New reports claim WWE head of creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, signed off on all the WWE roster cuts that surprised many fans on Friday night.
Ahead of this week’s SmackDown, word quickly spread that the company’s cuts of behind-the-scenes staff were just part of a larger slashing of payroll that also included the roster. Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Dakota Kai, Braun Strowman, Riley Osbourne, Gigi Dolin, Shayna Baszler, Cora Jade, Jakara Jackson, Eddy Thorpe, and Gallus (Joe and Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) were among the releases this week.
Many have speculated on whether Triple H had any influence on the cuts. Or if it came straight from the top of the parent company, TKO Group Holdings. However, industry insider Ibou claimed on Friday night that none of the decisions would have happened without the approval of the 2025 WWE Hall of Famer.
“Triple H is the final say on any roster personnel decisions,” Ibou wrote on X. “The priority is that their books and profit margins look good to shareholders after every quarter. To juice up numbers, they shed contracts. Figuring out the WHEN on these matters is [TKO Boss Ari Emmanuel] and Nick [Khan]. Figuring out WHO goes is Paul Levesque.
The wrestling biz insider also suggested that the creation of the company’s new WWE ID program played a role in the cuts. WWE ID identifies up-and-coming independent talents and helps with their development. Talent from the program has landed on Evolve and seems to be headed soon to NXT. The WWE ID talent come at a far cheaper rate. And so do NXT talent who move up to take spots of veteran wrestlers on the main roster.
“The actual WWE product, roster, talent acquisitions, and business transactions with other promotions are Triple H’s domain,” Ibou claimed. “This was always going to be the result of an influx of WWE ID talent trickling in through the system on the cheap. And other avenues of acquiring talent. Especially when the base salary for main roster talent increased to $350,000/year.”
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