There have not been many changes to WWE's hierarchy in 2026, though that changed recently in a move that may have hit close to home for WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, aka Triple H. PWInsider Elite reports that Patrick Dooley, who served as WWE Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Corporate Development, departed the promotion sometime in late July. Dooley leaving WWE occurred at the same time that several budget cut related departures were made, though it's unclear whether Dooley was part of those cuts.This ends Dooley's near decade long stint with WWE, having first joined the promotion in 2018 back when it was run by Vince McMahon. Beginning as Director of Global Strategy, Dooley quickly worked his way up the ranks in WWE before landing the SVP position in December 2023. Among his most notable accomplishments while with the promotion were being involved in returning "WWE NXT" to Full Sail University, and being a key catalyst in WWE's purchase of Lucha Libre AAA in the spring of 2025. Dooley was also involved in securing AAA's current TV deal with Fox Latin America in Mexico.Because of his importance to WWE's business end, Dooley was considered to be Levesque's "number two" man within the company, especially when it came to non-creative matters. There is no word on who will be replacing Dooley, whether Levesque was involved, or aware that Dooley's departure was coming, or if this is a reflection on Levesque's overall performance. Levesque's tenure in WWE is seemingly secureafter he received a new contract extension following WrestleMania 42, and a vote of confidence from WWE President Nick Khan.
There's probably more immediate concerns regarding Patrick Dooley's departure, particularly who is going to be filling his pretty massive role within WWE, but you have to imagine all the talk about this is going to center on Paul Levesque, especially since Dooley was described as Levesque's "#2." And I have the feeling the discussion is going to go one of two ways; some will believe that Dooley was let go because Levesque needed a scapegoat for WWE's recent "slump," others will believe that Dooley was let go because its a sign that things are going to be changing for WWE at the top, with Levesque potentially included. I have no idea which one of the two is correct, or if either is correct. But I do think that Dooley's departure is a sign that Levesque should be concerned on some level.Now look; that doesn't mean Levesque should start packing up his office and calling Tony Khan or Carlos Silva up asking for a job. Even if you don't buy the idea that Levesque is secure for the next few years with his extension (and you shouldn't, given how WWE/TKO honor contracts), I think Levesque is going to be given time to right the ship as it were, as much as one can right a ship that's still pretty profitable. But it doesn't change that there are problems. This week's quarterly conference call confirmed that WWE attendance is on a decline to some degree, and given how much WWE and TKO care about the bottom line, they're not going to come away happy. And with Dooley now gone and not many others to blame, this puts Paul Levesque directly in the line of fire now. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, hell it may not be ever for all I know. I also know that Dooley's departure isn't good for Levesque, whether he was involved or not, and if things don't turn around, or get worse, he could be the next one following Dooley out the door.
