Triple H Reportedly Still Running WWE Creative Despite Vince McMahon Return

Vince McMahon is back on WWE’s Board of Directors, but he’s not running the company’s creative process—at least not yet.

According to multiple reports (h/t WrestleTalk), WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque informed the SmackDown roster prior to last week’s episode of SmackDown that he was still in charge of its creative process. Before this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw, Triple H held and a similar meeting with the Raw roster and echoed that sentiment, says Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp:

It was just last week that, in a stunning turn of events, WWE “unanimously” approved McMahon’s return as the company’s Executive Chairman of the Board, which coincided with Stephanie McMahon’s shockingly abrupt departure from the company. Vince’s return to WWE mere months after he retired and stepped down as Chairman and CEO has caused widespread concern among wrestling fans about what it means for WWE’s future, not just in terms of its television product but for the company as a whole as reports of a potential sale heat up.

Vince’s return—combined with Stephanie’s departure—has reportedly had a negative effect on morale within WWE, with an air of “disgust, awkwardness and nervousness” following such an unexpected seismic shift.

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Triple H has been the head of WWE creative since Vince’s retirement in July 2022 stemming from an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. The change from Vince to Triple H, with his wife Stephanie taking over as co-CEO alongside Nick Khan, resulted in significant improvements in morale among WWE’s roster, with the strict, micromanaged WWE environment giving way to a more laid-back atmosphere.

That, of course, has led to a better TV product for both Raw and SmackDown. Has it been perfect under Triple H? Of course not, but by and large, both main roster shows have been significantly better with Triple H at the helm. Fans have responded accordingly, too. The December 30th edition of SmackDown, which featured the return of John Cena, topped 2.6 million viewers, giving the blue brand its highest rated episode in two years.

Triple H has made a number of substantial changes to WWE’s roster, bringing back a slew of top stars ranging from Bray Wyatt to Braun Strowman, pushing new stars like Rhea Ripley and focusing on rebuilding the tag team division that was neglected under Vince. But now Stephanie is gone, and there is—rightfully—concern that Vince is plotting his return as head of WWE creative.

Indeed, Vince has reportedly been “suggesting” changes to WWE creative and is already sending “messages of criticism” to departments within the company. Not quite slowly but surely, he is regaining his footing in WWE, and though his return is said to largely be about spearheading a potential sale, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the man who has run WWE for much of its existence will be able to avoid dipping his toe into the creative pool.

That, however, is a potential nightmare scenario for WWE’s talents and fans, who have seen new life breathed into Raw and SmackDown over the past six months with Vince gone. Nothing, of course, is out of the question when it comes to McMahon though. After all, his return in and of itself is a prime example of his willingness to prioritize his own desire over the sake of a company that is currently worth nearly $7 billion and could sell for significantly more than that.

Regardless of the negative domino effect Vince’s return to WWE creative would have, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities, and at this point, it sure seems likely.