ONE YEAR AGO, Triple H was fighting to survive a life-threatening cardiac episode. His father-in-law, Vince McMahon, had fired William Regal, Brian James (Road Dogg), and other members of his inner circle, while effectively killing his passion project, NXT. Only three months ago, Stephanie McMahon—amid reports that she and Vince had differing opinions regarding her role as chief brand officer—went on hiatus from WWE.
Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque are now the most powerful couple in the industry, gaining control when WWE’s succession plan had never been so uncertain—with Vince musing not long ago that the company might evolve beyond a family business. Stephanie, as the new chairwoman and co-CEO with Nick Khan, will feel pressure to maintain WWE’s unprecedented financial success. Triple H, as the new head of creative, must recapture disenchanted fans while maintaining WWE’s tremendous advantage in brand-appeal among casual viewers.
Triple H’s creative approach earned NXT rave reviews, with many NXT TakeOvers upstaging main-roster WWE events held on the same weekends. He essentially fashioned NXT 1.0 into WWE’s version of Ring of Honor, emphasizing athleticism and the pursuit of championships.
The new creative head knows WWE has shunned that audience, comprised of fans who’ve TV-PG parental rating (which it has maintained since 2008) in favor of a more mature TV-14 rating.
