Another Scary Sign For WWE Honeymoon Period

This was a bad week for the narrative of WWE in the Triple H Era.

This past week featured a bombshell report of Vince McMahon possibly returning to WWE, which would almost certainly undo the recent necessary changes to WWE under Paul “Triple H” Levesque. WWE also came under fire for its controversial decision to fire Mandy Rose over her racy adult content on FanTime.

Rose returned to WWE NXT last year, but WWE returns have essentially been a weekly staple of the Triple H Era since the summer of 2022. Unfortunately, it appears Triple H is already souring on some of his recent reclamation projects.

As if WWE talent needed to worry any more about their spot with rumors of Vince McMahon plotting a comeback, WWE insider WrestleVotes reported a handful of recent returns have “severely underwhelmed” Triple H and WWE brass.

“I’m told a handful of talent brought back in the “rehiring wave” over the summer have underperformed and severely underwhelmed Triple H & others since returning to the company,” tweeted the account on Wednesday.

Twitter wasted no time filling up the comment section with acts they feel have underperformed. The list of potential culprits is long given the staggering amount of returns in the Triple H Era, which is also part of the problem. Fans can take this opportunity to shame “underperforming” talent all they want, but even with seven hours of programming per week, WWE only has so much time to truly cash in on the revolving door of recent returns.

If Triple H is underwhelmed by WWE talent, he partly has himself to blame. There’s been far more fanfare dedicated to returns than to the follow-up.

WWE was rejuvenated by the Triple H Era during the second-half of 2022. In what was trending to be another status-quo year for WWE programming under Vince McMahon, McMahon’s forced retirement allowed a previously dormant Triple H to rise from the corporate ashes in Stamford as the Head of WWE Creative.

Though “Papa H” at the helm has unequivocally excited wrestling fans and WWE talent, a week of massive news stories has set the stage for another shift in momentum away from WWE in 2023. AEW certainly stands to benefit, however with recent news of Warner Bros. Discovery firing another AEW advocate and longtime executive Nancy Daniels, there will be a litany of red flags plaguing WWE’s rival promotion next year as well.

In addition to the challenging aforementioned reports from within WWE, Sasha Banks appears to be all but done with the promotion. Banks is expected to appear at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, and she is the current favorite to be Saraya’s mystery tag team partner on the January 11, 2022 broadcast of AEW Dynamite.

Talks between WWE and Sasha Banks appear to have stalled, and it is believed Banks’ WWE tenure came to an end this past summer. Internally, WWE reportedly feels the top star—who will reportedly make no less than $100,000 per appearance in NJPW—has peaked. Banks is certainly on the short list of difference makers in the pro wrestling industry. Regardless of how she is viewed by WWE internally, her services will be a big get—at least initially—for whomever acquires them; especially as her profile blossoms in Hollywood.

In what should be a wild start to 2023, WWE will have its first big opportunity to put its best foot forward at the much-anticipated 2023 Royal Rumble. The Royal Rumble will kick off a star-studded Road to WrestleMania that could lead to the returns of Cody Rhodes and/or The Rock.