WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque recently joined BT and Sal of WFAN and opened up about the evolution of talent input in creative storytelling across generations of WWE leadership—from Vince McMahon Sr. to today.
When asked about how much creative control performers have had in WWE historically, Triple H broke it down by era.
“If you’re talking about the Vince Sr. days, there was a lot less overall storytelling,” Levesque explained. “It was a lot more matches and promotion to get to those matches. Talent had input on what they did in-ring, but the end result was up to the promotion.”
He contrasted that with the tenure of Vince McMahon Jr., noting that creative input varied depending on the performer and situation. “Vince Jr, it went all over the place… from his idea to the right talent having a lot of creative input.”
Levesque emphasized his own approach as being highly collaborative, stressing that the performer’s understanding of their character is essential to the creative process. “I love to work with talent, I love to hear their point of view. They know their characters. Let’s get all those points of view together and determine the best route.”
He continued, “It doesn’t matter whose idea it is or where it comes from, let’s take it and run with it… If we can make fans happy—or make them intrigued, or even make them mad at what we’re doing—that’s what it’s all about. Silence is the enemy, loud reactions is where we’re at.”
Triple H’s remarks come just days before the two-night WWE SummerSlam event, where many Superstars—some with significant creative input—are poised to deliver major storyline developments and in-ring spectacles.
