Triple H continues to present a fresh WWE with intriguing angles that build over the course of each episode. The August 8 edition of Monday Night Raw was even...
WWE Rumors: Talent Met with HHH About Their Future After Not Having Creative Plans
Aug 7, 2022
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 11: WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul "Triple H" Levesque speaks at a WWE news conference at T-Mobile Arena on October 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was announced that WWE wrestler Braun Strowman will face heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury and WWE champion Brock Lesnar will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at the WWE's Crown Jewel event at Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
WWE's new creative direction under Triple H is starting to form, and talent is taking notice.
Fightful Select reported multiple wrestlers have met with the new head of creative to discuss their plans moving forward as Triple H settles into replacing Vince McMahon.
The WWE Hall of Famer has quickly worked to make his mark, with the most notable changes being the re-signings of Dakota Kai and Karrion Kross. Kai made her re-debut at SummerSlam, joining Bayley and IYO Sky (formerly Io Shirai) to form a new stable to feud with Bianca Belair. Kross made his impact Friday on SmackDown, attacking Drew McIntyre to close the program.
The report did not mention which talents met with Triple H, but it's likely the entire roster wants to hear what's in store for them moving forward.
Most fans and some talent found McMahon's creative direction lacking in recent years.
"We have the opportunity to change some things that maybe weren't so great that we didn't love," Becky Lynch told Mike Coppinger of ESPN. "I think everybody's very excited and optimistic because we know that the people in charge [are] some of the greatest minds in the business, you know. Having Triple H at the helm of the ship is phenomenal. What he's done with NXT speaks for itself. What he did with the women's division and how he allowed us to change the business forever speaks for itself."
Lynch will have to wait for her own new creative direction until after she recovers from a shoulder injury suffered at SummerSlam. That said, Triple H's creative team already planted the seeds of her return to being a babyface at the live event.
As far as the rest of the roster, it appears we'll just have to wait and see.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
WWE Rumors: Latest on Formation of Bayley, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai Stable
Aug 4, 2022
Much of what went into forming the stable of Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai at SummerSlam last weekend reportedly didn't occur until shortly before the pay-per-view event.
According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, the shift that occurred when Vince McMahon retired and Triple H replaced him as head of WWE creative played a sizable role in setting the stage for the trio to show up at SummerSlam.
Bayley missed over a year with a torn ACL before resurfacing last weekend, and Johnson noted that while there was plenty of expectation that she would appear at SummerSlam, the plan hadn't solidified until Triple H took over.
Johnson added that WWE didn't file a trademark for the Iyo Sky name until the day after SummerSlam, which isn't something WWE typically does.
Sky wrestled under the name Io Shirai in Japan and NXT, but WWE has made it a priority lately to change names used by talent outside WWE when they make it to the main roster.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc's Matthew Wilkinson) reported last month that Sky's WWE contract was about to expire and the expectation was that she would leave WWE and go back to her native Japan.
While it hasn't been confirmed, it stands to reason that Triple H played a role in keeping Sky since he was largely responsible for signing her and pushing her to championship status in NXT.
Kai was perhaps an even bigger SummerSlam surprise than Sky since she was released by WWE in April.
Per Johnson, Kai's deal to return to WWE came together "quickly but at the last minute," and she didn't travel to Nashville, Tennessee, for SummerSlam until the night before.
Like Sky, Kai was seemingly a Triple H favorite in NXT, meaning he was likely the driving force behind bringing her back into the fold.
On the Raw after SummerSlam, Bayley, Sky and Kai made a statement by attacking the already injured Becky Lynch and then seemingly entering into a feud with Raw women's champion Bianca Belair, Asuka and Alexa Bliss.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
WWE Rumors on SummerSlam Producers, Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky's Name Change
Jul 31, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: Roman Reigns attends 2022 Fox Upfront on May 16, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
With SummerSlam in the books, we now have more information on the behind-the-scenes machinations of the event's booking decisions.
Fightful Select provided the producers for each match on the card:
Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch: TJ Wilson Logan Paul vs. The Miz: Shane Helms Bobby Lashley vs. Theory: Adam Pearce The Mysterios vs. Judgement Day: Jamie Noble Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin: Chris Parks The Usos vs. The Street Profits: Shawn Daivari Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey: Petey Williams Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar: Michael Hayes
Credit is where credit is due: The producers behind SummerSlam put together a wild, entertaining show from the opening bell of Belair vs. Lynch to the chaotic closing bell of Reigns vs. Lesnar. The entire show felt unpredictable and fresh despite not a single title changing hands or surprise result aside from perhaps Morgan's win over Rousey.
As far as one of the biggest storylines that did not take place inside the ring, we also have news on the new stable of Bayley, Dakota Kai and Io Sharai.
Well, the artist formerly known as Io Sharai. Fightful Select reported Sharai will now go by the name of Iyo Sky as she makes her main roster debut.
There was confusion among fans watching the SummerSlam event as Corey Graves used the name Iyo Sky on multiple occasions. It appeared to be a mistake on Graves' part because Sky's tron still used the Io Sharai name, but Fightful's reporting indicates a name change is in the offing. The mistake was, perhaps, on the part of the production team—or simply an oversight behind the scenes in not updating Sky's tron for her debut.
Bringing Kai back into the fold was Triple H's first major roster move since taking over as head of creative and talent relations in wake of Vince McMahon's departure. Fightful reported Kai was a priority for Triple H as he looks to reshape the roster in his vision.
The report also included an interesting tidbit about the stable originally being pitched months ago but being rejected by McMahon. It seems Triple H had a different idea.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
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WWE Rumors: Latest on Raquel Gonzalez, LA Knight Moving to Raw, SmackDown from NXT
Apr 7, 2022
Two of NXT 2.0's top stars reportedly may be on the move to WWE's main roster in the near future.
According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton), there have been pitches within WWE for both Raquel Gonzalez and L.A. Knight to get called up to either Raw or SmackDown.
Fightful noted that while Gonzalez is "expected by most" in NXT to get called up, it is less certain with Knight.
It was also reported that there has been a pitch to call up Knight as a manager because of his top-notch mic skills, although it is unclear if that is a working plan or just one of multiple ideas.
The report on Gonzalez and Knight followed a Fightful Select (h/t Middleton) report that noted Imperium members Gunther and Marcel Barthel could be on their way to the main roster as well.
Recent booking decisions on NXT lend some credence to the idea that Gonzalez, Knight and Imperium could all be elevated soon.
Gonzalez, who is a former NXT women's champion and a two-time NXT women's tag team champion, reunited with longtime friend Dakota Kai to beat Toxic Attraction for the tag titles at NXT Stand & Deliver last weekend.
The celebration was short-lived, though, as Gonzalez and Kai dropped them back to Toxic Attraction on Tuesday with Raquel being the one to take the fall.
While Knight has never held an official title in NXT, he is a former Million Dollar champion thanks to a storyline with Cameron Grimes and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.
Upon turning babyface, Knight became one of the most over acts in NXT, and he had plenty of fan support in his match against Gunter at Stand & Deliver.
Knight lost the match clean and was not on Tuesday's episode of NXT, which could be a sign his run with the brand is over.
The fact that Knight is 39 years old means he was never a long-term fit in NXT, but he has an undeniable "it" factor that could make him a top guy on the main roster if WWE allows him to continue as a wrestler.
As for Imperium, the team of Barthel and Fabian Aichner seemingly imploded on NXT when Aichner walked out during their match against The Creed Brothers. Later in the night, Gunther lost cleanly to Bron Breakker in an NXT Championship match.
Aichner's walkout and Gunther's loss make sense if WWE's plan is to call up only Gunther and Barthel, as Fightful reported.
On top of Gonzalez, Knight and Imperium, Tommaso Ciampa made it clear that his last NXT match was at Stand & Deliver against Tony D'Angelo, so he is main roster bound as well.
Although that is a huge amount of lost talent for NXT, the brand has done a great job at building potential stars from the ground up since transitioning to 2.0 in September, and this will give even more young performers an opportunity.
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