Jon Moxley on WWE's New Hires, Bella Twins' Canceled Push and More in Roundup

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Jon Moxley Offers Thoughts on Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff

Since leaving WWE, Jon Moxley has been candid with his opinions regarding the company. When it comes to new executive directors Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, Moxley echoed the general refrain of many wrestling fans.

During an interview on The Store Horsemen (h/t Wrestling Inc.'s Erich Pilcher), he argued Heyman and Bischoff will largely be as successful as Vince McMahon allows them to be:

"They definitely made some kind of move. Paul Heyman is really smart it sounds like that is a great idea. I just hope Vince lets them do their ideas. It's not just, 'I made him head of creative, but I'm telling him what to do type of thing.'

"Eric Bischoff was behind the NWO, he also presided over some crappy WCW shows. He is probably pretty motivated to make you forget that part of the resume. The more wrestling that is good, the more fans that there are and the better it is for everybody."

Moxley knows better than most how much influence McMahon has on WWE's creative direction. He expressed his frustration in that regard in a wide-ranging interview with fellow All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho.

Perhaps the arrivals of Heyman and Bischoff showed McMahon is willing to take a step back.

Bella Twins Had to Abandon WWE Return

Nikki and Brie Bella returned last September for a brief run that culminated in Nikki's defeat to Ronda Rousey at Evolution on Oct. 28.

The Bella Twins revealed on their podcast that WWE had penciled them in for the SmackDown Live after WrestleMania 35 to kick off a feud with The IIconics (h/t Robert Gunier of Wrestling Inc.).

However, Nikki said she underwent an MRI that revealed a herniated disc, inflammation in her neck and a cyst on her brain. Her doctor advised her to retire from wrestling altogether or risk further injury.

The fact WWE had to quickly shift gears could partially explain why the women's tag team division has largely been devoid of a direction since The IIconics won the titles at WrestleMania.

WWE Reportedly Considers 18-34 Demographic 'A Major Target'

WWE offered a change of pace to open the July 1 edition of Raw. The show began with a Falls Count Anywhere match between Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley that ended when the two stars crashed through part of the stage.

That may have set the tone for Raw's tonal shift under Heyman.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported WWE is hopeful of attracting more viewers between the ages of 18 and 34: "The edgier nature of Raw was pitched as a 'third hour' idea months ago, and was short-lived. After the success of last week's episode of Raw under a new direction for the duration of the show, the company is hoping to recapture that magic, and the lost teenage audience."

The Attitude Era was commercially successful for WWE and beloved by fans, but it was far from perfect. Women's wrestling was largely an afterthought, and WWE's willingness to push the envelope occasionally led to some tasteless moments that look bad in retrospect.

But there's a balance WWE can strike between the Attitude Era and the more family-friendly product it has delivered in recent years. Perhaps that's where McMahon can be valuable as a moderator for Heyman in the creative room.