Triple H At The Heart Of HUGE Power Struggle In WWE?
A toxic situation unfolds in WWE - with Triple H reportedly at the heart of it.
A major backstage power struggle is currently playing out in WWE, reports Dave Meltzer in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
People within the promotion who fear for their jobs should Triple H ever ascend to power (and are thus working to undermine him) are clashing with the COO's supporters. This story comes at a tumultuous time for NXT, the brand Triple H founded in 2010, which has experienced mass roster cuts and is now set for a complete philosophical overhaul.
Though Triple H was once considered Vince McMahon's heir apparent, achieving "untouchable" status in WWE, losing the Wednesday Night Wars and failing to curb AEW's rise has given his opponents ammunition. Under his watch, NXT failed to appeal to younger demographics when it was expected to dominate on Wednesdays.
Internal sources have described the situation as "toxic," calling it a power grab in which people are looking after their own positions, with talents considered pawns.
Triple H overstocking NXT with wrestlers perceived to have no main roster potential is reportedly part of this.
Stockpiling wrestlers to prevent other promotions from signing them had unquestionably caused roster bloat in WWE, contributing to the glut of cuts this year. At one point in 2021, the company had around 300 wrestlers on its books. It has since released more than 50.
The writeup notes that within WWE, the mentality was that they'd have to train the indie out of wrestlers in NXT, then beat the NXT out of them on the main roster, so conflicting were the ideologies. The brand's new developmental approach will focus on younger, bigger wrestlers closer to what Vince looks for in potential main roster stars.
Karrion Kross' losing start to main roster life was a direct consequence of the power struggle. As was Dakota Kai, who will challenge for the NXT Women's Title at next week's TakeOver, losing to Aliyah on Main Event.
NXT not hitting the road post-pandemic is another factor, resulting in green talent not getting the in-ring reps they need to progress. Per Meltzer, the idea of touring nationally hasn't even been discussed yet.
It is also noted that Triple H didn't learn of last week's mass NXT cuts until John Laurinaitis had started informing talent they'd been let go. As has been previously reported, McMahon, Laurinaitis, and Bruce Prichard made these calls without involving Hunter in the decision-making process.