This year has seen what could be argued as WWE’s biggest directional shift since Vince McMahon took over the company from his father more than four decades ago. Following Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE and the company’s subsequent merger with UFC into TKO Group Holdings earlier this year, McMahon lost all creative control of WWE thanks to TKO CEO Ari Emanuel. Emanuel is reported to feel that companies are most effective when people are allowed to do their jobs without interference and as such, Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque now commands full control of the company’s entire creative direction.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that, as a direct result of Emanuel’s decree, Vince McMahon will not have the final say of who enters the WWE Hall of Fame for the first time in history. That responsibility will instead fall to Levesque as the overall direction of the Hall of Fame is down to the company’s creative department.
The basic criteria for entry into the Hall of Fame is expected to remain as is, with the focus being on talent modern audiences are likely familar with as well as some being bestowed the honor for backstage political reasons. However, Meltzer speculates that Levesque being in charge could open the door to potential inductees who’ve had an impact on the industry outside of WWE due to him being a fan of other promotions in the past.
Meltzer also noted a specific example in that if Nick Khan wanted someone inducted for poltical reasons, that would be a factor in the decision-making process of who gets inducted. Ultimately, however, Levesque will have the final say on all inductees next year at the very least.
This year’s WWE Hall of Fame saw former referee and producer Tim White recieve the Warrior Award for his backstage contributions to the company as well as the individual inductions of Stacy Keibler, Andy Kaufman, The Great Muta, and Rey Mysterio.