A wave of WWE talent releases that took place on Friday — including prominent names like Braun Strowman, Shayna Baszler, and Dakota Kai — has ignited widespread speculation about who is ultimately making these decisions within the TKO Group Holdings era.
While some initially pointed to upper-tier corporate leadership, recent reports now indicate that WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque holds final authority over roster changes.
During a recent livestream, Sean Ross Sapp emphasized Triple H’s influence. He said,
“From what I was told, if he wants somebody to be there, they’re going to be there. Let me be clear about that — if he wanted them there, they would absolutely be there.”
Further clarification on WWE’s internal decision-making hierarchy came via Ibou of WrestlePurists, who wrote the following on Twitter:
“Triple H is the final say on any roster personnel decisions. Most non-injured wrestlers benched from his TV are candidates for release whenever it’s time to cut salary. The focus is on profit margins and shareholder optics each quarter — hence the shedding of contracts. Ari [Emanuel] and Nick [Khan] decide when, Paul Levesque decides who. If you think otherwise, you’re being naive. The actual WWE product, talent acquisitions, and cross-promotion business deals are Triple H’s responsibility. This was always the likely outcome with an influx of developmental talent and rising base salaries — now up to $350,000 for main roster stars. Blaming TKO alone while absolving HHH ignores reality. Ari probably can’t name 15 to 20 people on the roster.”
So far, WWE has not released an official statement addressing who spearheaded the layoffs. The releases followed closely on the heels of a corporate shake-up that included the exit of longtime employee Ryan Pappolla, further fueling theories of internal restructuring and cost-cutting efforts.
To date, 17 Superstars have been officially released, with one more departure rumored but not yet confirmed by a second source.
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