WWEs behind-the-scenes creative shakeup for SmackDown may have more going on than just fan backlashespecially now that questions are surfacing about Triple Hs recent absences.
According to the October 10 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Paul Triple H Levesque has missed a number of recent WWE television tapings. While one person close to him insists these were scheduled absences and that he hasnt missed any creative meetings, others within WWE are beginning to talk about the impact his outside interests may be having on his role.
One source pushed back on the claim, saying that Levesques absences were planned ahead of time and that he remains actively involved in creative planning. However, even some of his supporters are reportedly concerned about the perception that he wants to become the face of the branddrawing comparisons to UFC President Dana White.
Meltzer noted that some people in WWE see this ambition as a kind of Dana-envy. The report suggests TKO might even want Levesque in that role, given that other major figures like Nick Khan, Cody Rhodes, or even Dwayne Johnson cant consistently fill that space due to different limitations.
All of this comes on the heels of WWEs effort to improve SmackDowns creative direction, following heavy fan backlash and the #FireTripleH hashtag trending for nearly a full day after a dip in ratings and negative reviews of recent episodes. WWE hasnt linked any of these creative changes to the social media outragebut the timing has sparked serious speculation.
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