Apart from his status as one of the biggest names to emerge on the wrestling scene in the 1990s, as well as someone who still steps into the ring on occasion for special events, Paul “Triple H” Levesque has become well-known to fans as one of WWE’s top executives. However, a new report suggests that the son-in-law of WWE chairman Vince McMahon apparently got demoted without any fanfare late last year and is no longer working directly with the company’s performers.
Citing this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter , WrestlingNews.co wrote that the rumors of another major organizational shake-up started swirling in December, shortly after WWE co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson departed the company. At that time, the nature and timing of these changes weren’t clear, but as Wrestling Observer founder Dave Meltzer noted in his report, a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing might have revealed what had taken place behind the scenes.
According to the filing, Triple H’s new job title is listed as Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy and Development. As the 14-time world champion was previously known as WWE’s head of talent relations and had worked closely with various departments while serving as the EVP of Talent, Live Events, and Creative, this is reportedly seen internally as a “quiet demotion” — one where he doesn’t actually negotiate with talent, despite what his new title may suggest. It wasn’t stated, however, why Triple H was supposedly demoted and given fewer responsibilities as a WWE executive.
Welcome to our home. #WeAreNXT #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/k9EhXKHyif
— Triple H (@TripleH) March 12, 2020
Per a Wrestling Inc. story that also cited Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer report, Triple H is now primarily assigned to NXT, where he oversees its “growth and operation,” works on expanding the brand’s international reach, as well as selling its television rights. The publication also suggested that the purported demotion took place about five months prior to the discovery of the SEC filing.
With Triple H no longer handling talent like he used to, his old responsibilities as EVP of Operations have reportedly been transferred to McMahon’s Chief of Staff, Brad Blum, who has been with WWE since 2006. Similarly, WWE Vice President of Talent Relations Mark Carrano is now reporting to Blum instead of Triple H, as further noted by Meltzer.
As of this writing, Triple H has yet to comment on the rumors regarding his apparent demotion and his current focus on the business aspect of NXT. He has, however, remained highly complimentary of the black-and-gold brand’s on-air performers in recent weeks, mentioning Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, and Velveteen Dream as three wrestlers he’d like to see included if his old faction, D-Generation X, gets rebooted for present-day fans.
