10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Vince McMahon

7. His Complex Relationship With Triple H (And The Rest Of His Family)

Vince McMahon
WWE

Back in September 2021, NXT was revamped, becoming NXT 2.0.

The change was not merely drastic; it was transformative. "Change" is not even the correct word; 2.0, in almost every single way, was a complete overhaul unrecognisable from what came before.

The last days of Triple H's NXT were a bleak, dark pit of intense, hard-hitting workrate, and while Triple H did flirt with sports entertainment in the Capitol Wrestling Center days, clearly, it wasn't enough. 2.0 felt like a punishment, if it cannot be determined for certain that a demotion actually happened. The heavy metal aesthetic was replaced with every single colour, green throwback powerhouses and Miz acolytes sprouted up to beat the workrate workhorses out of the company, and the brand all about "making moments" morphed quickly into a pathetically edgy show all about getting laid.

Was this all an elaborate way of sneering at Triple H for losing the Wednesday Night War?

That isn't just wrestling fan cynicism; Triple H's old DX running body, X-Pac, echoed this concern, saying the following on his podcast:

"I’ll just say this, the things you got to deal with lately (the NXT revamp), after this, I would seriously consider just cashing in and spending time with my family and saying, ‘F*ck this'. He’s got three beautiful daughters and a beautiful house up on a lake in New Hampshire that I would never leave if I had it. I’m just saying, if it was me."

Triple H did put over Vince as someone who could offer valuable advice even before Vince made his big coup, but he's hardly going to bury him, is he? For the optics, these corporate types daren't admit that the image of their well-crafted lives could possibly be fake. Vince after all is still married to his wife (at the time).

And wasn't the timing of Stephanie McMahon's second exit from WWE in as many years all very suspicious?

The McMahons at an absolute minimum don't say goodnight to one another like they're the Waltons, that's for sure.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!