WWE Superstars Talk Vince McMahon’s Retirement & Triple H as Head of Creative
To say it has been an eventful few weeks at WWE would be an understatement. One colossal factor in that is former chairman and CEO Vince McMahon announcing his retirement from WWE on July 22 amid misconduct allegations.
The move set the stage for other high-level changes. Paul “Triple H” Levesque fully returned to work as executive vice president of talent relations and head of creative. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were appointed co-chief executive officers by the board of directors. Levesque’s vision for television programming is starting to take shape. Viewers have already noticed some tweaks to the commentary, an increased focus on competition, and the re-signing of released names like Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, and Scarlett.
Not having Vince McMahon around backstage felt surreal to the WWE Superstars TV Insider spoke to during the weekend of SummerSlam, the first major show under this new regime. United States champion Bobby Lashley maintains everyone is in good spirits.
“It came so suddenly,” Lashley said of McMahon’s retirement. “Vince has done so much for all of us. The reason I’m here today is because of Vince. The reason my kids have a roof over their head is because of Vince. The reason I feed my family is because of Vince. There are thousands of others. That’s why it’s not just, ‘Vince is retiring. Wow!’ It’s a huge amount he has done for so many people.”
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Jimmy Hart said he would never forget the impact the WWE head honcho had on him: “Vince McMahon brought this megaphone to me years ago. It has been a great gimmick to me.”
The Hall of Fame manager and personality remains optimistic for the company’s future in the hands of the next generation. “I think it’s going to be great,” Hart said. “Not that the old leadership was bad. I think it’s great because Stephanie grew up in a wrestling family. And Triple H, what a great draw he was…. [Look at] how he put so much into it, the way he got NXT going. He’s tremendous. I always say two sticks are harder to break than one.”
Ciampa, a dad, and husband, reflects on the personal—not professional—side of the headlines, saying of McMahon: “I hope the human being is doing good. When Vince stepped down, people treat it like a plug and play. There are humans involved. I hope Vince enjoys retirement. He earned retirement and the fact he doesn’t have to wake up at 3 a.m.”
The Raw superstar added: “I hope Hunter [Triple H] remains healthy. I hope Steph and him don’t get too stressed out with it all.” In March, Triple H made the difficult decision to retire from in-ring competition while recuperating from a procedure following a cardiac event. Doctors found he had a genetic heart issue, a 99.9% blockage in his left anterior descending artery. The legendary performer revealed to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith he has a defibrillator in his chest as a result.
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Damian Priest is happy to see Levesque around again. “Him stepping away, I could only imagine how he felt,” he said. “Triple H loves this business. I felt for him, so I’m excited he is back.”
When Priest first came to NXT, the Judgment Day member was apprehensive. He’d heard that when you sign with WWE, the company looked to change someone like himself who had a background in the business.
“[Triple H] didn’t want to change me. He wanted to make you the best you can be. Maybe that was the change then,” Priest recalled. “He told me, ‘They are signing you for a reason, so let’s enhance you.’ That was always his attitude with me. I appreciated that. The first time we talked, he asked me what I wanted to do. That was wild. I didn’t know how to answer.”
Priest thinks it helps that Triple H was in that ring and brings such a wealth of experience. “He is every bit a businessman and a boss and commands that respect,” he said. “He is not just one of the boys anymore, but he gets it. He is open to dialogue. That’s the way it was in NXT, and he is who he is, so it will be the same. I think he will succeed at his job.”
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Lashley thinks about all the times he went to “The Game” for advice. “The Almighty” would take every opportunity he could to pick the mind of Triple H. “If I’m stuck, I’ll get his philosophy of what to do in a match—things to say, what to do with my character,” he explained. “He has always had an answer. He built NXT to be huge. Triple H is the perfect person to be in the position to keep the ball rolling. With Stephanie, these two people have been in the wrestling business forever. We are in great hands, and we believe we are going to move in a great direction.”
Ciampa will never forget when Triple H surprised him with an embrace during his last NXT appearance at Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend. “He has done so much for me and my family behind the scenes, whether it was giving me advice or making sure I was taken care of,” he said. “I have tons of memories.”
In Ciampa’s eyes, Triple H is more than a boss. He is someone the lifelong fan looked up to as he was deciding to try his hand at pro wrestling.
“When Triple H came back from that quad injury and looked like a freakin’ Terminator, I was a Bret Hart guy, but I thought, ‘That to me [is] what a wrestler looks like all jacked up.’ It’s cool to have him healthy and back on the road. We’re lucky to have him.”
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