Triple H is righting Vince McMahon's creative wrongs with WWE changes

WWE Says Vince McMahon, Under Investigation for Alleged Misconduct, Made Personal Payments Totaling $19.6 Million

Vince McMahon’s off-the-books personal payments that he made while chairman and CEO of WWE were higher than previously reported, the company said.

Last month, the wrestling entertainment company announced that it would revise its financial statements going back to 2019 to account for $14.6 million of “certain payments” that McMahon made while chairman and CEO should have been recorded as expenses. That was three days after McMahon said he was retiring from WWE, which he announced amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that he paid millions of dollars in hush money to multiple women to keep quiet about affairs and other misconduct.

In an SEC filing Tuesday, WWE disclosed that since the July 25 announcement, it had discovered that McMahon made two additional payments totaling $5 million — unrelated to the allegations that led to the board’s special committee investigation — in 2007 and 2009, which also should have been recorded in the company’s consolidated financial statements. WWE did not provide details on what McMahon’s $5 million in payments were for.

WWE had previously aimed to issue the revised financial statements accounting for McMahon’s personal payments by Aug. 9, but said the information that had come to light about the additional $5 million he paid made that infeasible.

WWE said the board’s special committee investigation into McMahon’s alleged misconduct remains ongoing. Last month, the company disclosed that it had received “regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas [and] demands” in connection with the ex-CEO’s alleged misconduct.

McMahon remains a stockholder with a controlling interest in WWE. 

source: yahoo money

Eric Bischoff Gives His Thoughts On Triple H Taking Charge Of WWE Creative

Eric Bischoff discussed Triple H taking lead of WWE creative during a recent appearance on the Out of Character with Ryan Satin podcast:

“Here’s what I’m excited about. I’m very, very optimistic. Now, I’m not tight with Triple H. We get along, we can be together in a room and it can be very pleasant and borderline fun, but we don’t hang out. He doesn’t drink anyway, but if he did, we wouldn’t go out for drinks. None of that, we don’t chat. So, I don’t know him personally. But I did get a chance, for a very, very brief period of time – four months back in 2019 – get a chance to work with him. Here’s what I think – I think Stephanie has been the creative under Vince, I think Triple H has been the head of creative under Vince. I think both of them know, as phenomenal of a process as Vince McMahon’s process was and what it achieved over the last couple of decades – the fact that it’s a five-billon dollar market cap company with a global footprint speaks to Vince McMahon’s process. If I’m right, there is a whole lot of talented people I did get to work with a lot for a short period of time that I have nothing but admiration for. So, at the same time, you have a new regime, although it came up within the mentorship of one Vince McMahon. That’s a great thing, by the way, but they also see that things have to change.”

The Undertaker Comments On WWE Future Without Vince McMahon

The Undertaker was recently interviewed by ESPN during which he was asked for his thoughts on Triple H taking over creative and talent relations for WWE. Check out highlights below:

On WWE’s direction without Vince McMahon:

“They’re loosening the reins a little bit as far as what guys can say and do,” Calaway, a longtime locker room leader, told ESPN. “I think the product will probably be a little more aggressive. I think that’s going to come through in the creative.

On Triple H in charge:

“I mean, he’s brilliant, he really is. I don’t think he gets enough credit for his wrestling acumen. I think he’ll be a huge asset to the development of a lot of guys. And he’s a no bulls— kind of guy too. He’s going to let you know what you’re doing that’s right and what you’re doing that’s wrong. I think it’s going to be a step in the right direction with Hunter [another nickname for Levesque].”

Stephanie McMahon Reveals WWE SummerSlam Broke Major Record

WWE has held some massive SummerSlam events in its history, including the 1992 SummerSlam in England’s Wembley Stadium and last year’s SummerSlam in the newly built Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. But as big as those events were, they appear to pale in comparison to the success of this year’s event in Nashville, Tennessee.

In a press release sent by new WWE co-CEO Stephanie McMahon this morning, WWE revealed that this past weekend’s SummerSlam was the most watched SummerSlam in the 35 years the promotion has run the summer extravaganza. Though no figure was provided regarding how many fans watched the PLE on Peacock, the event was attended by 48,449 fans in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.

WWE also revealed in the release that they had surpassed 90 million subscribers on their YouTube channel, to go along with 70 billion lifetime views of videos and over 18 million followers on social media brand TikTok. The promotion also hyped their crossover with Epic Games’ free-to-play “Fall Guys” game and thanked the fans, Nissan Stadium, the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, and other sponsors for helping make SummerSlam a success.

The most-watched SummerSlam in history was headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in a Last Man Standing match. Reigns successfully defended the championship in the face of daunting odds, with Lesnar at one point using a tractor to destroy the ring and knock Reigns to the floor.

Meanwhile, the event included the returns of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky (Io Shirai), with all three confronting “WWE Raw” Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch following Belair’s successful defense against Lynch. Other notable moments included Bobby Lashley retaining the WWE US Championship against Theory, Logan Paul defeating The Miz, Seth Rollins laying out Riddle for the second straight show, and the Usos retaining the WWE Tag Team Championships against the Street Profits, with Jeff Jarrett as special guest referee.

WWE Allowing Talent More Freedom On Mic And To Improvise More

According to a report by PWInsider it's being said that WWE is allowing talent to have more freedom while on the mic. They also are allowed to improvise more, and call spots in the ring.

PWInsider were told that a big part of what made the Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre match so great on Smackdown last week is that it was called in the ring, and not having every single single spot laid out to them beforehand.

Triple H Provides Fans With An Update On His Health At SummerSlam Tryouts

Triple H has provided fans with an update on his health during the SummerSlam Tryouts.

The newly appointed  WWE Head of Creative and Talent Relations revealed that he has been feeling great since his health scare in September of last year when he underwent heart surgery after suffering a cardiac event caused by a genetic heart condition. He said that it took him some time to heal up, but he is currently back to being fully healthy. He noted that he is 100% back to working again and trying his best to fill their big shows.

“It was a glitch in the road,” Triple H said. “Luckily for me, it was caught. It took a little for me to get past it, but I’m over it, and I’ve got a clean bill of health.”

Triple H shared that he will not be making a return to the squared circle because he feels like his time in the ring had concluded. While The Game may not be returning to active competition, he still has a passion for the business and expressed his desire to make it better than ever.

He continued to say that fans should embrace their families, their friends, and what they love to do in life. He said to work hard for want you want out of life.

“I have a new appreciation for life,” Triple H said. “It’s precious and it doesn’t last long. Embrace it. Get everything you can out of it.”

The former WWE Champion mentioned that he has made positive changes to his wellness routine. He said he has been sleeping more and told fans not to be afraid to do the same. Triple H also noted how he approaches the business because he loves it and wants to continue to be involved with it.

Rumor Mill - NXT Expected To "Somewhat" Return To Triple H’s Vision For The Brand

Shawn Michaels has been in charge of the day-to-day running of NXT since Triple H’s took leave last year with health issues, Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard were also overseeing the booking but with McMahon now gone it is believed Triple H will be more involved with the brand.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “in NXT, the belief was that the product will revert back somewhat to Levesque’s previous vision of it.”

Meltzer noted the belief was that while they will continue to heavily recruit top-tier athletes, WWE would be open to using more experienced wrestling talent, and going forward, “the door would be more open to better wrestlers who weren’t as big or as good looking as [Vince] McMahon wanted on the roster.”

Linda McMahon Responds To Reporter About Vince Mcmahon’s Retirement

Outkick is reporting that during the America First Policy Institute’s conference, Linda McMahon was asked by a reporter about her husband Vince McMahon retiring from WWE and what she thought.

Linda at first refused to comment, but then followed up with a brief statement saying, "You know what, he’ll just be deciding on how he’s going to spend his free time. I think that’s a good thing."

Vince’s daughter Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named co-CEOs of WWE following his departure.

Insight Into The Dynamic Of Stephanie McMahon And Nick Khan As WWE Co-CEOs

Following Vince McMahon’s decision to retire one week ago amid allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity, Stephanie McMahon, his daughter, has taken up the reins as chairwoman moving forward. In addition, Stephanie will also work side-by-side with Nick Khan — who became an executive within the company in August 2020 — as co-CEOs. Although their tenure sharing the executive position has just begun, the lid has been lifted on the duo’s dynamic behind the scenes.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has disclosed that Khan will deal with the business side of the company, while McMahon will be the public face of WWE and will run the wrestling side of business with her husband, Paul Levesque (fka Triple H). Levesque, who will also serve the company as EVP of Talent Relations, assumed the role of head of creative for the entire organization’s on-screen product earlier this week in the aftermath of his father-in-law’s exit. The Observer noted that, for many years, the belief was that Stephanie and Levesque were the heirs to the throne, and despite recent events making it seem unlikely, that now seems to have come to unexpected fruition, especially as regards to the wrestling side of things.

Additionally, in regard to Stephanie and Khan’s roles as co-CEOs, it was said from people who work with top executives in a similar arrangement that, more often than not, things don’t tend to work out. Disagreements are reportedly common, as neither person will have complete power to implement their own vision. Nevertheless, a WWE source is encouraged by the news of the pair sharing the key position.

I actually believe this pairing is necessary,” a WWE source told the Wrestling Observer. “Nick is a revenue driver. And he’s been involved in things that are not his specialty. What he’s good at, he’s great at. Steph is the promoter. The old school promoter with the new lexicon in media about analytics and branding. If Steph sticks to being a promoter, managing the relationships for the company, and Nick sticks to revenue, they’re a formidable team.”

Triple H Comments On Leading WWE Creative

During a media scrum in Nashville as part of WWE SummerSlam week, Triple H was asked by Nick Hausman of Wrestling INC how his vision will change from that of Vince's.

"You gotta watch the show. You gotta watch the show," he said with a laugh.

He continued, providing a little more color on the situation by saying, "This is the longest-running stuff on TV, we say it all the time. Raw, SmackDown, SummerSlam, everything we're doing. There are a massive pair of shoes to fill that I'm trying in some way to step into, but I do not dream, for one second, that I can fill those shoes by myself. It's going to take a lot of us. It's going to take a team. It's going to take everybody here to fill those shoes and continue on, but we will. The intent is to continue the legacy of what has been going on, that made me fall in love with this business that he created and to take it to new levels. To take it to beyond where it is now. The only way we're going to do that is as a team. That's with Steph, Nick Khan, myself, Kevin Dunn, everybody that is here. All this talent. The great, hardest working talent in the world. I have no doubt in my mind that with this team, we can do it. Not an inkling of doubt. It's just a lot of hard work and we're all going to grind. We have the greatest fans in the world and we're going to make sure they get everything they want out of this product and then some."

With Vince retiring, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named Co-CEOs of the company.

Later during the scrum, Triple H was asked by Jon Alba of AdFreeShows about Paul Heyman, who is helping scout talent during the WWE tryouts, possibly being involved in creative and development aspects going forward

"I want ideas from everybody. I want thoughts from everybody. To me, this inclusive. That goes for the talent. When I say this is going to take all of us, it's going to take all of us. I want that. Paul is one of the best promos in the history of this business. Who better? When I asked him to be part of this, he was thrilled. We both joke about the fountain of youth at these things. Who better to come here to talk about that skill? Paul has the gift of gab, always has. Who better to come here and motivate these kids?" said Triple H, before also mentioning Big E and Bianca Belair as people who have helped out with the tryouts.

source: fightful.com

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