Triple H Comments on WWE Talent Airing Grievances on Social Media, NXT UK Brand and More
Triple H recently addressed the WWE superstars airing their grievances on social media while giving a media conference call for NXT Takeover: Wargames. Wrestlers like Mike Kanellis, Luke Harper, Jordan Myles and Sin Cara have all taken to social media recently to request their releases from the company. Triple H stressed that this is not the proper way to handle business, and instead should air your grievances in house.
“I don’t understand people airing issues. If you have one talk to us. If you put that out there in the media that’s not a way to go about business. If I had a complaint with a talent I don’t go on Twitter and complain to them, I speak to them. I’ve never understood that process if it’s legit. There’s a silliness to it, a maturity issue of it’s not how you handle business. Anybody that is out there that is serious about it [gaining their release] that’s talking on the internet, using their phones, you handle your business like a professional. We’re in professional wrestling and the keyword there is professional. That’s what we are trying to change about the business and make people more – professional.”
— Brodie Lee (@ThisBrodieLee) April 16, 2019
Triple H then went on to say that everything that you read online is not always legit, with some people just making stuff up to try to get clicks.
“There are a lot of people out there that are just getting clicks. Throwing a headline on something and trying to break the internet. I see guys do it all the time. It is what it is. There are a lot of talent where there’s a moment in time, things happen and people get frustrated and they say some stuff that they regret.”
Triple H then went on to discuss the state of the NXT UK brand, and if talents from that brand will continue to show up on Raw and Smackdown. Triple H stated that each talent will be evaluated individually, giving Pete Dunne and Rhea Ripley as current examples.
“It’s a little of both. It’s where do we need them, where can they benefit the most and a case of do they need to be in a different location to grow. Sometimes we need to be a bit more hands-on and can get deeper into the learning experience with them here [Performance Center] and we can finish putting that polish on them. It’s a work in progress of where they sit, where they are and you can see it with Pete Dunne he was kind of the foundation of the UK brand, with many others. Then we used the opportunity with him there to cement the brand and then bring him here to Orlando to finish off. He was coming and going from here a lot anyways for us to work with him at a greater level but now he’s based here full time in the US, working out of Orlando. He’s training with us here and the goal long term is the sky is the limit for him.”
“Rhea Ripley is another one. She is in the Adam Cole vain, just the consummate pro, as is Pete – a sponge for the business, learning curve is incredible and you want them to learn so that when they get to a certain level they can take the next step, continue to grow and not stagnate. The call was made to bring her here [Orlando], then she could do a little of both for a while and then move her in line here. We will do this and evaluate talent one by one to where they should be and what’s the next level not only for the brand of NXT in the UK, the brand of NXT here but also for them. What’s the best learning curve for them. There’s a certain point in time where you reach a place where you are that the best thing for you is to go someplace else and continue a learning curve from a different place.”
Regarding NXT talent appearing on Raw and Smackdown recently, it doesn’t appear to be a long term thing according to Triple H:
“The split should be more defined after Sunday, but it’s a great opportunity for everybody to show, on the NXT side, to show that they can hang with anybody.”
Thank you to Wrestlinginc for transcribing the interview.
Matt’s Musings: The use of social media to air one’s grievances is an issue that is not exclusive to wrestling, as it is in all aspects of life these days. Trying to handle your business internally before going to the public is sound advice. Of course, that only works if your employer is willing to listen and work out a fair compromise with you. If not than going to the media may be the only recourse that these wrestlers are left with. As for NXT UK, the WWE has wealth of talent from all over the world that they can pull from, with the UK being no exception.