In July this year, Vince McMahon’s four-decade reign on top of the wrestling world came to a shocking end.
A month after stepping down as CEO and Chairman, McMahon’s time on top of the wrestling world ended in controversy, as he announced his retirement from his own promotion.
McMahon had been under serious scrutiny following the shocking allegations of Non-Disclosure-Agreements, totaling over $12 million, reported by the Wall Street Journal.
With McMahon gone, his daughter Stephanie has filled his shoes as Chairwoman and WWE, while she and Nick Khan share the title of Co-CEOs.
Best for Business
While Stephanie and Khan are the ones running the company, much of the responsibilities have fallen to Triple H.
Today marks 100 days since the Game was appointed Head of WWE Creative, replacing McMahon, and also serves as Head of Talent Relations, replacing John Laurinaitis.
At the time of McMahon’s retirement, there was plenty of uncertainty, but the stock market has bounced back nicely.
Last month, WWE’s stock reached a four-year high, closing the trading day at $74.12 a share.
This, ironically, benefitted Vince McMahon more than anyone else, as he still owns 28 million shares in the company, making him the majority shareholder.
When McMahon stepped down from his roles in June, WWE’s stock was at $62.23, and the new regime has certainly been good for the market.
Evidently, the markets appreciate what Triple H has done, and this is earning those with large shares in the company a small fortune.
Morale
It’s not just the markets that have been pleased with WWE’s post-Vince McMahon era, but the atmosphere behind the scenes has been said to have improved.
Not long after McMahon was gone, reports came out that things were far more relaxed backstage and employees no longer feel like they were walking on eggshells.
Many on WWE’s main roster first honed their talents in WWE working as part of NXT, and are said to be much happier working for him again.
An August 2022 report from Fightful said that morale backstage lifted “immediately” with Triple H in charge, a far cry from morale being at a reported all-time low in January this year.
It was during the Ruthless Agression era that fans would critique Triple H as someone who only thought of himself and his own ego, but the Game has proven to be a team player in his roles.
It’s hardly surprising, that someone who spent decades as a wrestler, knows what his wrestlers want, and Triple H has been an effective leader thus far.
Returns
Triple H’s tenure as Head of Creative and Talent Relations has been distinct with how many Superstars he’s been able to bring back.
Names like Dakota Kai, Braun Strowman, Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano, Hit Row, Karrion Kross, and more have all returned to WWE under the watchful eye of the King of Kings.
Triple H’s biggest success story is by far Bray Wyatt, whose return at Extreme Rules 2022 racked up millions of views within hours on YouTube.
At the time of his controversial release in July 2021, it was reported that Waytt had been creatively frustrated working with McMahon, but the future looks very bright now with Triple H in charge.
What’s next?
Triple H is just 100 days into his roles as WWE’s Head of Creative and Talent, but with the success so far, he won’t be leaving the role anytime soon.
Even now, the Cerebral Assassin continues to make big moves, including allowing Shinsuke Nakamura to compete at the Pro Wrestling NOAH event on January 1.
As to what the future will bring, that’s uncertain, but the Game has already proven to be someone WWE talent and higher-ups can rely on.
At a time when AEW has been thrown into dissary, with multiple suspensions and injuries to their name, Triple H’s work so far has only proven to fans not to give up on WWE just yet.
WWE has a lot of options open going into 2023, including allowing more Forbidden Door crossovers, seeking more international PLEs and the return of top stars such as Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.
In just a few weeks time, WWE will kick off their first Road to WrestleMania with Triple H in charge, and if the past 100 days are indicative of the future, expect a wild road with the Game in the driver’s seat.
