When Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over for Vince McMahon as the new creative lead of the WWE Universe, becoming the CCO of the promotion in September of 2022, the changes came swiftly and with incredible fanfare.
Suddenly, RAW and SmackDown had more wrestling with fewer camera cuts, matches actually had finishes, and the promotion's Premium Live Events featured better overall matches, with “The Game” taking what worked for him in NXT and translating it to the grandest stages in the professional wrestling world. Levesque kept his feuds story-focused, sure, but gone were the less mature angles like Matt Riddle's bongos or Austin Theory's selfies in favor of more compelling long-term plans like Cody Rhodes completing his story or the emergence of LA Knight as the US Champion.
And yet, while fans love what they've seen from Levesque on television, they don't know the half of it, as behind the scenes, Triple H has been changing “The Game” too, making wrestlers enjoy their time in the promotion much more than under his predecessor.
Discussing what it's like to work under Levesque as a Superstar, Natayla, who has been in the WWE Universe since 2007, celebrated the experience in an interview with Growing Up Von Erich, as, in her words, it's “cool to have a boss that is human.”
“I took a little time off this summer, and the company was so great about it. They were like, ‘Take as much time as you need.' It's really changing so much in the best way. The culture is so different now. Our boss, Triple H, he is such a cool boss. I recently got eye surgery to correct astigmatism in my eye. I needed a little bit more time off to get that done, and he was like, ‘Go get your eye fixed. Don't even worry about it. Take care of yourself.' It's so cool to have a boss that is human,” Natalya explained via 411 Mania.
“Working with Triple H over the last year has been such a breath of fresh air because he was also a wrestler. He knows what it's about when you're pitching a storyline or going through a hardship at home; he has three daughters as well. He knows about handling girls. Girls are different than guys. We're more emotional; we overthink things. He's a really cool boss. I really like working for him and with him. It's been such a breath of fresh air.”
Dang, after spending well over a decade working under Mr. McMahon, Natalya now has a boss who is “human?” I don't know if that's a subtle dig at the former Chairman of the Board or simply an attempt to celebrate Levesque, even if it accidentally did the former, too. Either way, after watching mid-card stars run to AEW for years as soon as their contracts expired because they didn't like the way the boys and girls in the back were treated, it's clear Levesuqe's new attitude has returned WWE to being an attractive free agency destination for mid-level acts, with Natalya and Cedric Alexander opting to re-sign with the promotion and teams like the Motor City Machine Guns and the Lucha Brothers opting to choose the leader in sports entertainment over Tony Khan's company. In a sport as cutthroat as professional wrestling, that matters.
Natalya isn't the only Hart happy to have Triple H running WWE
While Natalya clearly appreciates her time in the WWE Universe, so much so that she re-signed with the promotion despite being used as “just a girl” on the undercard for years now, she isn't the only member of the Hart family who appreciates working alongside Triple H and company in 2024, as he uncle, Bret Hart was the special guest on RAW when the show rolled through Calgary.
Discussing his experience in a special interview with WWE Digital, “The Hitman” put over the new WWE, noting that he loves to run into Triple H and talk about the good old days.
“I didn't just assume or take for granted that they were going to invite me down tonight. Anytime I get a chance to be in front of the Calgary fans, because I think Calgary fans go back the furthest when I was 18-19. It's a very special and powerful building for me to walk in. A lot of great memories here, a lot of title matches,” Hart told WWE via Fightful.
“Even in the old Stampe Wrestling days, a lot of memories here. It's kind of a funny feeling to walk down the ring slowly and kind of pull yourself back into the ring and find yourself standing in the center of it and talking to the fans. I don't know if I looked a little nervous because I'm not sure that I was. Standing in the middle of the ring there for a few seconds, this transformation takes place. I think I transformed back in Bret ‘The Hitman' Hart for a minute for everyone. It was fun for me to do that. It was something that was magical that was brought out by the love of the fans. There's not that many from my generation that are around anymore. Running into Triple H is always a pleasure.”
Arguably one of the biggest Mr. McMahon haters of all time, clocking him in the chin after being taken advantage of at Survivor Series 1997, Hart has held nothing back in his hatred towards his former boss over the past few years, going so far as to say he wants the former Chairman to “rot in h*ll” for everything he's done during his professional career. Contrast that to what he said about Triple H, albeit on an official WWE channel, and the current CCO really must be doing something right, and if he stops't, well, it's safe to say “The Hitman” will let fans know.
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