Non-WWE talents are reportedly interested in joining the company now that Triple H is the new Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and the head of creative.
A new report from Fightful Select notes that a few dozen former wrestlers who left WWE for a variety of reasons have offered thoughts on the recent WWE shake-up, which also saw Vince McMahon retire, and Stephanie McMahon become the Chairwoman & Co-CEO, while Nick Khan also became a Co-CEO.
Talents who left dating back to 2016 noted how different things would’ve been if Triple H had been in control much earlier. One who left in 2016 said it appeared when they left that Triple H had plenty of say in hiring and firing, as well as creative across all levels, but clearly not as much as he does now. They did not think that Triple H being around back then would’ve led to them staying with the company, but they do believe that a different set of creative circumstances could’ve led to them gauging WWE’s interest in the time period since.
Numerous former WWE NXT talents reportedly believe that they would still be with the company if Triple H had been in these roles before. However, there were a few who were realistic with the fact that they weren’t being utilized or progressing fast enough before being released. One event said, “At some point, someone had to be cut, so I wouldn’t be realistic to say that it couldn’t or wouldn’t be me just because the person who got me hired had more power.”
Another noted how they did not think they’d have been protected to any degree, as they were pretty much parked and not used on TV for months anyway.
One former NXT talent who had options within WWE before signing elsewhere said they feel an incredible sense of loyalty to Triple H, and had he been the person managing their creative future “things could have been much different.”
That talent, and another who ended up in AEW, said they had no confidence in being creatively satisfied on WWE’s main roster. One said, “I’m glad that I went to AEW, but if I was graduating to a Triple H-led Smackdown or Raw, I probably would have re-signed with WWE before my deal was up.”
One top free agent that has several options on their table said both Triple H and Stephanie being in these new positions greatly increases the possibility of them eventually returning to work for the company. There are other free agents who are hopeful that their previous relationships with Triple H will lead to them at least having conversations with the company, but they don’t expect that to happen right away.
There’s a near-unanimous feeling that Triple H would be better suited for this role at this time than Vince was, with one person of almost two dozen preferring to take a “wait and see” approach.
As we’ve noted, it was initially revealed on Wednesday, June 15 that WWE’s Board of Directors had been investigating then-Chairman & CEO Vince over the “secret $3 million settlement” he made to a former paralegal that was hired in 2019. Then-Talent Relations head John Laurinaitis was also being investigated for his involvement, and it was revealed that the Board had been looking into other instances with former female employees as well. It was then announced on Friday, June 17 that Stephanie returned from her leave of absence to act as the Interim CEO & Interim Chairwoman after Vince voluntarily stepped away from his Chairman & CEO corporate duties, while still continuing his creative responsibilities, at least at that time. It was then revealed on Monday, June 20 that Bruce Prichard, WWE’s Senior Vice President and RAW/SmackDown Executive Producer, was working as the Interim Senior Vice President of Talent Relations, filling in for Laurinaitis during the investigation. It was then revealed on Friday, July 8, that McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million in “hush money” to four women, including a former wrestler, as another round of allegations were made public. Prichard is no longer working the interim role as WWE announced on July 22 that Triple H is the new WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. Vince’s retirement was announced hours after Triple H’s new role was revealed, and Vince was the first to confirm that Stephanie is the new Chairwoman & Co-CEO, along with Co-CEO Khan. Laurinaitis is also believed to be gone from the company. WWE announced earlier this week on July 25 that Triple H is also the new head of creative. WWE also announced on July 25 that previous financial statements were being revised due to “certain unrecorded expenses” by Vince, in the amount of $14.6 million, which are the payouts to various women. WWE noted then that Vince was personally re-paying the amount. It was also revealed on July 25 that the federal government is investigating the McMahon payouts. You can find full details at the links below, including statements from Vince and Stephanie, full details on the anonymous e-mails that led to the investigations, the “hush money” pacts, and more.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more. Below are links to our various reports on the McMahon – Laurinaitis situation and the recent fallout.
FULL COVERAGE OF THE VINCE MCMAHON – JOHN LAURINAITIS ALLEGATIONS AND FALLOUT:
– USA Network Looks Ahead to Big WWE Changes, USA on Fan Reactions to Triple H Taking Over Creative
– Top WWE Stars Jab at Vince McMahon’s Retirement on RAW
– What Triple H Promised to WWE Talents In Pre-RAW Backstage Meeting, More Backstage Notes
– Vince McMahon Facing Additional Investigations?, More on Vince’s Exit from WWE
– WWE Restates Financial Statements Due to Unrecorded Vince McMahon Expenses, Vince to Pay Money Back
– Backstage News on Brock Lesnar Working WWE SmackDown After Walking Out Earlier
– Stephanie McMahon and WWE Fans Send “Thank You” Message to Vince McMahon
– Read Vince McMahon’s Full Retirement Letter Sent to WWE Employees
– Brock Lesnar Officially Pulled from WWE SmackDown
– WWE to Replace Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam?, More on Lesnar’s Reaction to Vince McMahon’s Retirement
– Backstage News on Vince McMahon’s Retirement, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan’s New WWE Roles, More
– Brock Lesnar Reportedly Leaves SmackDown, Upset Over Vince McMahon’s WWE Retirement
– Vince McMahon Retires from WWE
– Triple H at WWE SmackDown, Backstage Talk on Triple H’s New Role, Bruce Prichard Update, More
– WWE Announces Triple H’s New Executive Role, Triple H Comments
– Netflix Reportedly Pulls Vince McMahon Project, Millions of Dollars Spent
– WWE Issues Internal Statement on Latest Vince McMahon Allegations
– Vince McMahon Reportedly Paid Millions of Dollars In “Hush Money” to Former Wrestler and Others
– News on Who Made the Decision to Name Stephanie McMahon as WWE’s Interim CEO & Chairwoman
– Stephanie McMahon Addresses Investigation Into Her Father During WWE HQ Meeting
– How Much Value WWE Has Lost Since Vince McMahon Scandal Broke, WWE Ratings Up Due to Buzz?
– WWE Now Facing Multiple Potential Class Action Lawsuits
– Vince McMahon Makes Surprise WWE RAW Appearance to Hype Big Return
– More Details On Vince McMahon’s Mood, Backstage Atmosphere At Friday’s WWE SmackDown
– Vince McMahon Opens Tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Video of the Segment
– Stephanie McMahon Sends Message to WWE Staff After Today’s Huge Announcement
– Vince McMahon Announced for WWE SmackDown
– Pat McAfee Reacts to Vince McMahon Allegations, Thinks We Will Never Get the Truth
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