer has more, and their version backs up Evans’ statement while otherwise pretty much corroborating the original account from PWInsider.
In an already tense scene given the fan attack on Hart, Vince was furious his name was mentioned during the Hitman’s speech. Despite the fact the anecdote involving McMahon appeared on the teleprompter, meaning several people saw it between the time Evans wrote it and Bret said it, the Chairman laid all the blame at the writer’s feet. While being berated, and about to get fired, Evans tenured his resignation.
Based on a first-hand account from one of their sources, the Observer described it as “something of a you can’t fire me because I quit scenario.” They also say it’s possible the situation might have been smoothed over later had Evans not quit.
Seeing as yelling at employees sounds like it’s not an uncommon management technique for The ‘E, Evans probably just decided he’d had enough.