Ahead of WrestleMania 42, Triple H‘s position in WWE was reportedly a topic of conversation backstage.
On 27 April, Nick Khan announced that Triple H has signed a new, multi-year contract with WWE, which will see him remain the company’s Chief Content Officer. While his future now seems secure, there was some doubt about his position in WWE in the lead-up to WrestleMania 42.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, creative decisions being made by TKO at the last minute – like adding Pat McAfee to Randy Orton’s rivalry with Cody Rhodes – led to people wondering if The Game was in danger of being let go.
“I will say that this year leading to WrestleMania, unlike previous years when fans were like discussing it, it was a topic of conversation in WWE leading up to this WrestleMania… The people discussing this within WWE, they were not discussing this in the sense that we think he’s doing a horrible job, we need him to be replaced. It was being discussed specifically because so much stuff was being done at the last second by people outside. The decision to bring in Pat McAfee. The decision to insert him into the storyline. The thing with Jelly Roll.”
“I had heard about it prior to that as well with other things that had come from above. It was just kind of there was a feeling that perhaps these people keep getting involved and why would they be getting involved if they had so much faith in this guy. And there were people that thought, ‘I don’t know if this guy is going to be around this time next year.’ Turns out he ends up getting his deal extended so he will be around, but it was definitely a discussion point that this may not be his thing for a long period of time. It could be over soon.”
Triple H & Nick Khan Drove Recent WWE Roster Cuts
While some fans blamed TKO for the recent release of around 25 wrestlers from WWE, it has been reported that Triple H and Nick Khan were the key decision-makers behind the cuts. According to Fightful Select, the move was made to make space for incoming talent, with another factor being that SmackDown is potentially returning to a two-hour format.
H/T to Cultaholic for the above transcription.
