WWE's Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque visits Albany pro wrestling hall of fame

This past Friday, Albany’s pro wrestling hall of fame got a visit from “The Game.”

World Wrestling Entertainment returned to MVP Arena on Friday night for a live episode of “SmackDown.” Earlier that day, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque took a trip inside the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, which is located inside the MVP Arena atrium.

Levesque was joined by members of WWE’s creative team and backstage crew.

“They’re all fans of the history of pro wrestling,” said Seth Turner, the hall of fame’s president and co-founder. “They love seeing the artifacts we have and taking it in.”

It wasn’t the first trip Levesque has made to the museum. In fact, Turner said, when WWE comes to Albany, the museum opens up several hours before the arena opens to the public, allowing WWE wrestlers and crew members in for a private look at the hall of fame’s impressive collection of wrestling memorabilia.

The IPWHF has a “good, collaborative relationship” with WWE, Turner said. The museum has been featured in the A&E documentary series “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” in a 2023 episode about Trish Stratus and Lita, and the opening of an Albany episode of “Monday Night Raw” was filmed inside the hall of fame.

Levesque was joined for his visit on Friday by Rich Hering, a retired long-time WWE employee and former executive with the New York State Athletic Commission.

Levesque, a 14-time world champion in WWE as “Triple H,” has been a part of the company’s front office for more than 15 years. He’s been in charge of the company’s creative direction as its chief content officer since 2022.

Turner said that Levesque enjoyed getting a chance to see the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy, which is on display at the hall of fame on loan from WWE.

“He told a great story about the original trophy falling and breaking into a lot of pieces by accident,” Turner said. “He was glad to see that one. He’s always a huge fan of Killer Kowalski, who was his trainer. We have a full mannequin of Killer Kowalski, and we have some other artifacts.

“Everyone is always a fan of the Gorgeous George hair curling machine, too. And I would say Paul really liked some of the older artifacts that we have that go back 100 years; scrapbooks and things like that.”

Turner said Levesque’s interest was also piqued by a copy of the card from the first WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation) show at MVP Arena (then Knickerbocker Arena) in February 1990.

“It’s a who’s who of WWF from that era,” Turner said. “It was Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. Perfect, and Macho Man vs. Dusty Rhodes. I mean, everybody was there, and those were some of the stories we were talking about.”

Las Vegas Approves $6 Million Payment To WWE For WrestleMania 42

According to a report from LV Sports Biz, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is preparing to approve a $6 million payment to WWE in support of WrestleMania 42, which is set to take place next April. The approval is expected to be made official during the board’s upcoming meeting on Wednesday, November 12.

The report notes that LVCVA CEO Steve Hill is an enthusiastic supporter of WrestleMania and has often spoken about the significant economic and cultural impact the event brings to the city.

WWE will once again stage WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the first time since 1989 that the event has been held in the same city two years in a row. As part of WrestleMania weekend, WWE is also set to host several major events including SmackDown, NXT Stand & Deliver, and the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Originally, WrestleMania 42 was scheduled to take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 11 and 12, 2026. However, plans shifted, and the show will now take place at Allegiant Stadium on April 18 and 19, 2026. To compensate, New Orleans has been confirmed as the host city for the 2026 Money in the Bank Premium Live Event, scheduled for September 6.

TKO President Mark Shapiro: A Lot Of Our WWE PLEs Were Created By Vince McMahon, We Need To Get In The Business Of Taking That Torch & Moving Past That

TKO head is enjoying the progression.

The latest episode of The Main Event with Andrew Marchand featured a sit-down chat with TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro.

While the conversational focus was on WWE, Shapiro spoke about how the company’s Chief Content Officer, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, and President Nick Khan are moving things forward.

He added that a lot of WWE Premium Live Event titles were created by former Chairman Vince McMahon. Shapiro said they needed to take the torch and move past that, so Levesque and Khan introduced the Wrestlepalooza PLE. Shapiro said securing the I.P. to Wrestlepalooza to sell event merchandise was a success.

“And yet, they’re open to new ideas. They never seem exhausted. They’re ready to take on a new shot, a new risk, a new opportunity. ‘Hey, Nick, let’s talk about launching a new event.’ Right now, a lot of our PLEs were created by Vince McMahon. We need to get in the business of taking that torch and moving past that, and Nick (Khan) and Triple H created Wrestlepalooza, which is the launch event for our new ESPN deal, which did incredibly well and may turn into a superfranchise. Not to mention from a merch standpoint, I don’t need to tell you, securing the I.P. rights and then selling merch at Wrestlepalooza, let’s just say it was a real winner…”

The first-ever Wrestlepalooza event was produced under the ECW banner in 1995.

The next Premium Live Event on the docket for WWE is Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29th from Petco Park in San Diego, California.

credit The Main Event with Andrew Marchand with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Triple H Compares WWE's Booking Style To Marvel Cinematic Universe

Triple H has been the head of WWE creative since the summer of 2022, and his tenure as booker has had it' ups and downs.

The ups? The Bloodline saga, CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre, and Cody Rhodes finishing his story. The bad? John Cena turning heel, the disappearance of The Rock, and more.

The stakes couldn't be higher for Triple H as TKO Group continues to load up the WWE calendar and tries to break company records year in and year out. Through all of that, Triple H says his focus is still on telling stories.

In an interview with All In, Triple H opened up on his booking strategy and compared it more to a Marvel movie than a UFC fight.

“I would say we’re much more akin to the Marvel Universe, where you’re planning out long term where the movies fit and how they go with all the characters, than we are direct MMA. At the end of the day, direct MMA is — you’re booking matches and the interest is, ‘That guy’s really good. He’s really good. I’m not sure who’s going to win."

The Chief Content Officer of WWE continued and confirmed what has been widely speculated — telling stories is the most important aspect of the job, not putting on great matches.

“We tell stories. People within our business sometimes take this wrong, but we don’t write the shows based on ‘That’ll be a great match.’ We write it on the stories that we can create, the protagonist, the antagonist, how does that work with each other, telling stories that can resonate with people that maybe they’ve experienced in their real life."

Triple H was a multiple-time world champion as an active wrestler in WWE. He spearheaded the popular NXT black and gold run and turned that promotion from being strictly a developmental territory to a true third brand for WWE.

In 2026, Triple H will need many strong stories for some huge events that TKO Group has planned for the business. The 2026 Royal Rumble will take place inside Saudi Arabia for the first time ever. The company will return to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for Wrestlemania. And in 2027, WWE will produce WrestleMania from outside of North America for the first time in history.

source: si.com

WWE Superstar's Contract Terminated Early Following Social Media Criticism

Things have gone from bad to worse for former WWE Superstar Ridge Holland.

Holland, real name Luke Menzies, announced his impending departure from the company last month after he was informed his contract would not be renewed. The decision to cut Menzies from the roster came at a time when he was still recovering from a Lisfranc injury he suffered during a TNA taping back in September.

Earlier this week, Menzies vented some of his frustration over the situation in a social media post. He blasted WWE's decision to release him while he was still months away from being able to work again, and expressed concern over whether he'd be able to continue paying his mortgage.

"I feel like I've been hung out to dry after getting injured working for another company on behalf of WWE," Holland wrote. " Yes they are taking care of the surgery and physical therapy, but let's be honest, that's the bare minimum after what we sacrifice for the company."

Menzies' WWE contract was set to expire on Friday, November 14, according to separate social media post he made. However, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported Wednesday night that his deal was terminated early.

"The word within WWE was that they considered some of his recent posts a breach and the call was made to release him from his deal early," Ross Sapp said. "It was strongly suggested that he won’t be paid for the remaining period."

While Menzies will not be able to wrestle until sometime in 2026, he has now opened himself up for media and signing appearances.

Releasing someone from their contract with roughly seven months of rehab ahead of them is something that was almost never a practice in WWE, according to Ross Sapp. At least until the last year or so, following the formation of TKO Group Holdings when WWE merged with UFC.

"It was noted that WWE has to continue providing [Menzies] rehab, but they would almost certainly open themselves up to legal action if they didn’t," Ross Sapp said.

Ridge Holland had been with WWE since May of 2018. He debuted in NXT later that summer and stayed with the developmental brand until he was drafted to SmackDown in 2021.

Many at the time didn't believe he was ready for the main roster, but he received a fair amount of opportunity to prove himself alongside Sheamus and Pete Dunne. The Brawling Brutes, as they were called, developed a rivalry with The New Day and even scored a very decisive win over Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods at WrestleMania 38.

Holland will always be associated with the unfortunate injury that appears to have ended the in-career of Big E. During the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown, the former WWE Champion landed awkwardly on his head following belly-to-belly suplex from Holland and suffered a broken neck. He has not wrestled since and the current belief is that he never will again.

Holland returned to NXT in 2023 and stayed there until his release this week. Veteran pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer spoke about Menzies' situation on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and said the company had plans on cutting him last year before he signed a one-year extension at a much lower rate.

source: si.com

TKO Raises 2025 Guidance Following Big Bucks UFC and WWE Licensing Pacts

TKO has raised its full-year guidance on the momentum generated by its big-bucks new deals with Paramount and ESPN for rights to UFC and WWE events.

The parent company of the MMA league and wrestling franchise had a mixed third quarter with revenue down on tough year-over-year comps from last year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris. UFC also held one less pay-per-view event and no presence at Las Vegas’ Sphere, compared to the year-ago frame. At the same time, costs were down significantly so that improved the adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and net income were both up, powered by gains for WWE and IMG.

“TKO delivered solid third quarter financial results, and with UFC and WWE’s sustained momentum, we are once again raising our full-year guidance,” said Ariel Emanuel, TKO’s executive chair and CEO. “Having secured landmark multiyear media rights deals for UFC, WWE and Zuffa Boxing, our conviction in TKO has never been stronger. We remain focused on operational execution, including preparing for UFC’s launch with Paramount, further integrating and unlocking synergies with IMG, On Location, and PBR, and maximizing shareholder value.”

Total revenue was down 27% to $1.120 billion. Net income hit $106.8 million, a big swing from $3.4 million in Q3 2024. Free cash flow was a healthy $398.9 million, an increase of $247.9 million from $151.0 million, due to the increase in cash flows generated by operating activities and a decrease in capital expenditures.

For the third consecutive quarter, TKO increased its full-year target for revenue and adjusted EBITDA. Revenue is now projected at $4.69 billion to $4.72 billion and adjusted EBITDA was lifted to $1.57 billion to $1.58 billion. For the year to date ended Sept. 30, TKO total revenue stood at $3.69 billion and adjusted EBITDA came in at $1.3 billion.

Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, TKO president and chief operating officer, were pressed by analysts during the company’s conference call for details on how the $7.7 billion, seven-year UFC rights deal came together with Paramount+ and CBS. Shapiro emphasized that UFC still has runway to strike lucrative rights deals outside the U.S.

“Overall [Paramount] ended up having the best equation, which is best for our brand, best marketing plan, a holistic effort, given what they’re doing on the domestic side with that investment,” Shapiro said. And, of course, the best rights fee. So for us, it’s always going to be brand, reach, dollars.”

Despite the momentum behind UFC and WWE, Shapiro kept the chest-beating to a minimum.

“We knew we were going to have a nice bidding war because it was attractive and it has strong fan bases and and we capitalized on it,” Shapiro said. “Nobody here has taken a victory lap, not on those specific territories in that deal, or really even on the quarterly earnings here. We’re proud of where we are. We’re proud of the road ahead. We’re cautiously optimistic.”

source: variety.com

Nick Khan Addresses Soaring WWE Ticket Prices And Overall Live Event Strategy

WWE ticket prices won't be going down anytime soon.

For more than a year, the WWE has priced tickets aggressively for major events like WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, SummerSlam, and other PLE's in order to generate the most revenue possible — and break old revenue records for the company. Increased prices for television events like WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown followed suit.

According to the WWE President, Nick Khan, those tickets are priced appropriately, and the pricing aligns with their overall live event strategy.

Khan addressed ticket prices and the general live event strategy for the company on the Q3 earnings call on Wednesday and was adamant that both the pricing strategy and event strategy as a whole were sound.

“A couple of years ago when TKO was put up, one of the first things we collectively did was reduce the non-televised live events, which created more scarcity in the marketplace for our televised events, and our continued international expansion only furthered that," Khan said of the event strategy in WWE.

"It creates more scarcity in the United States which is a good thing in-terms of our overall gauge.”

With a slower slate of events overall, Khan confirmed that the ticket prices to see WWE were fair given what the market is bearing.

“Capacity continues to be very high. We’ve increased prices appropriately with the marketplace. That’s for the PLEs, RAW, SmackDown, SNME, and every other ticketed program that WWE has. We remain bullish on it.”-Nick Khan

In 2025, WWE expanded it's international event slate and held multiple television events overseas. The company put on specialty PLE's in Paris, Australia, and Saudi Arabia as well.

2026 will be a year that continues that expansion for the company. WWE is already slated to host the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia in 2026. Plus, the company announced this year that it would be running WrestleMania outside North America for the first time in history. WWE is bringing their biggest event to Saudi Arabia in 2027 with WrestleMania 43.

WWE will return to the scene of last year's record-breaking WrestleMania in 2026. WrestleMania 42 will emanate from inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the second year in a row. The company had originally announced New Orleans as the site of the event, but pivoted after a record year in 2025.

source: si.com

Happy Anniversary Paul and Stephanie

October 25, 2003

WWE Reportedly Exploring Creative Changes After Recent Criticism

WWE and parent company TKO are experiencing another banner year when it comes to ticket sales, merchandising, and in particular, landing multi-billion dollar media rights agreements.

It is more than fair to say, however, that the honeymoon period with Paul 'Triple H' Levesque as WWE's Chief Content Officer has come to an end.

Fans have been more critical of the company's booking practices in 2025 than they ever were during Levesque's previous years in control. The headlining gripe, of course, has been the handling of John Cena's retirement tour.

His shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber was a very promising start, but despite a few glimmering moments — such as his pipebomb promo on CM Punk — many feel WWE has completely dropped the ball with Cena's final run.

That's not entirely on Levesque, as The Rock's abrupt departure from the story left Cena to carry the weight of the entire arc without the lead protagonist that finally talked him into abandoning his principles.

It wasn't working. WWE knew it. Cena knew it and the entire angle was dropped ahead of SummerSlam. However, just as Cena was catching fire with spectacular matches against Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, the WWE creative team made the conscious decision to have Brock Lesnar squash him at WrestlePalooza.

He'll now face AJ Styles at Crown Jewel this Saturday, with absolutely zero build up on WWE programming. Outside of a few video packages highlighting their rivalry from 2016 and 2017, and Styles quite literally saying on Raw that they don't need a story for this match.

A lack of compelling storytelling overall, especially when it comes to many of WWE's female superstars, has been another cause of aggravation for fans this year.

Even some of the company's top champions have fallen victim to lackluster creative unbefitting of the talent involved. Tiffany Stratton's rivalry with Jade Cargill and the U.S. Title reigns of Zelina Vega and Giulia serving as prime examples.

Distraction finishes and post-match attacks have become heavily leaned on crutches. Almost as though WWE is overly concerned with protecting everyone, that as a result, no one ever truly goes over.

Pacing has been another major issue. Whether that's finding time to consistently feature the WWE World Tag Team Championships during a two and half hour Monday Night Raw, or on a grander scale, effectively moving from PLE to PLE with often just weeks in between shows.

No one is suggesting that the job of Levesque and his creative team is easy, and the product today is still miles ahead of where it was during the latter years of the Vince McMahon era, but WWE reportedly knows improvements need to be made.

The folks over at BodySlam say the company has taken notice of the audience's criticisms this year and meetings have been held recently to discuss how to best adjust the creative process.

"Sources indicate to Bodyslam that WWE is undergoing creative changes to their team to overall improve the product. Road Dogg will continue to be head of creative for SmackDown, but there will be additions to the team to make the show more enjoyable moving forward."

The general consensus is that Raw has consistently been the better of the two brands for some time now. Creative adjustments on the SmackDown side of things should be welcomed news to those who tune in every Friday night.

source: si.com

Stephanie McMahon and Triple H Visit The White House For Pediatric Cancer Initiative

Stephanie McMahon and Triple H visit the White House again.

On Tuesday, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to employ artificial intelligence (AI) for childhood cancer research, with $50 million accordingly being added to the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative. According to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, the order is all about “action, unlocking cures, empowering families, and giving every child the chance to grow up healthy and strong.”

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and former WWE executive Stephanie McMahon were in attendance for the signing, which took place at the White House in Washington, D.C. In 2014, Triple H and Stephanie established Connor’s Cure, a campaign aimed at raising funds to support pediatric cancer research. In 2025, McMahon helped lead the charge to make the latest executive order.

“I cannot begin to describe how proud I am of Stephanie,” Triple H wrote on X alongside a photo of himself, Stephanie, Linda McMahon, Trump, and others present at the White House meeting. “Her dedication to Connors Cure and tireless advocacy in the fight against pediatric cancer over the past decade has been truly inspiring. Today’s Executive Order, which she spearheaded, marks a historic breakthrough in this incredibly important cause.”

“With Connor in my heart and you by my side, anything is possible,” Stephanie wrote in response, referencing Connor Michalek, the young boy who inspired Connor’s Cure. Michalek sadly died in 2014 after battling medulloblastoma, a rare tumor affecting the brain and spine.

John Cena's final match to headline Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 13 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, in partnership with Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the nation’s capital, today announced that 17-time World Champion John Cena’s final match will headline Saturday Night’s Main Event on Saturday, December 13, at Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Following a year-long farewell tour, with stops at WrestleMania 41 and SummerSlam along the way, Cena will bring his decorated career – highlighted by 17 World Championships, five U.S. Championship title reigns and two Royal Rumble victories – to an emphatic close live from the nation’s capital.

“John’s contributions to WWE are immeasurable. There are no words that can truly relay how much he means to this business,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “Together with our partners at Events DC and Capital One Arena, we look forward to honoring his legacy and delivering an unforgettable send-off for both John and the WWE Universe.”

“Washington, D.C. is the Sports Capital and the perfect place to honor John Cena’s remarkable legacy,” said Angie M. Gates, President and CEO of Events DC. “We are excited to welcome WWE fans from our city and around the globe to witness an unforgettable final showdown in our nation’s capital. We deeply value our partnership with WWE and look forward to providing fans with an experience they will cherish forever."

“It is our great privilege to host John Cena’s historic final match at Capital One Arena, a staple venue that has consistently witnessed dozens of marquee WWE events over the years,” said Jordan Silberman, President, Venues at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “There's no stage more fitting to celebrate the legacy of a true entertainment icon than our building, with a backdrop anchored in the heart of Downtown D.C."

Tickets for Saturday Night’s Main Event will go on sale starting Friday, October 17, at 10am ET/7am PT. Fans can purchase tickets during an exclusive presale by visiting Ticketmaster.com starting Wednesday, October 15, at 10am ET/7am PT. To register to be the first to hear about pre-sale opportunities for Saturday Night’s Main Event, please visit: http://wwe.com/crs.

WWE in partnership with Events DC will enhance the fan experience with a host of community-driven initiatives and ancillary events to commemorate Cena’s final match, including a live episode of “Six Feet Under with The Undertaker,” the critically acclaimed podcast hosted by WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker, at The Howard Theatre on Friday, December 12, the official WWE Superstore at the Gallery Space DC featuring the largest selection of John Cena Final Match merchandise, and more.

Additionally, official Saturday Night’s Main Event Passes are now available through WWE’s exclusive partner On Location. These passes offer fans the chance to be ringside for every exhilarating moment, including premium seating, all-inclusive pre-show hospitality featuring WWE Superstar appearances, ringside photo opportunities and much more. To learn more or to purchase your package today, please visit: https://onlocationexp.com/cena.

Happy Birthday Stephanie

Stephanie McMahon Levesque
September 24, 1976