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Paul "Triple H" Levesque spoke to the media after the 2023 Survivor Series in Chicago.
Tonight was the highest grossing Survivor Series ever.
Sponsorship was up 25% from last year.
Triple H said he wanted to talk about the big return - R-Truth! He never saw it coming and how they were able to keep it quiet was mind-blowing.
HHH said the return of Randy Orton was a big moment. If you were going to build a WWE star, you would build a Randy Orton. He worked with Randy when he was a kid and gave him a lot of slack because he was a kid for a long time. To see that growth, he is incredible proud of him. He's incredibly proud. When you had the type of injury where it's touch and go and you might never ever be able to do this again, it's a rough experience. He's so happy for him to have that moment tonight. Wargames took the pressure off of Orton so he could just be Orton. You don't understand what it's like to go through an experience and injury like that.
The Women's match was a grandslam that is still "sailing out of the park." He said Shotzi's performance put her in the upper-tier.
Whatever Miz does is awesome and you can never count him out. Whatever role is called for, he does it. His value for everything that represents WWE, Miz does it better than almost anyone.
GUNTHER makes you believe with your whole heart and then rips it out of your chest.
HHH praised the Rhea-Zoey match and said Zoey proved she can hang at that top level.
HHH then discussed the Men's Wargame, saying the story and nuances delivered on every level. The matches can be action extravaganza but the story has to be there and he felt it was for everyone across the board.
Triple H said he was looking forward to going to the Rumble in Tampa with actual fans in the building. He said 2024 is going to be big with six international PPV events.
He's opening it up to questions.
Levesque was asked about CM Punk and how it all happened and what's next for him. This was one of those lightning in a bottle moments that came together very quickly, but "we" are very excited about it. It was a long time coming. No matter what you think of him, people talk about him all the time. He's a magnet for that and people talk about him all the time. If the fans want it, then they do it and they figure it out from there. It didn't come together until everyone stopped thinking it was going to happen, and then it happened. A lot of time went by and it's almost ten years. Everyone grows and changes and if you are the same person you were 10 years ago, you've messed up. Punk and HHH are different people. This is a different company. They are all on the same starting ground. What's next will be different, exciting and a thrill ride for WWE. They are happy to have him "back home" in WWE where he belongs.
There was zero push to bring in Punk beyond WWE execs. Very few people knew about the return past himself and Nick Khan. HHH joked there's sort of a mystery entity behind WWE now, but they are trusted to do their thing and to do what's right for business. He said top people in TKO were watching and probably going, "Holy sh**." It's a crazy cool time in WWE and fans know it and he's ready. "Let's jump through a wall." They want to build upon what Vince McMahon has built.
HHH was asked about the potential of GUILIA and WWE's interest. He said that there are great female athletes all over the world, whether it's a NIL athlete or a great in-ring talent. He wants talents willing to push the envelope and build upon what they do. They recruit from all over the globe. That's where they recruit from. If they believe they can hang, he wants to give them the chance to prove it.
Levesque was asked about Jade Cargill. He said he wants to make sure what is thrown at her, she's ready. He wants her to crack it all out of the park. You can see the star she is and you'll get to see her do anything here. He can name 5-10 dream matches for her but he's in no rush. When she's ready, HHH is ready.
Levesque was asked about injury protocols based on what Jon Moxley recently said. He didn't want to comment on Moxley specifically as he doesn't know what he went through and what the specific comments were, but he'll put their medical protocols and staff against anyone else in the planet. He brought up a Rey Mysterio concussion on TV and how the referee saw it, so they shut things down despite the big story involved. He wants longevity and for everyone to have a long life after they are done in the ring. They've been working with the top experts in the concussion field for about a decade now. They have protocols before they can get back in the ring and he'll put their medical and concussion protocols against anyone else in the world. He said their program is "top-shelf."
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