WWE rises as Wolfe Research upgrades, citing increased importance of Paul 'Triple H' Levesque

WWE shares rose on Thursday as investment firm Wolfe Research upgraded the sports entertainment company, citing the increased role of Paul "Triple H" Levesque to the company's creative direction.

Analyst Peter Supino raised the firm's rating on WWE to outperform from peer perform, noting that Vince McMahon's "sudden departure" resulted in a "cloud of uncertainty," touching corporate and creative leadership and whether he would sell the company. Now, the stock does not reflect any acquisition premium, the C-suite seems "aligned" and with Levesque as the company's newly named chief content officer, WWE's creative direction "is in the hands of the best person to turn around ratings & morale," Supino wrote.

WWE shares rose 2% to $67.85 in premarket trading.

In addition, the analyst noted there is a "tangible organic growth opportunity" as WWE's TV rights deal expires in 2025. "Relative to WWE's last distribution rights renewals, we see greater demand from native streamers for sports, and more bidders," the analyst explained.

There is also the possibility that WWE is acquired, with next year seen as the most likely time frame for a deal, Supino added.

Earlier this month, WWE raised the pay for Levesque and its new C-suite leadership in the wake of former chief Vince McMahon's exit.

Analysts have been mixed on WWE. It had an average rating of HOLD from Seeking Alpha authors, while Wall Street analysts rate it a BUY. Conversely, Seeking Alpha's quant system, which consistently beats the market, rates WWE a HOLD.

source: seeking alpha

Shawn Michaels Promoted To WWE Senior Vice President Of Talent Development Creative

CBSSports.com reports that Shawn Michaels is the latest member of WWE to receive promotion, officially being given the title Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.

In his role, it is said that Shawn Michaels "will continue to oversee creative in NXT, as well as being in charge of the development of talent in WWE's developmental brand" and he will also "oversee the expansion of the NXT brand, including the expansion of NXT UK into NXT Europe, which is planned to launch in 2023."

This new title comes after an August press release announcing the launch of NXT Europe had him listed as "vice president of talent development creative."

Paul Levesque's Updated Corporate Bio

Paul “Triple H” Levesque is the Chief Content Officer of WWE, a publicly traded (NYSE: WWE) global media company. 

As Chief Content Officer, Levesque oversees the Company’s Creative Writing, Talent Relations, Live Events, Talent Development and Creative Services departments. 

Prior to his current role, Levesque was WWE’s Executive Vice President, Talent Relations where he was responsible for WWE’s Talent Relations and Talent Development departments and served as a senior advisor on talent strategy. Throughout his tenure, Levesque has revolutionized the business with his global recruiting strategy and developmental training processes. In order to create a platform for future success, he architected the company’s NIL recruitment program and established the Company’s state-of-the-art training facility, the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. In addition to strength, conditioning, in-ring training and character development, recruits participate in development programs focusing on life skills, continuing education, health and wellness and career planning. Building off this success, Levesque remains focused on the development and implementation of WWE’s Performance Center/Global Localization strategy. 

Levesque debuted as a WWE Superstar, “Triple H,” in 1995 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. He has held the WWE Heavyweight Championship title 14 times, captured every major championship, headlined thousands of WWE events and entertained millions around the world. Levesque is married to Stephanie McMahon and together in 2014 they established Connor’s Cure, a fund dedicated to furthering pediatric cancer research. He was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame in 2017 and is a board member for the Concussion Legacy Foundation. He has served on both WWE’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors since 2015. 

He is a father of three daughters ages 16, 14 and 12.

WWE promotes Levesque and Riddick, boosts pay for post-Vince McMahon leaders

WWE is making further tweaks to its leadership group in the wake of former chief Vince McMahon's exit.

In an SEC filing, the company notes that following McMahon's resignation of all company positions on July 22, his roles have been spread among four executives: Chairwoman/co-CEO Stephanie McMahon;  Co-CEO Nick Khan; Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer Frank Riddick III; and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque.

In further changes, Friday the company elevated Riddick to president of the company (though he'll retain his role as chief financial officer).

WWE also decided to enhance compensation of the four due to the additional duties. Base salaries are increasing: Stephanie McMahon to $1.35M from $730,000; Khan to $1.35M from $1.2M; Riddik to $950,000 from $850,000; and Levesque to $900,000 from $730,000.

Meanwhile, Stephanie McMahon and Levesque will continue to receive guaranteed minimums under their booking agreements, of $750,000 and $1M respectively.

The foursome also saw expectations set for annual target bonuses, future annual equity grants, and special equity grants. They also received severance protection in the event of a change in control of WWE.

Triple H Shares The Advice Vince McMahon Gave Him For Running WWE Upon His Retirement

Triple H gets to pick the flavor of ice cream now.

Ariel Helwani sat down with Triple H for BT Sport ahead of WWE Clash At The Castle and the pair discussed Vince McMahon’s retirement signaling a changing of the guard. Helwani asked if Vince wrote a note like an outgoing President would, or if he did anything else to pass the baton, and Triple H shared some of the advice Vince gave him upon his departure.

“He did. Look, I think in some manner for both of us, it’s a tough situation for him. In some manner — it’s even hard for me to picture now that he’s not in the equation. And he’s not, in any way, shape or form, but it’s hard to think about that he’s not there. And I think in that moment, hard for him to think about somebody coming in and doing what he’s done for 50 years or whatever, successfully, better than anybody in the world. So yeah, there was definitely that moment of giving me advice, but I think also in some manner,” he explained, “most of that advice was centered around ‘this is what you’ve been sitting next to me learning how to do for 25 years’ or whatever that [time] is… ‘You got this.’ [He said] just be confident in your decision-making, listen to people, be open to ideas and collaborate with other people, things like that that were just wonderful advice.

“And the truth is he’s my father-in-law. He’s not involved in the day-to-day business, but if I had to say to him, ‘Man, I find this difficult to deal with,’ he would give me some overall advice of just ‘listen to people, work with the team, do these things.’ He’s just a wealth of knowledge and the thing is in our positions now — myself, Stephanie, Nick Khan, and there’s so many other people that are such an integral part of WWE — he built such an amazing team for all of us that you have such a support system around you,” Triple H noted, “I couldn’t imagine trying to do this if you were sort of by yourself having to do it. But having that support system, having that team around you, having it all be there, it’s such a wonderful team. It’s a lot of work, but it makes the work fun and easy.”

Helwani followed up by commenting on the speculation that Vince would still be involved in WWE business despite his retirement, and Triple H said that’s not the case. Triple H also said that in so many words, Vince told him to run things the way that he thought would be best for business.

“One of the things that he, I don’t want to say outright said, but he alluded to me, [Vince] said ‘You’re going to do things. You cannot think about how I would do things. You have to think about things you want to do and how you feel like it’s best for the product. I might not like it, but I understand why you’re going to do the things you’re going to do. You have to do what you feel is right.’ But it’s a tough thing to get to,” he explained. “No one works together for that period of time — everybody would go, ‘I would have done that slightly differently.’

“It doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong, we use the term in the business ‘chocolate and vanilla.’ I want chocolate, you want vanilla. One of us has to pick a flavor, he would always pick the flavor. Now it’s my turn to pick the flavor,” Triple H stated. “It’s all good, it’s all ice cream, but it’s my time to pick the flavor and I have to be confident in those decisions and I can’t look back and say, ‘well what would Vince want to have for a flavor?’ Because it just wouldn’t be authentic then.”

credit: WrestleZone

Update on the Vince McMahon Netflix Docuseries

This week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that while the Netflix docuseries on McMahon was originally said to be canceled, the project is still green-lit. Filmmaker Chris Smith is attached as the director and executive producer with WWE apparently cooperating with production.

It was reported last month that the docuseries had been removed from Netflix's programming spreadsheet. WWE announced the project in 2020. It was said to spotlight a different side of McMahon that had previously been unseen by fans. There is at least one other documentary on McMahon that is also in the works right now and a book is set to be released next year.

The report that Netflix had pulled the docuseries came after news broke in mid-June that McMahon was being investigated by the company's Board of Directors for hush payments to former staff.

‘Road Dogg’ Brian James Returns To WWE As SVP Of Live Events

“Road Dogg” Brian James has reportedly returned to WWE in an executive position.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that James will be the company’s new Senior Vice President of Live Events. Jeff Jarrett previously held the role until he departed the position this past week.

James previously spent several years with the company, and he was on Triple H’s team throughout the black-and-gold era of WWE NXT. James, among other officials, was released in January 2022. Before that, he had been a producer, and he was the co-head writer of WWE SmackDown at one point until he left the position and shifted to NXT. He also taught classes about promos and character development at the WWE Performance Center.

WWE remains in the early stages of a substantial regime change. Vince McMahon retired on July 22, and Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were subsequently named co-CEOs. Triple H was named as the head of creative on July 25, and James’ return marks the first member of his inner circle to be brought back to the company as part of this new era.

Kevin Nash Comments On Triple H’s Eye For Talent, WWE Dismantling The NXT He Created

Kevin Nash doesn’t mix words on his feelings regarding what WWE did to Triple H‘s NXT brand during his absence.

On the latest episode of In The Kliq: The Kevin Nash podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer spoke about the great eye that Triple H has for talent. This is something that frustrated him to watch WWE ruin his NXT Superstars when they were called up to the main roster. He also touched upon what they did to the NXT brand following his heart episode.

“He’s got an eye for talent, that’s for sure. Look at the people that he’s kind of hand-picked and pushed up on the WWE product on RAW,” Kevin Nash said. “And every time one of them went up there, it was just like, how quick can we dismantle what got him over and f*ck this dude up? It was just like when he got sick. He had the heart episode. They couldn’t f*cking get down there and dismantle what he had built in NXT quick enough. That was f*cked up, man.”

When Nash was asked what the impetus for that was, he didn’t have a good answer. He tried to talk to Shawn Michaels about it, but he seemingly didn’t get the answers he was looking for.

“I don’t fucking know,” Kevin Nash said. “I asked Shawn about it, you know, Shawn Michaels, and he was just like, you know… [long, awkward pause] Shawn has changed. He’s just not a shit disturber anymore. He just does his job. He does it well, and he does the best he can, and he goes home to his family.”

WWE to launch NXT Europe in 2023, NXT UK to make impact at upcoming event

WWE has its sights set on a larger international market in the coming year.

The NXT brand is set to grow even more come 2023 with the creation of NXT Europe. According to the company on Thursday, NXT Europe will "reimagine the brand and talent pipeline" with a renewed focus on Europe.

NXT UK, the company’s initial foray into Europe which launched in December 2016, will go on hiatus for a few months. WWE will run the premium live event Worlds Collide featuring the current crop of NXT and NXT UK superstars. Tyler Bate, the NXT UK champion, confronted NXT champion Bron Breakker at NXT Heatwave earlier this week while Gallus came out and ambushed Diamond Mine.

Shawn Michaels, the vice president of talent development creative for WWE who oversees some creative aspects of the NXT brand, told Fox News Digital he was "pretty excited" about NXT Europe.

"Given the success of NXT UK, we felt like it was time to expand beyond that," Michaels said.

The planned launch of NXT Europe means NXT UK will go on a "brief hiatus," Michaels said, adding the final NXT UK event will be at Worlds Collide. Michaels said the company will work with the staff and talent to launch NXT Europe "bigger and better."

There are currently 22 male wrestlers, 12 female wrestlers and at least two on-air personalities on the NXT UK roster. Michaels divulged what will happen to the crop of talent.

"So some of it, like everything with the WWE and NXT, that pipeline is always fluid. It’s going to be one of those situations where we’re going to have a lot of representation going into Worlds Collide," Michaels told Fox News Digital. "It’s what NXT has always been and that is to be a pipeline for the WWE in support of RAW and SmackDown. That process is going to continue. We’re going to use the UK talent that we can to go into Worlds Collide and keep that representation out there for as long as we can. And as we move things over here in the process, we’ll make all those decisions in 2023 about who’s a part of NXT Europe and who continues to stay here in NXT in hopes of getting a main roster call up."

NXT has been known for some incredible Takeover events across the North American brand and the UK brand. The UK brand hasn’t seen a Takeover event since January 2020 when WALTER, now known as GUNTHER, faced off against Joe Coffey for the NXT UK Championship.

More than ever, NXT Europe could get creative with where it holds future major events. Fox News Digital asked Michaels whether dream matches at the Colosseum in Rome or outside the Louvre in Paris has been thought about.

source: fox news

WWE discovered Vince McMahon paid $5 million to Donald Trump’s foundation

Former World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon paid $5 million of around $20 million previously unrecorded expenses to Donald Trump's foundation in 2007 and 2009, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.

The report comes weeks after McMahon retired as CEO of the company amid investigations into hush payments he made related to alleged sexual misconduct. WWE has since said its board's independent probe into the matter is "substantially complete."

While the majority of the $20 million in payments went to women who accused McMahon and another WWE executive of sexual misconduct, another $5 million was used for unrelated purposes, according to a recent securities filing.

The $5 million represented charitable donations to the now-dissolved Donald J. Trump Foundation, the Journal reported, citing sources. The donations were given during two years that Trump made appearances on televised WWE events.

The WWE didn't immediately return a request for comment.

Trump dissolved this foundation as part of a settlement with the New York state attorney general's office in 2018, when a lawsuit alleged Trump had misused the charity's funds for his 2016 presidential campaign, to pay legal settlements and promote his business.

This news comes less than a month after the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors launched probes into the $14.6 million in payments made by McMahon to settle allegations of sexual misconduct.

The $5 million in contribution payments should have been cataloged as business expenses, because McMahon was a principal shareholder and the payments benefited the company, an attorney for WWE told WSJ.

The first of the two appearances resulted in a $1 million fee for Trump and a personal contribution from the McMahons of $4 million to his foundation. For his second appearance, Trump was paid $100,000 and McMahon and his wife, Linda, donated $1 million to the foundation.

While the $5 million was listed on the foundation tax returns as coming directly from WWE, the company said in its security filings this month that the payments came directly from McMahon personally.

Vince McMahon is still the top shareholder in WWE despite having left the company. His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, is now working as co-CEO, along with executive Nick Khan.

Linda McMahon served as Small Business Administration chief in Trump's Cabinet. Trump, who hosted two Wrestlemania events in Atlantic City in the 1980s, is enshrined in the WWE's Hall of Fame.

source: cnbc.com

Vince McMahon Misconduct Investigation ‘Substantially Complete,’ WWE Says

WWE said its board’s investigation into alleged misconduct by ex-CEO and chairman Vince McMahon is “substantially complete.” The company restated earnings going back to 2019 to account for personal payments McMahon made during his tenure, including $14.6 million allegedly to women in return for their silence about affairs and other misconduct.

However, the McMahon investigation may continue to have a financial impact, WWE said in regulatory filings.

“While we currently anticipate spending approximately $10 million during the remainder of the year related to this investigation, the related costs could exceed this estimate,” the wrestling entertainment company said in its 10-Q filing for the second quarter of 2022. As previously disclosed, WWE also has “received, and may receive in the future, regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas or demands arising from, related to, or in connection with these matters,” the company said

In addition, WWE said, “Although we believe that no significant business has been lost to date, it is possible that a change in the perceptions of our business partners could occur as a result of the investigation.”

WWE also noted that until McMahon resigned from the company on July 22, he had led the creative team that develops the storylines and the characters for its programming. Taking over as co-CEOs were Stephanie McMahon, previously chief brand officer, and Nick Khan, previously president and chief revenue officer. WWE’s creative is now led by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, EVP of talent relations and creative and Ms. McMahon’s husband.

“Although Mr. Levesque has extensive practical experience with many of our revenue streams and, with Ms. McMahon, has been critically involved in our business transformation over the past several years as well as our continuing brand development, these collective changes at the top of our organization are extensive and recent, and it is therefore possible that the loss of services of Mr. McMahon could have a material adverse effect on our ability to create popular characters and creative storylines or could otherwise adversely affect our operations and/or financial performance,” WWE said in its amended 10-K filing for 2021.

The company on Tuesday announced Q2 earnings. Revenue for the period was $328.2 million, up 24%, and net income was $49.0 million, an increase of 68% year over year. Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA), which excludes stock-based compensation, increased 34% to $91.5 million.

Based on “outperformance” in the first half of 2022, as well as WWE’s current expectations for the second half of the year, the company raised its guidance for full-year 2022 adjusted OIBDA to $370 million-$385 million (up from $360 million-$375 million previously).

On the earnings call, Levesque said WWE set a record for first-day ticket sales for WrestleMania 39, to be held at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in April 2023, with more than 90,000 tickets purchased in the first 24 hours after they went on sale Aug. 12 — more than any event in WWE history and a 42% increase over first-day sales for WrestleMania 38.

source: variety.com

Shawn Michaels On Taking Over NXT After Triple H Stepped Back, His Position Evolving

Shawn Michaels recently talked about taking control of NXT after Triple H stepped back due to his health issues. The WWE Hall of Famer spoke with Bleacher Report for a new interview and you can check out the highlights below:

On being able to help talent in NXT: “I pride myself on being one of the guys who’s been around for a long time but also understanding and appreciating the business evolving and changing and being a supporter of that. Like with everything else, the athletes get so much better, whether it’s in our industry or others, and continue to be innovative and push the envelope. WWE never shies away from making those different innovations and merging them with what it is we do.”

On being in charge of NXT after Triple H stepped back: “When Hunter first left, it became all me, and certainly from a television standpoint. Matt Bloom is the head coach and takes care of everything from the PC training standpoint, but when it came to NXT 2.0 television, that’s something myself and my team took over creatively. I know a lot of people thought Vince and Bruce were doing that. I can promise you, they did not have the time to do NXT television. If it’s good or if it’s bad, that’s on me. It’s been a huge joy to run that show and work with these talents. Again, everyone was put in a real tough position, we all were, but that’s where you learn to do things in WWE. That, to me, is a form of talent development, which is understanding that things can always change … around here and you have to adjust to that. The show always goes on. It was trial by fire for a lot of us, but it’s been an absolutely fantastic experience.”

On his position in NXT evolving: “As everyone knows, I came in just as a coach and then slowly moved into assisting in creative and things of that nature. I was always the second guy right behind Hunter [Triple H]. I obviously never envisioned being the guy who had the final say on the show and what we do and don’t do and the overall vision for what it is we’re going to do and how we move forward.”

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

What’s that thing about getting exactly what you want?

Happy Birthday Triple H

Paul Michael Levesque
July 27, 1969

Triple H Promises WWE Talent A "More Transparent Creative Process"

WWE announced yesterday, before WWE Monday Night RAW, that Paul "Triple H" Levesque will lead the creative team effective immediately, essentially replacing Vince McMahon as the person who has to give his approval on anything related to storylines and character development.

According to a report from Fightful Select, Triple H spoke to talent in an internal meeting before RAW went on the air last night.

In the meeting, Triple H (who also is the new EVP of Talent Relations) promised greater transparency when it comes to creative, something that was said to be severely lacking under Vince McMahon's leadership. HHH emphasized that he wants an "open line of communication" between him and the wrestlers, something that was nearly non-existent with Vince as some wrestlers waited hours and hours to speak to him if they were lucky to even get that face-to-face time. Triple H also stressed that he wants work to be fun.

Some wrestlers who spoke of this meeting said that it went "really well", leaving many with a sense of optimism that there will be positive changes when it comes to creative. The USA Network, one of WWE's biggest partners, appears to be pleased with the move to appoint Levesque as the top dog for creative as they posted the following on Facebook and on their website.

Source: FightfulSelect.com

WWE’s Latest SEC Filing Includes Legally Foreboding Language

WWE released their latest SEC filing, which revealed that the company had made “a preliminary determination” that payments McMahon made from 2006 to 2022 were not recorded as expenses in the quarters they occurred in, thus making them “Unrecorded Expenses.” As such, WWE announced they are revising previous financial statements to record these “Expenses” for the end of 2019, 2020, 2021 and Q1 of 2022, with the goal of issuing new statements by August 9.

WWE also revealed that the total of “Unrecorded Expenses” was around $14.6 million, and that McMahon had paid or would pay the amount personally. The $14.6 million, which WWE claims “was not material to any individual time period in which the Unrecorded Expenses arose,” has been determined to be an aggregate amount, and WWE is continuing to evaluate “the impact on previously reported on previously reported financial statements.”

It had been previously reported that McMahon had paid $12.5 million to keep quiet numerous potential scandals, with the individual payouts ranging from $7.5 million to $3 million to two $1 million payouts. If those payments are part of the $14.6 million, that would leave approximately $2.1 million unaccounted for. It’s unknown if this will lead to more payouts related to McMahon being revealed going forward.

The WWE closed out this section of their filing with a brief statement that suggested that the actions of McMahon may lead to more controversy for the promotion in the days to come:

“The Company has also received, and may receive in the future, regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas or demands arising from, related to, or in connection with these matters.”

WWE and Board of Directors Announce New Co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan; Paul Levesque to Assume Control of Creative

WWE and its Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as co-Chief Executive Officers. Ms. McMahon has also been appointed Chairwoman of the Board, and Mr. Khan will continue to serve as a member of the Board. These appointments follow Vince McMahon’s retirement announcement on Friday, July 22.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to lead WWE together with our unmatched management team," said Ms. McMahon and Mr. Khan. "We recognize this is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility, and we look forward to serving the WWE Universe." 

Additionally, WWE executive Paul Levesque will assume all responsibilities related to WWE’s creative, in addition to his regular duties.

Vince McMahon Retires

Vince McMahon today released the following statement:

“As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE. Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand. Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.

“Our global audience can take comfort in knowing WWE will continue to entertain you with the same fervor, dedication, and passion as always. I am extremely confident in the continued success of WWE, and I leave our company in the capable hands of an extraordinary group of Superstars, employees, and executives – in particular, both Chairwoman and Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and Co-CEO Nick Khan. As the majority shareholder, I will continue to support WWE in any way I can. My personal thanks to our community and business partners, shareholders, and Board of Directors for their guidance and support through the years. Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

Paul "Triple H" Levesque is back

WWE today announced that effective immediately, Paul Levesque will resume his executive position as EVP, Talent Relations. 

“I look forward to returning to my prior position as head of Talent Relations. I’m healthy, fired up, and ready to take charge,” said Levesque.

WrestleMania Generates $206 Million For Dallas/Arlington Region

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Arlington Mayor Jim Ross today announced that WrestleMania generated $206.5 million in economic impact for the Dallas/Arlington region this past April, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation. This marks a new company record and the first time in history that WrestleMania has generated more than $200 million in economic impact.

Over the past 12 years, WrestleManiahas generated more than $1 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. WrestleMania also generated approximately $24.8 million in federal, state and local taxes.

“On behalf of the Jones family and the entire Dallas Cowboys organization, we congratulate WWE on their milestone success of WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium,” said Dallas Cowboys Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones. “We were honored to partner with WWE and their Superstars to give back to the community in a multitude of ways during WrestleMania Week.”

“On behalf of the city of Arlington, we congratulate WWE and their fans for surpassing $200 million in economic impact for the first time in WrestleMania history,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross. “We are glad to have shared this success and look forward to the opportunity for AT&T Stadium to host a future WrestleMania.”

“We are thrilled that WrestleMania’s return to full capacity generated stupendous record results for our partners in Dallas and Arlington, showcasing the continued growth for WWE’s largest annual celebration,” said WWE Executive Vice President of Special Events John P. Saboor. “This success would not have been possible without the tireless support of Mayor Johnson, Mayor Ross, Charlotte Jones and the entire Jones family, the Dallas Cowboys organization, Dallas Sports Commission, American Airlines Center and the rest of our public and private sector partners throughout the region. We now turn our focus to next year’s WrestleMania in Hollywood.”

A capacity crowd of 156,352 fans from all 50 states and 53 countries attended WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza over the course of two nights this past April, making it the highest-grossing and most-attended event in WWE history. Key highlights from the study include:

$206.5 million in direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by visitors to the Dallas/Arlington region for WrestleMania.

67% of fans that attended WrestleMania were from outside the Dallas/Arlington region and stayed an average of 3.5 nights.

$25.4 million was spent on hotels and accommodations within the Dallas/Arlington region.

The economic impact derived from WrestleMania Week was equal to the creation of 1,777 full-time jobs for the area.

Netflix Pulls Vince McMahon Docuseries

It appears that the planned Netflix docuseries about Vince McMahon has been pulled, following today’s report from the Wall Street Journal about McMahon allegedly paying $12 million combined to keep various affairs and accusations of sexual misconduct quiet.

According to F4Wonline’s Denise Salcedo, she was told by sources that the series was pulled and is off Netflix’s programming spreadsheet.

A source from Netflix reportedly confirmed to Salcedo that it was no longer listed on the company’s spreadsheet, while another source at Netflix said “That s--t’s out of here.”

It was also noted in the report that the project was already deep in post-production. Several talent interviews had been done months ago and millions were already spent.