The wrestling world was completely turned upside down when the recent Vince McMahon scandals hit the news. In less than a month, the uncharted highway of life without Vince McMahon has come true. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Kahn are co-captains of the ship. In the meantime, Triple H he has taken his rightful place as weapons master, so to speak.
He had always been praised by critics for his run as the head of NXT. Almost everyone who came through the Black And Gold brand had apparently also preferred Triple H’s guide over Vinnie Mac’s. Now that The Game is back, there may be plenty of people who want to come back, when their current offers expire.
10 William Royal
It’s an interesting question to ask a guy like William Regal. Do you want to continue dating guys whose careers you helped shape, no doubt helping the AEW locker room with a lot less travel, or do you want to resume your work duties in NXT and on a larger scale in WWE looking for talent all the time? all the world? Not to mention, working side by side with one of your closest friends in the business? As Triple H once again assembles his new team, you’d think he’d get closer to William Regal and his experience sooner rather than later.
9 adam cole
Shortly after the pitch to add Adam Cole to the main roster, Triple H and star pupil Shawn Michaels decided to date his girlfriend and his Super Kliq friends in AEW. However, Cole has stated in various interviews that he stays in contact with at least HBK.
With all due respect to AEW and Tony Kahn, Cole hasn’t been used nearly as well as when Triple H signed Cole and the Undisputed Horseme -err-Era. Hanging out with your friends is nice, but not too long ago, he was on a rocket to the top. It is possible that he wants to re-enlist in WWE.
8 Sasha Banks and Naomi
The way they left was certainly not professional at all. However, the whole “Papa Hunter” moniker started around the same time that women like Sasha Banks were starting to realize their potential in NXT. Naomi is without a doubt one of the most underrated ladies on the roster led by Vince McMahon. With Stephanie now in charge, the approach could become much more female-friendly. It’s easy to see the former/current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions returning to the fold and giving Papa Hunter a chance.
7 johnny gargano
As one of the last holdouts from the Black And Gold brand, Johnny Gargano left early in the 2.0 era. However, he and his wife Candice LeRae were expecting their first child, Quill, so it was an easy choice to return home and spend some downtime with the new addition. Whether he intended to return to WWE or head to AEW or elsewhere, he could have been affected now that Hunter is back in charge. Like Adam Cole, Johnny Wrestling was a favorite son; he will most likely retain that status upon his return.
6 Karrion Kross and Scarlett
Perhaps the craziest call-up and subsequent release was Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux. For the first time in a long time, Triple H found a guy who very much fit Vince McMahon’s imaginary list of how he should be a top guy. But the moment he showed up, he was a laughingstock, and all the fans expecting a crowd the size of WrestleMania to chant “Fall And Pray” were completely confused at Kross’ undoing. Perhaps a new challenger for Bron Breakker before he returns to the main roster?
5 bray wyatt
From the moment he hit the main roster, there were plenty of fans and even some within the business who felt that if used correctly, Bray Wyatt could be the next big babyface character, a la Kane or The Undertaker.
But he became a model of what the yo-yo reserve can do to anyone on the roster, no matter how much the fans are behind the gimmick. He spent a lot of time in FCW and NXT under the tutelage of HHH and possibly a lot more with HHH, Stephanie McMahon and of course Vince. But with Vince gone, there may be nothing The Fiend can’t do if he books himself right.
4 FTR
In 2022, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood have firmly cemented their place as not only the best team in the world, but one of the best of all time. They are not just students of the game, they are students of The Game, having come together under Triple H’s guidance in NXT. They had a decent run on the main roster, but with the lack of attention to tag teams and ridiculous outfits being thrown at the team, they launched faster than a major platform. While they owe a lot to AEW for their continued success, they may want to mix it up with The Usos, The Street Profits, and many other top WWE tag teams.
3 blow row
The big man, Top Dolla, was hanging around WWE Legends learning along the way as he searched for Buried Treasures. Swerve Scott was making a name for himself as the North American Champion. Combined with B-Fab and Ashante Adonis, they formed the rap quartet Hit Row. All four were real musicians and proved their mettle in a Rap Cypher at the 2021 Great American Bash. Soon after, they were all called up to the main roster and almost as quickly all four were released. The group had a ton of potential that didn’t materialize in NXT, it would be interesting to see what Triple H would have in store for an actual stable.
two dakota kai
Time passes terrifyingly quickly when you’re establishing your regimen: Dakota Kai is back! While Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez were together, they seemed to have been pushed like a modern female version of Shawn Michaels and Diesel. After all, Raquel was running around like Big Mommy Cool while Dakota was running around talking with her mouth. They were a unique couple, and Dakota had a good portrayal of the schizophrenic-type character, unable to handle many different emotions. Unfortunately, she was released before making the main roster.
But Triple H used her well, and she would be a great complement to Raquel on the main roster for both ladies to outperform more than they have in the past. She arrived with Io Sky at SummerSlam alongside Bayley to help usher in a new era in the Women’s Division.
1 keith lee
It’s amazing that Vince let Keith Lee go. It’s also even more insane that his view of his business is so short-sighted at times that he wanted Lee to “lower” his speech and refer to himself as a Bearcat. A Bearcat looks like a mutant squirrel. Does the Unlimited look like a mutant squirrel? No, he seems like an eloquent butt kicker that Triple H clearly identified as a megastar; after all, he was the only dual champion in NXT history. Whatever the reason, despite his love of big, beefy men, Keith Lee was completely manhandled as fast as he could.