Triple H Press Conference, TNA & WWE Relationship | WrestleTalk

Summary

The video covers the fallout from the Vince McMahon scandal, including McMahon's resignation from WWE and the company removing him from their website. It discusses WWE stars like Triple H and Natalya dodging questions about the scandal at press events. There are also updates on the Brock Lesnar allegations, Brum Breaker replacing Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, and TNA Knockout Champion Jordan Grace making a surprise Rumble appearance, seemingly indicating a new working relationship between WWE and Impact Wrestling.

Takeaways

• 😲 Vince McMahon has resigned from WWE and the board of directors amid allegations of sexual misconduct and coercion.
• 😥 Multiple WWE stars declined to comment on the allegations against Vince McMahon.
• 😠 Triple H dodged questions about the allegations at a WWE press conference.
• 😯 There are reports that Brock Lesnar may be the WWE star implicated in the allegations against McMahon.
• 😀 Bron Breakker was called up from NXT to replace Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.
• 😮 TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace made a surprise appearance in the WWE Royal Rumble.
• 🤝 WWE and TNA/Impact apparently have a working relationship now.
• 👎 Triple H took a shot at AEW during the press conference.
• 😃 Several surprise returns and debuts happened at the Royal Rumble.
• 😌 Natalya said 'as women in the locker room, [we should] keep moving forward'.

Q & A

What allegations were made against Vince McMahon?

Former WWE employee Janelle Grant accused Vince McMahon of sexual assault, coercion and sex trafficking in a lawsuit filed alongside coverage from The Wall Street Journal.

What was McMahon's response to the allegations?

McMahon denied the allegations and said in a statement that he will vigorously defend himself.

What action did McMahon take regarding his role in WWE and TKO?

McMahon resigned from TKO as executive chairman with immediate effect. WWE also removed him from its website.

How did wrestler Ronda Rousey respond to the news?

Rousey said that if Bruce Pritchard is still around, Vince likely still has a hand in WWE's business since Bruce is basically Vince's avatar.

What questions did Triple H dodge regarding the allegations?

Triple H dodged questions about the allegations, saying he chooses to focus on the positives instead of the negatives.

How did Triple H respond when asked if he read the lawsuit?

When asked if he read the lawsuit, Triple H said "I did not" and again referred to focusing on the positives instead.

Why was Bron Breakker brought up to the main roster?

Breakker replaced Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble after Lesnar was pulled from the event due to being implicated in the allegations against McMahon.

What surprising Royal Rumble entrant came from another promotion?

Current TNA Knockouts Champion Jordan Grace entered the women's Royal Rumble in a surprise crossover.

Do WWE and TNA have a working relationship now?

It seems WWE and TNA do have some sort of working relationship after Jordan Grace's Rumble appearance, but details remain unclear.

What jab did Triple H take at AEW?

Triple H referred to AEW's "forbidden door" partnerships as he talked about Jordan Grace appearing from TNA.

Outlines

00:00

😲 Vince McMahon Steps Down Amidst Scandal and Controversy

Paragraph 1 summarizes the recent scandal involving allegations of sexual misconduct against Vince McMahon that led him to step down from WWE and the board of TKO. It covers McMahon denying the allegations, statements from Ronda Rousey, and sponsors pulling back support. There is also discussion around whether others closely associated with McMahon could be removed from WWE.

05:03

😥 Triple H Dodges Questions About Vince McMahon at Post-Show Press Conference

Paragraph 2 focuses on Triple H's handling of questions about the Vince McMahon situation at the WWE post-show press conference. It analyzes and compares Triple H's responses to those of Cody Rhodes, noting that Triple H deflected and avoided directly answering questions about the allegations and lawsuit against McMahon.

Keywords

💡Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon is the former CEO and chairman of WWE who recently resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power. He was a central figure in WWE for decades and his resignation is a major scandal for the company. The video discusses the allegations against McMahon, his denial of wrongdoing, and the impacts on WWE.

💡Triple H

Triple H is WWE's Chief Content Officer and Vince McMahon's son-in-law. He had to answer difficult questions about the McMahon allegations at a WWE press conference. The video criticizes Triple H's responses as evasive and tone-deaf, contrasting them negatively to Cody Rhodes' more forthcoming answers.

💡lawsuit

A former WWE employee named Janelle Grant filed a lawsuit accusing Vince McMahon of sexual assault and coercion. The details of this lawsuit, reported by the Wall Street Journal, directly led to McMahon's resignation.

💡Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar is a top WWE wrestler who the lawsuit allegedly implies was offered sexual favors from Vince McMahon on Grant's behalf. This resulted in Lesnar being pulled from the Royal Rumble event.

💡Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is WWE's major January event. It went ahead despite the McMahon scandal, leading to scrutiny over how WWE would address the situation publicly.

💡Bron Breakker

Bron Breakker is an NXT wrestler who seemingly replaced Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble match. This highlights WWE's need to change plans rapidly during the turmoil.

💡Jordan Grace

Jordan Grace is a wrestler from Impact Wrestling, a rival promotion, who surprisingly appeared in WWE's Royal Rumble. This suggests increased cooperation between WWE and Impact.

💡Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is a top WWE wrestler who gave a direct answer about the McMahon situation in interviews, contrasting with Triple H's evasiveness.

💡sponsorship

The McMahon scandal resulted in one of WWE's sponsors, Slim Jim, postponing sponsorship deals. This demonstrates potential financial impacts for WWE.

💡NXT

NXT is WWE's developmental brand. Talents like Bron Breakker were called up from NXT to replace pulled wrestlers like Brock Lesnar.

Highlights

Luke Owen reports on recent WWE controversies and updates, including Vince McMahon's allegations and WWE's responses.

A lawsuit accuses former WWE CEO Vince McMahon of sexual assault, coercion, and sex trafficking, leading to his resignation from TKO as executive chairman.

Vince McMahon denies allegations and vows to defend himself vigorously.

WWE removes Vince McMahon's profile from its website amid controversy.

Ronda Rousey comments on Vince McMahon's influence in WWE through Bruce Pritchard.

Following McMahon's resignation, Slim Jims renews its sponsorship with WWE, significantly impacting the company's finances.

WWE stars respond to questions about Vince McMahon with caution, emphasizing moving forward.

Triple H criticized for deflecting questions about McMahon at the post-Royal Rumble press conference.

Cody Rhodes commended for his handling of questions regarding the McMahon allegations.

Brock Lesnar implicated in the lawsuit against Vince McMahon, leading to changes in the Royal Rumble lineup.

Bron Breakker takes Brock Lesnar's scheduled role in the Royal Rumble due to the lawsuit implications.

Surprise appearances at the Royal Rumble, including TNA Knockout Champion Jordan Grace.

WWE reaches out to TNA for Royal Rumble participation, hinting at a working relationship.

Triple H takes a jab at AEW's 'Forbidden Door' while discussing WWE's collaborations with other wrestling promotions.

Analysis of WWE's handling of press and public relations in light of recent controversies.

Transcripts

sweet sweet coffee do I need you after

the

rumble Triple H has come under Fire for

dodging questions about Vince McMahon

the real reason for Brum breaker's main

roster call up WWE and TNA's working

relationship revealed I am Luke Owen and

this is wrestling

[Music]

news support wrestle talk I'll move it

off screen I I'll move it off screen

I'll be professional It's been a crazy

72 hours for WWE on Thursday a lawsuit

was released alongside coverage from The

Wall Street Journal from a former WWE

employee named Janelle Grant who has

accused its former CEO Vince McMahon of

sexual assault coercion and sex

trafficking while not having a huge

amount of involvement with WWE Vince

McMahon was still serving on the board

of TKO as an executive chairman McMahon

has denied the allegations and has said

in a statement that he will vigorously

defend himself self Brandon th of

wrestle nomics noted on Twitter that

Vince could not be removed from his

position in TKO and the only way he

could leave is if he left of his own

valtion which is exactly what he did it

was announced that McMahon was resigning

from TKO as executive chairman with

immediate effect WWE has since removed

McMahon from its own website if you

click his profile it goes to a dead page

and PW Insider report that TKO could

remove anyone from the company closely

associated with McMahon for a fresh

start Ronda Rousey who left WWE last

summer gave her thoughts on this on

social media noting Bruce Pritchard is

basically Vince's Avatar if he's still

around Vince still has a hand in the

business Vince was still running things

through Bruce when he was gone before I

doubt ronda's coming back to WWE anytime

soon then McMahon stepping down came off

the back of Slim Jims announcing they

were postponing their sponsorship with

WWE a huge financial blow to the company

following the announcement that McMahon

was stepping down Slim Jims and this is

a deadly serious quote here announced

they were re-entering the Royal Rumble

not only airing a commercial during the

show but being the main sponsor for the

universal Championship fatal four-way

the Royal Rumble was a big day for WWE

to do press to promote themselves and it

meant that some of the wrestlers had to

answer questions about Vince McMahon the

Orlando Sentinel reported that multiple

WWE Stars declined to comment on the

subject however Nia Jax told Nick H

that they would just move forward while

Natalya told the Orlando Sentinel I've

seen and I've read what everyone else

has seen and read I feel like at the end

of the day the best thing we can do

especially as women in the locker room

is keep moving forward it sounds like

Natalia has done more reading on the

topic than WWE's own Chief content

officer there was a huge question mark

over the course of the day on whether

WWE would still do their postow press

conference in light of the Vince McMahon

news in the end they did well Cody rhods

has been commended on his dealing with

the questions Triple H has not received

those same comments rhs was asked about

the allegations by Nick hman and

responded I know as far as the news is

concerned we are finding it out and

reading the same things that you guys

are reading it sounds like Cody rhods

has done more reading on the topic than

WWE's own Chief content officer as far

as TKO Nick Khan the board clearly took

it very seriously acted immediately and

looking at the future I don't know the

answer to that he then moved on to talk

about the positive environment backstage

in the locker room noting they are very

team based it was a measured response he

didn't dodge he didn't deflect and

that's exactly what Triple H did John

Albert was the first to ask Triple H

about the McMan situation at the press

conference to which he replied look we

just had an amazing week a 10-year 5

billion Netflix deal Rock joining our

board we just sold out the Royal Rumble

put 48,000 people in Tropicana Field I

choose to focus on the positive yes

there's a negative but I want to focus

on that and just keep it to that his

immediate deflecting of the answer

prompted a follow-up question from the

ringer about WWE safety of its own

performance so that people Empower to

not take advantage of them Triple H said

I'll give you the most generalized

answer that I can everything possible

this is a very important thing to us a

very important topic to us it's as

simple as everything possible he then

had a third question on the subject

where Brandon th asked him if he's read

the lawsuit to which he replied I did

not he instead referred back to Cody's

comments and reiterated this is an

amazing week for us I just at this point

I don't even want to get bogged down in

the negatives of it I just want to focus

on the positives it is stunning to hear

the words amazing week given the last 72

hours that WWE has had his comments came

Under Fire on social media many compared

it to Tony Khan's postow media scrum

performance following World's End where

he answered serious questions about

Chris Jericho while wearing a silly wig

and sunglasses Jimmy fan of fightful

noted that calling this an amazing week

is not what he would have said but

understood it was a difficult position

to be in Dave melter on the other hand

who has been a big supporter of Triple H

since he took over creative in WWE

called the responses on wrestling

observer radio tone de and added the

most important the most influential the

most powerful individual in the history

of this business resigned yesterday in

disgrace and he's your father-in-law how

is this a great week for the company

Triple H did not have great responses

but like Jimmy van noted it was almost

an impossible situation WWE could have

either gone through with a press

conference and deflect the questions as

much as possible and come under Fire or

they could have canceled the press

conference because they would have

deflected the questions as much as

possible and come under Fire for that

there is a middle ground to that though

which is to go in with a prepared

statement some have argued that Triple H

should have been more prepared for these

questions and it felt like he wasn't

even expecting to be asked about it but

what did you make of the Triple H press

conference let me know in the comments

down below another name that has been

implicated in this Vince McMahon lawsuit

is Brock Lesnar though not named in the

suit The Wall Street Journal said that

people close to the situation believe

that Lesnar is the WWE superstar that is

referenced in Grant suit against McMahon

where she alleges that Vince offered

Grant up for sexual favors as part of a

contract renegotiation in the summer of

2021 it had been reported by fightful

select that Lesnar had been scheduled

for a WWE return at the Royal Rumble but

those plans were changed in light of the

lawsuit PW Insider then reported Brun

breaker was being brought in from NXT to

replace Brock in the rumble and Dave

melter on wrestling observer radio noted

that because the match had been scripted

and plotted out breaker was just given

all of Brock's spots melter said Bron

breaker essentially was given the Brock

Lesnar role he came in when Brock was

supposed to come in he threw out the

guys that Brock Lesnar was supposed to

throw out he was thrown out the same way

Brock was going to be thrown out which

is hilarious as if true it means that

Brock Lesner was going to be eliminated

by Dominic Mysterio but Bron breaker was

not the only surprise appearance last

night like you would imagine the Royal

Rumble had a lot of surprising moments

the WWE returns of Andrade and Naomi Pat

mcy getting in and getting quickly out

of the rumble and the WWE debut of Jade

Carill but perhaps the most surprising

of all was entry number five in the

women's Royal Rumble the current TNA

Knockout Champion Jordan Grace Grace

lasted for quite a long time in the

match nearly 20 minutes before being

eliminated by a brutal looking kod on

the apron by Bianca Bair look I don't

have to tell you how surprised I was

about this Cameo you can probably hear

it in my voice and you'll be able to see

it in this clip from our live reactions

It's Your Grave it's j grave TNA

Impact

chion

holy oh my God someone Trinity someone

Naomi knows very well because this is

the woman who defeated Trinity Nai oh my

God I'm Sean rosap from fightful

selector reports that Grace is still

signed with TNA and that WWE reached out

to them last week to inquire if they

wanted to give someone a spot in the

rumble fight will seemingly add that TNA

was not the only company as WWE reached

out to outside companies for surprise

entrance Brian Alvarez on the Brian and

Vinnie show noted that WWE and TNA do

indeed have a working relationship

together now whether this means Talent

going back and forth remains to be seen

but rce appearing in the rumble and

being credited multiple times as TNA

Knockouts Champion is certainly a good

start the only thing we do know for

certain is that Triple H did use this as

a chance to take a shot at aew and their

forbidden door name that's all for me

but you can check out olle Davis's

review of the 2024 Royal Rumble by

clicking the video on screen right now