Following the shocking news on July 22nd that long-time WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon would be retiring from all active duties within the company, WWE have seen a seismic corporate shakeup, with Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan being named co-CEOs, whilst Triple H has returned to the company as Head of Talent Relations and Head of Creative.
As a result, many fans have speculated that former WWE and NXT talent who were released or left the company for AEW during Vince McMahon’s reign in charge may bow find themselves heading back to work under Triple H, although whilst appearing on Buster Open Radio, AEW President Tony Khan made sure that fans aren’t getting ahead of themselves.
“There are a lot of changes in pro wrestling. I think it’s going to be really positive for the fans overall. I am a little amused that changes in the competition, people think it’s going to magically change the landscape. Some of these accounts, Twitter can be a fun place to follow, but some of the narratives I’ve seen every day for the last week are really amusing to me. I’ve got people signed here for five years and people think that just because the CEO, Chairman, head of creative, those people changed in the competition, people I have five-year contracts with are going to magically switch teams? Good luck with that. Adam Cole is signed until 2027 now. I wouldn’t expect to see him going anywhere anytime soon. Malakai Black has almost five years left on his deal. I wouldn’t expect him going anywhere anytime soon. Just because these guys had some success under a previous administration somewhere else, they’re not magically going to be going anywhere. Those are two people I like, just as examples of people who have worked under the previous administration. I’m very amused by that. That’s a narrative I see so-called wrestling writers pushing every day. It’s pretty amusing,”
-Tony Khan
Fightful Select reported yesterday that several former WWE/NXT stars believe that had Triple H been in charge of the company sooner, they may potentially still be with the company, leading to increasing speculation amongst fans that some stars may be considering their futures.
Time will tell as to whether AEW stars begin to consider a jump to WWE, although by the sounds of Khan’s comments, WWE’s wait for some of AEW’s top stars to become available may be a lengthy one.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
