Top Star On WWE Under Triple H: "Not Worse Or Better, Just Different"
Another update on WWE's backstage environment following Vince's resignation & Triple H's ascent.
WWE star Bayley has noted that life in the company isn't necessarily better or worse under Paul 'Triple H' Levesque's creative lead, but "super different."
The Damage CTRL member commented as much during a recent appearance on the Five Count podcast. Speaking on WWE's backstage vibe following WWE's executive shake-up, Bayley stated she was shocked to hear of Vince McMahon's retirement, adding that people still talk about how different things are backstage.
Said Bayley (h/t Wrestling Inc.):-
“It’s still so weird to me. When the news broke that he was retiring, I was just kind of in shock, and it felt like we needed to — I’m like, ‘Do we party, or do we go sit around and sit in our feelings and feel weird?’ It was such a strange feeling. It still is talked about backstage how different things are and not worse or better, it’s just super different.”
The Raw star compared WWE's current situation to how Triple H ran the show while she was in NXT, comparing the situation to the Twilight Zone:-
“I was talking to Finn Balor backstage the other day. Triple H just walked by and he’s like, ‘Hey guys, what’s up?’ We were just like, ‘Man, isn’t this so weird? It just feels like seven years ago again,’ especially with Finn because him and I were champions at the same time in “NXT” and Hunter was very hands-on and having him there again, it just feels like “Twilight Zone.”
Following a full year of inactivity after suffering a torn ACL while training for WWE's return to fully-attended live shows in July 2021, Bayley returned alongside new stablemates IYO SKY and Dakota Kai at SummerSlam 2022 (30 July), forming Damage CTRL. This came eight days after Vince McMahon's resignation as WWE Chairman and CEO following allegations he'd paid millions of dollars to suppress multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were appointed co-CEOs in the wake of Vince's departure. Days later, Triple H was named head of creative.
Damage CTRL have flourished under Levesque's penmanship, with SKY and Kai becoming Women's Tag Team Champions on Raw's 12 September episode. Bayley, meanwhile, challenges Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair at Extreme Rules 2022 next Saturday 8 October.