Tag: Paul Levesque

Ari Emanuel behind recent change in WWE creative

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave an update on Vince McMahon being out of WWE’s creative process.

Meltzer reported last week that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is the person making all of the key decisions in creative right now. Meltzer noted that McMahon is out of the process at the moment.

Meltzer stated on WOR that the decision was made by Endeavor/TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel.

“Vincent Kennedy McMahon was the guy making all the decisions, and now, Vince was in fact overruled, even though when he merged the company he was told that this would not happen. It did happen. And it’s a really interesting thing. And that statement when Ari Emanuel was talking about the reasons the stock is down and he mentioned Vince’s name. So it is very interesting I think what is going to happen,” Meltzer said.

“Vince’s power is clearly marginalized. There’s no way around that.”

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated also reported last Friday that Emanuel was behind the change.

“Multiple contacts within the WWE and UFC have confirmed that Ari Emanuel, who wields power as the Endeavor CEO, is behind the change,” Barrasso wrote. “Emanuel has long been a firm believer that, in order for an organization to be as effective as possible, people need to do the job they are assigned. In this case, that approach has empowered Levesque to exert his full influence in the company’s creative sphere.”

Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE became official last month. WWE and the UFC have been merged into one publicly traded company named TKO Group Holdings.

McMahon has the job title of executive chairman of the board in TKO. Levesque is WWE’s chief content officer.

Wrestling Observer Live: Creative changes in WWE

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

On a Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live, I talk about the latest news from a loaded week in professional wrestling.

WWE made a decision not to bring back CM Punk at this time, and I talk about why they made that decision and how it would have affected current storylines and possibly backstage morale.

It was also reported this week that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is fully in charge of WWE creative going forward and that Vince McMahon is not currently part of the process. I talk about how this has improved the shows on a weekly basis and the effect on long-term stories.

Also, I give my review of WWE SmackDown which saw a lot of story development including the return of Roman Reigns and the debut of new general manager Nick Aldis.

Plus, I talk AEW Collision, the possibility of a December AEW pay-per-views, and MJF’s latest feuds.

Click Here To Listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube above

Triple H ‘making all the key decisions’ in WWE creative right now

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer gave an update on the current state of the WWE creative process.

Meltzer writes that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is the person making all of the key decisions in WWE creative right now. Vince McMahon is currently out of the process, but the term “at the moment” was stressed to Meltzer and it’s possible McMahon’s involvement could change in the future.

Meltzer wrote:

Regarding the creative process, right now Paul Levesque is the person in charge. He’s the one making all the key decisions. Bruce Prichard is a conduit between creative, talent relations and talent services. Ed Koskey is the operations person who keeps the scripts flowing. At the moment, Vince McMahon is out of the creative process, but it was stressed to me the term ‘at the moment.’ McMahon is still the person in charge of the company with the most power but Levesque is running creative and Nick Khan is making the business moves.

Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE became official last month. With the deal, WWE and the UFC have been merged into one publicly traded company named TKO Group Holdings. McMahon has the title of “executive chairman of the board” in TKO.

In addition to running creative, Levesque will be making an appearance on SmackDown tonight (October 13). It’s being billed as the season premiere episode of the show.

Updates on CM Punk’s backstage visit to WWE Raw, flight to Chicago

Posted on by Josh Nason

More details about CM Punk’s surprise backstage visit to WWE Raw Monday have emerged.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported several key details Tuesday, including that Punk was in Florida doing MMA commentary work and was on a flight back to Chicago that also included WWE talents and a producer. While sitting with said talents, he learned Raw was happening in Chicago and showed up in the afternoon, brought in by other talents.

Punk talked to several people backstage in a common area, including The Miz and Paul Levesque. According to PWInsider’s report from someone who saw their interaction, Punk and Levesque shook hands and asked if he and Levesque could talk for a few minutes. Levesque allegedly said he had to make sure that was ok with Vince McMahon first.

It was previously reported it was McMahon’s call for Punk to leave. It’s unclear what the specific reason was for that decision given that other AEW contracted talents (Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo) were allowed to be at this year’s Hall of Fame Ceremony. Johnson said one WWE source noted the past legal situations between Punk and the company could have been the reason.

As was reported Monday, Punk and Miz apparently cleared the air about any lingering issues from Punk’s run on WWE Backstage.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez said Punk was there for about 20-25 minutes before he was asked to leave which he did with no issue. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyf4hpY8xY4

Both Alvarez and Dave Meltzer said people were surprised in both WWE and AEW that Punk showed up there. Meltzer didn’t want to give his theories as to why, but said the feeling in WWE was that Punk wanted back in the company.

However, Johnson pointed out in his report that Punk is under AEW contract for a lengthy amount of time and that it appears he simply wanted to clear up any bad blood with WWE personnel given that WWE happened to be in his hometown.

“From all we have spoken to, it just happened to be the timing that led to Punk going there on a whim,” Johnson wrote.

Triple H ‘to address the WWE Universe’ on SmackDown

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul “Triple H” Levesque will appear on SmackDown this week. 

WWE announced on Thursday that the company’s Chief Content Officer will “address the WWE Universe” on Friday’s show. 

From WWE.com:

WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H ignited the Los Angeles crowd to kick off the Raw After WrestleMania and will return this week on Friday Night SmackDown.

Coming off the most successful WrestleMania in history, the message from The Game was simple – “We’re not going anywhere.”

Don’t miss the appearance from Triple H this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!

Three matches were also announced for SmackDown. 

Sami Zayn and Jey Uso will go one-on-one on Friday’s show. 

Imperium’s Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci will take on The Brawling Brute’s Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland in a six-man tag team match. 

Also, Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest are scheduled to wrestle Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar. 

Appearances by Rhea Ripley, Kevin Owens and Zayn were previously announced as well. 

This week’s edition of SmackDown will take place from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 

WWE SmackDown 4/7 lineup:

  • Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest
  • Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso
  • The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch & Ridge Holland) vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci & Intercontinental Champion Gunther)
  • Triple H to “address the WWE Universe”
  • Rhea Ripley to appear
  • Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn to appear

Vince McMahon backstage at WWE WrestleMania 39, involved on headset

Posted on by Josh Nason

Days after officially becoming an employee again, WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon was put back to work as he was backstage at Saturday’s first night of WrestleMania 39 and even on headset.

PWInsider first reported Saturday night that McMahon was backstage with his own office which was said to be near the gorilla position. It also stated he was on headset, giving feedback, and asking questions.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, our Dave Meltzer confirmed the report, saying he was not running the show but that McMahon is “very much involved now.” 

This is a change since McMahon’s surprise backstage appearance on a late-March edition of Raw in Boston where it was said he was simply there to visit John Cena.

McMahon was also at Friday’s Hall of Fame ceremony, indeed sporting a new mustache and dyed black hair as had been rumored.

On Friday, it was announced by WWE that McMahon had signed an employee contract to go along with his Executive Chairman Board position he orchestrated his return to back in January in an effort to facilitate and head up a sale of the company.

Since that time, speculation has grown as to McMahon’s increased role within creative, headed up by his son-in-law Paul Levesque, which has been downplayed by WWE CEO Nick Khan.

Triple H: Having Vince McMahon around WWE ‘has been great’

Posted on by Josh Nason

On Thursday’s WWE Q4 earnings call, chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque made a point to say how much he is enjoying having his father-in-law and WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon back around.

Wrapping up his portion of the call, Levesque made a point to say that it’s been “great” to have McMahon around thanks to his “incredible insight” and that he remains “a tremendous asset to this company.”

“I want to reiterate just how excited I am and how much fun I am having in my role as chief content officer. I also want to add that having Vince around has been great. I will tell you this: it has allowed me, and allow me to speak for our entire creative team, but we’re standing on the shoulders of giants. So having him back and involved, even at just the Board level, comes with his incredible insight. He is a tremendous asset to this company. This is the best time of the year. We’ve kicked off the road to WrestleMania. It’s an amazing moment for WWE, and I look forward to continuing to build the business alongside this leadership team for the long term.”

There has been questions as to how involved the former CEO has been with day-to-day affairs after he returned to the company’s Board under unusual circumstances — circumstances that saw Levesque’s wife and Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie McMahon resign as co-CEO and Executive Chairwoman.

Stephanie McMahon had taken over as co-CEO, along with Nick Khan, in July 2022 when Vince McMahon resigned amid a scandal due to revelations of hush money paid to women he allegedly had improper relations with.

Triple H holds talent meeting prior to WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE held another talent meeting on Monday. 

Our own Bryan Alvarez posted to his Super Followers that staff and talent met with company management in Cincinnati, Ohio ahead of tonight’s Raw.

Fightful Select is reporting the meeting was led by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Kevin Dunn, and Dan Ventrelle, who was hired as WWE’s executive vice president of talent in September. 

Today’s meeting is said to have addressed many of the same points that were discussed with SmackDown talent on Friday. Levesque reiterated that he is still the company’s Chief Content Officer and Vince McMahon’s return will not impact WWE creative or talent relations. He also debunked last week’s rumors that the company had already been sold to the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. 

At the SmackDown meeting on Friday, Levesque also stressed that if the company is to be sold, the process will be a long one. Additionally, he noted that he has discussions with Vince McMahon about WWE creative but Vince always defers to him for the final say. 

Triple H holds talent meeting prior to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE held a talent meeting today in Green Bay, Wisconsin ahead of SmackDown. 

According to reports from PWInsider and Fightful Select, Paul “Triple H” Levesque led the meeting and focussed on Vince McMahon’s role in the company since returning. 

Levesque reiterated that McMahon is only spearheading efforts to determine if the company should be sold and who it should be sold to. He also squashed rumors that a sale was already “a done deal” and noted that if the company is sold, the process will be much longer.

Levesque stressed that McMahon’s return to the company does not impact the creative team or the creative process, although he would also mention that “anything can change”. He said that while him and Vince may have discussions about WWE creative, Vince always defers to him for the final say. 

WWE held an employee-only meeting last Friday. During that meeting, it was stressed that McMahon’s return would not lead to changes in the company’s day-to-day operations or to the roles of its management team. 

WWE CEO Nick Khan was ‘buffer’ between McMahon family members

Posted on by Josh Nason

Through the McMahon family corporate tumult that has dominated headlines, WWE CEO Nick Khan has been the buffer between the various parties trying to smooth things over.

Dave Meltzer reported as such in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In reviewing the circumstances in which Stephanie McMahon suddenly resigned as co-CEO and left the company completely this week, Meltzer wrote, “It was also conceded that she and Vince (McMahon) did have issues in working together as family members and how Khan was a buffer who kept things smooth between them as well as between Vince and (Paul) Levesque.“

In a whirlwind of moves, Vince McMahon returned to the company from his July resignation last Friday after six months away and was officially reinstated as Executive Chairman of the Board on Tuesday. Hours earlier, Stephanie had resigned as co-CEO and Khan was granted the full role. She had also served the role as Chairwoman since her father resigned.

At the time Stephanie McMahon had taken a leave of absence to spend more time with family prior to her father’s scandal, a Business Insider piece painted her in a negative light and reported that her father had replaced her. Meltzer reported afterward that wasn’t the case and that she had left on her own accord.

Khan remains as CEO as the company is pursuing a sale this year while Levesque, Stephanie’s husband, is also still in his role of heading up creative as chief content officer.

Speculation continues regarding William Regal’s future in AEW

Posted on by Josh Nason

One of wrestling’s most interesting — and unanswered — stories currently is the future of William Regal.

In recent days, there has been speculation that Regal is returning to WWE in some kind of backstage/executive role given his past connection to WWE’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque. That speculation caught social media fire after Levesque tweeted a montage of Regal saying “WarGames” on Saturday during Survivor Series:

At this point, Regal is believed to still be under AEW contract but the length of the deal is the main question which neither Regal or AEW’s Tony Khan have publicly commented on.

In discussing the rumors Monday, our Dave Meltzer said Regal had said he had signed a three-year deal with AEW but that “something was going on.” He also said there was some off-the-record information that he was given which he was not allowed to discuss.

Meltzer didn’t have any new information on Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio following an AEW Dynamite that saw MJF take Regal out following the new AEW World Champion’s in-ring promo. Regal was bloodied up in the mouth, stretchered out, and taken away in an ambulance which some took to mean he was being written off in storyline.

On Thursday, Fightful reported that talent believe Regal’s contract could be up this month — a topic speculated about during this past weekend’s WrestleCade event.

After 22 years in the company, Regal was released by WWE in January and debuted for AEW at March’s Revolution, eventually starting the Blackpool Combat Club. He turned on Jon Moxley at this month’s Full Gear which led to MJF winning the title and on last week’s Dynamite, Moxley confronted him and told him to leave.

While MJF gave the background for when Regal aligned with him during the aforementioned promo, there was still no explanation from Regal as to why he decided to turn on Moxley.

The 54-year-old Regal was a mainstay in WWE NXT for the better part of the last decade and had been the company’s director of talent development and head of global recruiting during his time with WWE.

Triple H not at WWE Raw due to testing positive for COVID-19

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque won’t be at tonight’s episode of Raw in Oklahoma City.

PWInsider reported this afternoon that Levesque isn’t at tonight’s Raw in person due to testing positive for COVID-19. Though he isn’t at the show, Levesque has been in contact with WWE’s writers and producers.

“Levesque is said to be feeling well and in good spirits but will be away from his in-person WWE duties until he has cleared the company’s current protocol,” PWInsider wrote. “We are told he has been in contact with the company’s producers and writers and feels good about the creative and team heading into tonight’s Raw, which would be the first without him since he took over his new roles.”

PWInsider noted that the plan is for Levesque to be back as soon as he tests negative. Brian “Road Dogg” James is the point person in charge of tonight’s show.

Our Dave Meltzer confirmed PWInsider’s report and noted that Levesque also won’t be at this Tuesday’s episode of NXT.

Levesque was named WWE’s new head of creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon this July. In September, Levesque was officially given the title of Chief Content Officer.

Here’s what’s been announced for tonight’s Raw:

  • Brock Lesnar appears
  • United States Champion Seth Rollins defends against Matt Riddle
  • Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz (if Lumis wins, he gets a WWE contract)
  • Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
  • Elias returns

Triple H comments on potential WWE futures of Dwight Howard, Tyson Fury

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has commented on the WWE futures of Tyson Fury and Dwight Howard.

Fury has performed once inside a WWE ring at Crown Jewel in 2019. He was also on-hand for Clash at the Castle in Cardiff earlier this month. Levesque spoke with the Sporting News at the Crown Jewel press conference recently and stated that he believes Fury has the potential to do something special in WWE. 

“I think Tyson Fury is chomping at the bit to get in the ring,” Levesque said. “The question is which ring will he get into? Is it going to be the boxing ring or is it going to be the WWE ring? We were just together in Cardiff, we had a long talk. He’s as enamored as ever in wanting to do this with us. I think he knows he’s got a few big fights left in him in the boxing world. I think he’s going to capitalize on those fights.”

“Selfishly, I want him to come work with us. Also selfishly, I want to see those fights. So, I hope he knocks those out and I hope he stays interested because I do think with the dedication and the drive that he could do something special with us as well.” 

Howard attended a WWE tryout in Nashville during SummerSlam week. Levesque says “the ball is in his court” regarding the basketball player’s WWE future.  

“I think the ball is in his court. It’s a funny thing, Dwight, in the conversations we had, was like, ‘You Know, I really want to do this. I’m serious, I really want to do this’ but we hear that a lot and there’s a difference between saying I want to do this and putting in the grind and doing the work to get there. [He] came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others. Incredibly entertaining, really driven to want to do this.”

“He’s got a lot of other things going on, so when he says, ‘Hey, I want to give this a shot,’ he’s got my phone number. All he’s got to do is call me and we’ll see what can happen. And if he’s willing to put in the grind and the drive that guys like Logan Paul and Bad Bunny and Tyson Fury are willing to put in then let’s go.” 

Triple H thinks it would be ‘irresponsible’ for WWE to go back to using blood

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Though WarGames is coming to the WWE main roster, Paul “Triple H” Levesque doesn’t think the use of blood is necessary at this point in time.

It was announced today that two WarGames matches will be taking place at Survivor Series this November. In an interview with The Ringer to make the announcement, Levesque said it would be irresponsible to go back to using blading in matches.

“The world has changed. The world has evolved. I don’t think it’s necessary,” Levesque told The Ringer.

“If we have talent that gets [cut open], usually you’ll see them roll out and they’ll get looked at to make sure that there’s nothing dangerous,” Levesque said. “I’m just of the opinion right now, given the state of the world and the pandemic, and at the end of the day, what we do is dangerous enough without intentionally making it more dangerous. Yes, we did [feature bleeding] for a long period of time, but we’ve changed that practice. And it’s irresponsible to go back.”

Survivor Series WarGames is taking place at the TD Garden in Boston on Saturday, November 26. There will be a men’s WarGames match and a women’s WarGames match at the pay-per-view.

Levesque, who took over WWE creative in July following the retirement of Vince McMahon, told The Ringer that the WarGames matches will be storyline driven.

“We’ll have a men’s WarGames match and a women’s WarGames match. The tradition of the Survivor Series has ebbed and flowed and changed slightly over time, but this will be similar to that,” Levesque said. “This will not be Raw versus SmackDown. It will be much more story-line driven. I still look at it as a traditional component to Survivor Series in there because it’s large teams of people competing. We just upped the ante a little bit with WarGames and made it evolve.”

WWE touts success of Clash at the Castle event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is touting the success that its Clash at the Castle event achieved across multiple areas of business.

On Monday, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted a graphic stating that Clash at the Castle achieved the following:

  • The most-watched international PLE (Premium Live Event) in WWE history
  • The highest-grossing European gate ever for WWE
  • WWE’s best-selling non-WrestleMania event in terms of merchandise
  • The highest-rated international PLE in WWE history in terms of fan reaction (the source that WWE used for this wasn’t identified)
  • #WWECastle trended number one on Twitter
  • The Clash at the Castle post-show press conference had the highest concurrent views on WWE’s YouTube channel for anything other than a PPV pre-show

Levesque wrote: “#WWECastle was a massive success for @WWE across all lines of business and the #WWEUniverse in the UK… the next question is where should we go next?!”

Clash at the Castle took place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It was WWE’s first major PPV to be held in the United Kingdom since London’s Wembley Stadium hosted SummerSlam 1992.

Clash at the Castle was headlined by Roman Reigns defeating Drew McIntyre to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The PPV also included an instant classic match with Gunther retaining the Intercontinental title against Sheamus.