Triple H

Several WWE executives, including Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Stephanie McMahon, received raises for their new roles following the retirement of longtime chairman Vince McMahon in July.

Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News provided the updated salaries Friday based on the company's latest filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:

• Triple H: $730,000 (old salary) to $900,000 (new salary)
• Stephanie McMahon: $730,000 to $1.35 million
• Nick Khan: $1.2 million to $1.35 million
• Frank A. Riddick III: $850,000 to $950,000
  

After Vince's retirement, WWE announced his daughter Stephanie and Khan would be promoted to co-CEO status, while Triple H took over as the head of creative.

The SEC filing noted Riddick, WWE's chief finance officer, will retain that role while also now serving as the company's president.

Triple H ($1 million) and Stephanie ($750,000) have additional salaries as on-screen performers, per Ringside News. All four executives also receive equity grants: $3.6 million for Khan and McMahon, $2.4 million for Riddick and $1.6 million for Levesque.

Changes to the product since Triple H took over creative control have drawn mostly positive reviews. The nine-time WWE champion has brought an old-school feel to the weekly broadcasts, with more backstage segments and a willingness to use slower story building.

He's also pushed some new faces up the card, including some former NXT talents he worked with while leading WWE's developmental program. That has created an infusion of much-needed fresh storylines over the past few months.

On Friday, Triple H told BT Sport's Ariel Helwani (via Zack Heydorn of PWTorch) it's "surreal" to make all the key decisions about the creative direction of the on-screen product:

I can look at some many things in my career and even now, to say that I'm in this place where I have creative control of WWE—of the largest sports entertainment company that there has ever been on the planet, like, it's hard to even think about. It's overwhelming and is such a massive responsibility. Trying to fill Vince's shoes in some way, which can't be done by one person, but trying to step into those in any way shape or form is just overwhelming, but you just go and do the job. Hopefully, you do it well and people dig it.

The WWE schedule rolls on Saturday with the Clash at the Castle pay-per-view at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

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Triple H sat down with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport for an interview covering numerous topics, and one of them included talk about whether The Rock could make one last appearance at WrestleMania.

According to Triple H, The Rock has said there is no greater rush or feeling than when he's wrestling in front of 100,000 fans about to perform the infamous People's Elbow.

He then noted that the Rock has a "burning desire" to get back in the WrestleMania ring and "take advantage of that time" he has left before he can't realistically compete anymore.

"So I know somewhere deep inside of him is that burning thing to go, 'I've gotta feel that one more time. I've gotta get in there one more time,'" Triple H said.

Triple H later added: "The clock is ticking. So if there's a time, it is becoming now, and I know there is a burning desire for him to take advantage of that time. It's just a matter of can he harness all of the other things to focus on that long enough for us to get it done."

The Rock, who turned 50 in May, hasn't wrestled since he beat Erick Rowan in a six-second match at WrestleMania 32 in 2016. His last real match occurred in April 2013, when he lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 29 in a battle for the WWE Championship. All told, he has wrestled just seven times since 2003.

Still, he's called the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment for a reason, and he's also one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The Rock is, simply put, wrestling royalty and someone whose memory will last for generations. Getting him for WrestleMania would be massive, and Triple H said that he "would love to see nothing more" and that he's "saying there's a chance" it happens.

As Triple H noted, the platform is there for the Rock to come back at WrestleMania 39, which will take place in Inglewood, California, on April 1 and 2. Triple H noted that 90,000-plus tickets have already been sold.

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Questions about whether WWE tampered with wrestlers under contract with rival promotion All Elite Wrestling remain a focal point since Triple H took over as head of creative.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported Thursday (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) there were conversations with several members of the AEW roster.

"They sent a legal letter to WWE about contract tampering," Meltzer said. "Apparently, there's been people going like 'Who's the person?' Multiple people have been contacted by WWE. It's not like it's one person to pick a name. It's a few people."

WWE hasn't commented on the allegations, and it's unclear whether AEW is saying Triple H or another high-level executive was the one who sparked the alleged discussions.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported AEW president Tony Khan held a "very animated and impassioned" talent meeting before Wednesday's Dynamite broadcast in which he laid out ways the company is improving its environment.

Khan said during the meeting that AEW chief legal officer Megha Parekh sent a letter to WWE executives Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan warning them "not to tamper" with members of the AEW roster, per Johnson.

Chris Jericho, one of AEW's cornerstones, also hinted about tampering in a reply to a fan's question on Twitter about a possible WWE return:

Hmmm…well Some higher ups want that to happen sooner than later! #tampering https://t.co/PD8kMGgyJq

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) August 24, 2022

Triple H (real name: Paul Levesque) returned to WWE in late July after taking time away to focus on his health following a cardiac event last September.

The longtime wrestler was elevated to the head of creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon less than a week later.

Triple H moving into control of the programming has led to several high-profile returns, with Johnny Gargano being the latest to rejoin the company when he made a surprise entrance Monday night on Raw.

Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston explored how WWE has taken control of the wrestling free-agent market since "The Game's" elevation to the lead role, and he noted Bray Wyatt will be the next bellwether in helping determine which promotion holds the edge.

"Triple H, with his willingness to allow creative freedom while keeping things more grounded than the grandiose sports-entertainment visions of McMahon, seems just the guy someone like Wyatt would want to work for," Beaston wrote.

That said, free-agent signings are one thing and trying to attract talent under contract elsewhere is another, and AEW appears frustrated with the alleged behind-the-scenes dealings.

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The recent shift in power within WWE reportedly has former NXT star Johnny Gargano contemplating a potential return to the company.

According to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, Gargano is open to going back to WWE and wants to speak to new WWE head of creative Triple H about "seeing how things would be changing."

Haynes added that Gargano is apprehensive about the "grind" associated with working for WWE in the wake of he and fellow former NXT star Candice LeRae having their first child together, but the "overarching factor for him walking away was dissatisfaction with his position/direction with no set plan for how he'd be used."

Gargano has been a free agent since December, which is when his WWE contract expired. He has not wrestled for another company since then and has instead focused on being with his son.

Johnny Wrestling has appeared at several autograph signings, however, and he has explored other revenue streams, such as streaming on Twitch and putting merchandise on Pro Wrestling Tees.

Haynes noted that in addition to his potential interest in WWE, Gargano has already had some talks with AEW.

Many of the stars who Triple H featured during his time as the head of NXT have made their way to AEW after getting released from WWE or having their contracts expire.

Among them are Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, Pac, FTR, Athena and Ruby Soho.

Gargano would likely be a good fit in AEW because of the focus on in-ring work and his status as one of the best pure wrestlers in the world, but things clearly seem to be changing in WWE as well.

In the few weeks since Triple H took over as head of WWE creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon, there has been added focus on the in-ring product, championships, the midcard and the tag team divisions on both Raw and SmackDown.

Also, Triple H has brought back several former NXT stars who were released when McMahon was at the helm, including Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis and Hit Row.

Given that Triple H pushed Gargano to the moon, put him in tons of main events and made him NXT champion, North American champion and NXT tag team champion during his NXT run, there is little doubt that The Game would love to have him back.

The ball is likely in Gargano's court, and he finds himself in an advantageous position with each of the top two companies seemingly having an interest in signing him.

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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Stratus to Appear at WWE Live Events in Canada

WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus announced Monday that she will be in attendance at two WWE live events in her native Canada this weekend:

Guess who’s coming to the @WWE Live Events this weekend!! Come see @FightOwensFight, @DomMysterio35 and @AlexaBliss_WWE and yours truly. Welp someone has to come and maintain control… https://t.co/6tBtYxhpgv

@BudGardens @LeonsCentre

— Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom) August 16, 2022

On Saturday night, Stratus will be present in Kingston, Ontario, and she will also be at Sunday's show in London, Ontario.

The seven-time WWE women's champion didn't make mention of next Monday's episode of Raw, but it stands to reason that she could be at that show as well since it will emanate from her hometown of Toronto.

Stratus is widely regarded as one of the best and most successful female performers in the history of pro wrestling, and she is among the most popular figures in WWE history as well, especially in Canada.

Her original retirement match occurred back in 2006 at Unforgiven in Toronto, and it came against her best friend in fellow WWE legend Lita.

Trish returned to wrestle a handful of matches in 2009, 2011 and 2018, but it was in 2019 that she competed in another bout that was once again billed as her retirement match.

Once again wrestling in Toronto, Stratus faced Charlotte Flair in a highly regarded match at SummerSlam, which was ultimately won by Flair.

The 46-year-old has not wrestled since then, but the door is seemingly always open for her to return, and it is fair to wonder if the live event appearances could lead to her doing something more substantial on television in the future.

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Kross Acknowledges Potential Match vs. Wyatt

In the wake of his recent return to WWE, Karrion Kross got fans talking Monday by seemingly expressing interest in a match against Bray Wyatt.

Kross offered the following response to a tweet from former ECW ring announcer and personality Joel Gertner, who tweeted his desire to see a Kross vs. Wyatt match one day:

pic.twitter.com/SyaGg1T4nu

— Kevin Robert Kesar (@realKILLERkross) August 16, 2022

Wyatt has been a free agent since getting released by WWE last summer, but there is a growing belief among fans that he will eventually make his way back to the company.

The main reason for that is the fact that Triple H is now the head of WWE Creative in the wake of Vince McMahon's retirement, and he seems more than willing to bring former WWE stars back into the fold.

In the few weeks since Triple H took over, he has already re-signed Kross, Scarlett, Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis and Hit Row, and it is fair to expect even more signings in order to add depth to the roster.

Kross was a two-time NXT champion under Triple H's leadership, but things quickly went south once he got called up to the main roster, as he was separated from Scarlett and experienced a gimmick change.

When Triple H brought Kross back a couple of weeks ago, it was with the same presentation he had in NXT, and it was in a big spot, as he attacked Drew McIntyre and confronted WWE universal champion Roman Reigns.

Wyatt was a three-time world champion during his initial WWE run and was one of the most popular Superstars on the roster. Given those factors, he would likely be pushed to the top fairly quickly as well upon returning.

Both Wyatt and Kross play dark characters that fans gravitate toward, and there is little doubt that they could do something special together.

If Triple H finds a way to sign Wyatt, it will likely be a matter of when rather than if he feuds with Kross, and doing a match between them on the WrestleMania stage would be the perfect showcase for both of their abilities.

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Top Dolla Gives Backstage Info on Hit Row's WWE Return

Hit Row member Top Dolla provided some insight into how he, Ashante Thee Adonis and B-Fab made their WWE return last week.

Last year, Hit Row were a hugely popular act in NXT, but the entire group was released shortly after debuting on the main roster, leaving many to wonder what went wrong.

Since Triple H had a significant hand in the formation of the group, it wasn't particularly surprising that he made it a priority to bring them back once he became head of creative.

Appearing on Busted Open (h/t WrestlingInc's Ross Berman), Top Dolla divulged that he remained in contact with Triple H even after getting released and maintained a positive relationship with him.

Top Dolla added that Triple H reached out to Hit Row just over a week before their return and described how everything came together:

"[Triple H asked], 'How fast can I get you guys here?' And this was Wednesday of last week, and we were like, 'If you want us there, we can be there tomorrow.' We ended up having a Zoom call with him and just planned out what was gonna happen. Did physicals and contracts and all that.

"There's a million people Hunter could've brought back. The list is literally hundreds of performers. That made me feel not just special, but great."

Hit Row made a surprise appearance on last week's episode of SmackDown, with Top Dolla and Adonis cutting a promo. The group received a great reaction, and all three members cut a promo after the match.

They called themselves the "OG3," which is in reference to the fact that Isaiah "Swerve" Scott was part of the group in NXT.

Swerve signed with All Elite Wrestling, so he can't be part of this iteration of Hit Row, but Top Dolla, Adonis and B-Fab were the original members to begin with until Swerve was added.

Now, the trio will have a chance to make some waves on WWE's main roster, and they will undoubtedly be given a much fairer opportunity than they were the first time around.

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WWE talent reportedly believe the next draft will be held following the Clash at the Castle premium live event, which will take place on Sept. 3 in Cardiff, Wales.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of ThirstyForNews.com), there are multiple SmackDown Superstars scheduled to appear on the Sept. 5 and 12 editions of Raw and Raw Superstars scheduled to be on the Sept. 9 SmackDown.

Some WWE talent reportedly also said they have been told things that lead them to believe the draft is coming after Clash at the Castle, although it hasn't been confirmed to them.

Despite the brand split, Raw and SmackDown Superstars still appear on the other show from time to time, especially before and after premium live events.

Because of that, the internal schedule doesn't guarantee a draft is being held, but the fact that Superstars are reportedly scheduled to cross over for multiple weeks could be a sign that the draft is indeed approaching.

WWE last held a draft in October 2021, and the draft has been held in October each of the past three years, so a September draft would be slightly early.

Still, it makes sense for WWE to want to jump into a draft as quickly as possible following the change in leadership up top.

Last month, Vince McMahon retired from his positions as WWE CEO, chairman and head of creative, meaning new people are heading those roles for the first time since McMahon purchased WWE in 1982.

Triple H is the new head of creative, and he has already made some major changes during his short time at the helm, primarily in the form of bringing back Superstars who were released by WWE over the past year.

Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis and Hit Row are all back in the fold, and as the roster continues to expand, the need for a draft increases since it will allow Triple H to position his talent precisely how he desires.

Clash at the Castle will be WWE's first main-roster pay-per-view held in the United Kingdom in two decades, and it promises to be a newsworthy show, especially if Drew McIntyre knocks off Roman Reigns to become undisputed WWE universal champion.

There is a ton of excitement surrounding the WWE product now that Triple H is booking it, and it will likely reach a fever pitch if and when the rosters receive a much-needed shake-up through the draft.

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