WWE’s Triple H on Vince McMahon’s advice, transition of creative power

In his first longform interview since taking over the creative reigns of WWE, Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke about the “tough situation” when he took over control from the exiting Vince McMahon.

Levesque told BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani that being in the position he is now is surreal and an “overwhelming responsibility” and that there are moments where he is making decisions even now where he feels like he is supposed to check with someone before doing so. 

He said the succession plan of taking over from McMahon in the business had been a discussion point for a lot of year but that when it happened, the responsibility truly set in.

Levesque was asked about the transition of power and if McMahon gave him any advice.

“He did. Look, in some manner, I think, for both of us, it’s a tough situation for him. It’s even hard for me to picture now that he’s not in the equation, and he’s not in any way shape, or form. But it’s hard to think about that he’s not there.

“There was definitely that moment, definitely giving me advice but I think also in some manner, most of that advice was centered around like, ’This is what you’ve been sitting next to me learning how to do for 25 years, or whatever that is, and you got this, just be confident in your decision-making, listen to people, be open to ideas, be collaborative with other people.’ Things like that that were just wonderful advice. And the truth is, it’s my father-in-law. He’s not involved in the day-to-day business, but if I had to say to him like, ‘Man, I find this difficult to deal with,’ he would give me some overall advice.”

He said he marveled at McMahon’s ability to change hats quickly when it comes to decisions, pivoting to several different topics easily, something he is learning how to do.

While not going into exactly what he was told, Levesque said McMahon told him that he couldn’t think like he did and that Levesque needed to do what he felt was right, even if McMahon didn’t like it.

He later said McMahon told him, “Put yourself in the seats. Book it like a fan. Book it like a fan and you’ll never go wrong.”

Levesque said he definitely feels the change in the company, but didn’t attribute it to just himself, saying it also could be attributed to new co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as well.

Regardless of who it is, he said the changes allow people to break out of a formula they were in and give people liberties to try things they didn’t have before. 

“Whether good or bad or different, change can make something feel fresh,” he said.