There are three rings in front of a stage at the Wild Horse Saloon in Nashville. Her husband, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, was there as well.
On this morning, the day before SummerSlam, the trio took in the final day of try outs, where 50 collegiate athletes tried out for a contract with the company. Fourteen people weresigned.
Vince McMahon was present when he was absent. The McMahon name has dominated professional wrestling for 40 years, both on screen and behind the scenes.
When McMahon bought the World Wide Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, it was a regional business with territories all over the world.
According to the company's fourth-quarter earnings report, McMahon had a far grander vision for wrestling and executed it with the purchase of competing territories, transforming the company from a Northeast based company to a global brand. Thirty years after McMahon took over his father's business, World Wrestling Entertainment is still synonymous with wrestling.
McMahon's departure leaves a gaping hole in the wrestling business.
McMahon announced his retirement on July 22 after the Wall Street Journal reported that he paid millions of dollars to women who said they had been sexually harassed.
McMahon, Levesque and Khan are now tasked with filling the huge shoes of Vince McMahon, a titan who has presided over the company for four decades.
McMahon's daughter, who is also an agent, was named chairwoman of the publicly traded company and co-CEO with Khan. In charge of talent relations and creative is Levesque, a legendary wrestler who rose to fame in the 1990s.
There is hope that Levesque's vision will lead to a product with an emphasis on quality in-ring work, edgier storylines and more creative control for talent. McMahon had a philosophy.
The dawning of a new era is what one of the top stars in the company said. If it wasn't for Vince, we wouldn't have World Wrestling Entertainment the way it is today. He allowed me to do everything that I've done, because he believed in me.
There are still questions about whether Levesque, McMahon and Khan will maintain the dominance of the sports entertainment company. The first genuine alternative to World Wrestling Entertainment since 2001 was established by Aew. CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and Bryan Danielson were all employed by World Wrestling Entertainment. Wrestlers are frustrated with the story and upward mobility in the locker room.
Lynch said that they have the chance to change things that they didn't like. Everybody is very excited and optimistic because we know that the people in charge are some of the best in the business. It's amazing that Triple H is at the helm. It speaks for itself what he has done with the organization. What he did with the women's division speaks for itself.
After his 1 deadman Show premiere at the Wild Horse Saloon, The Undertaker sat on a couch and told stories about his 30-year run at the top of sports entertainment.
TheUndertaker is synonymous with McMahon. When the Monday Night Wars took place in the 1990s, Taker was still with the company, even though stars such as Hogan and Hart were leaving to join the rival company.
Mark Calaway, also known as TheUndertaker, retired from in-ring competition in 2020. McMahon was in charge of inducting the legendary wrestler into the Hall of Fame.
Now that he's retired, Calaway's attention to the weekly programs of the World Wrestling Entertainment has come in waves. He's curious to see what Triple H has in store for the company now that he's in charge.
Calaway said that the locker room's reins were loosened a bit as far as what players could say and do. The product is likely to be a little more aggressive. I believe that will come through in the creative.
They are going to have to get some meanness because they have been in this entertainment mode.
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The first show under Levesque's leadership was on the July 25 edition of Raw. When a wrestler is bleeding, the match is stopped and the commentary team doesn't mention the injury.
The cameras focused on Montez Ford's bloody face while the announce team talked about the injury.
"WWE is going to do it better than anyone else, and they don't throw things away," Calaway said. A lot of people there know how to rein in things and make them mean something.
Changes under Levesque's leadership would be noticeable immediately, according to Calaway. The first segment of SummerSlam appeared to show a shift. Dakota Kai came back after Lynch's Raw Women's Championship match with Bianca Belair. She was accompanied by Iyo Sky, who became well known in the community.
The pair of surprise debuts on the main roster were followed by Levesque.
Two nights later, there were a few more changes.
Since his call-up to the main roster in April, Ciampa was suddenly an important part of the program. A favorite of Levesque's during his time as NXT champion, Ciampa won a triple threat match against two other talented workers who don't get a lot of time to showcase their skills.
There was more to that. The three competitors competed in a triple threat to see who would be the No. 1 contender for the U.S. title. Ciampa will challenge Lashley on Monday's edition of Raw.
The matches were given enough time to tell a story. The bouts used to be shorter in the past. The U.S. Championship and Intercontinental Championship are often overlooked. The history of the U.S. Championship was chronicled on the latest episode of Raw.
Calaway said that Levesque is brilliant. He doesn't get a lot of credit for his wrestling skills. He will be an asset to the development of many guys.
He is also a no bulls--- kind of guy. He will let you know what you are doing wrong and what you are doing right. It is going to be a step in the right direction with Hunter.
Vince McMahon won't be completely removed from the inner workings of the business, according to Lashley, who retained his U.S. title at SummerSlam. McMahon is still the majority shareholder of the company.
Lashley said that Vince wouldn't be gone anymore. He's not going to allow his baby to fail at this level. He will be there. Other people are being given opportunities to keep pressing on.
It's not like she doesn't know because she's been in the business her entire life. That is a big thing Triple H did. He's going to bring it up to the main roster because it's cool. It will be refreshing.
Vince McMahon's daughter addressed his retirement during the opening of the show.
The staging area wrestlers enter and exit on the other side of the curtain, but McMahon wasn't there to greet him after his Last Man Standing match.
McMahon is usually in charge of the headset backstage as the person in the earpiece of the broadcasters calls the matches. It is believed that this was the first big event McMahon has missed since taking over. Money in the Bank is one of the five.
"This is the longest-running thing on TV," said Levesque, who returned to the ring in the spring after taking a leave of absence. I can't imagine myself filling those shoes by myself. We will, but it will take everyone here to fill those shoes.
The intent is to continue the legacy of what has been going on, what made me fall in love with this business that he created, and to take it to a new level. To go past where it is now. We will only do that with a team. With all this talent, that's with me, with Nick Khan, with Kevin Dunn, that's with everyone. We have the most talented people in the world. With this team we can do it.
A who's who of sports broadcasters, as well as former athletes and journalists, were represented by Khan during his time atCAA. Khan was the most dominant sports media agent in the business when he was approached by Levesque after the New England Pats cut Tim Tebow. He wanted a match-up between the Big Show and Tim Tebow. A friendship was forged even though the bout never happened.
Khan's belief in who he wanted with him in the trenches became stronger after Levesque invited him to his 50th birthday party. Khan was introduced to McMahon by Levesque andStephanie. After Khan split the programs up in the network deals, the value was three times greater.
The deals are worth $265 million per year for Raw and $205 million per year for SmackDown. Khan left the agency business to become president and chief revenue officer of the World Wrestling Entertainment. He worked with the McMahons and Levesque to negotiate a deal for Peacock to carry the WWE Network for five years.
According to a source, the new leadership trio will be looking at each part of the business with a fresh set of eyes.
McMahon has worked in wrestling since he was a child. She's an ambassador of the brand who suddenly finds herself as the face of the company after her father leaves.
The challenge is to blend mainstream appeal with the in-ring credibility of the black and gold brand that Levesque is revered for developing.
It was there that the darlings of the independent world flourished. These wrestlers are different from the larger-than-life characters Vince McMahon wanted.
Lynch said that he understands what talent goes through and what needs to be more creative. We don't know where we're going or if we'll change last minute. It's difficult to get everyone on this journey if we're disorganized.
Triple H knows how to tell a story and treat women the same way he treats men. Everyone is the same. What do we do to tell good stories? This is all.
McMahon was known for tearing up script at the last minute. The programs were often lacking in plot holes. Levesque will try to correct that area.
There is at least one lighter possibility for why Lynch is happy.
Maybe we'll get to say something. I like to say things. She likes having a lot of words. "Anything else it is."
McMahon banned words like "championship" and "WWE Universe" from being used.
It's a new era filled with hope, blood and even some terms that have been forbidden by the titan who's presided over the company and turned it into a powerhouse.
Maybe sports entertainment is giving rise to more wrestling.
The person is also represented by the same company.
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