Future Full of Change for Vince McMahon and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque in WWE

Following the merger with Endeavor, how will business change for Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque?

Once WWE officially becomes owned by Endeavor, Paul “Triple H” Levesque will no longer be part of the Board of Directors.

That news was officially disclosed through a Securities and Exchange Commission filing announcement last Thursday. Endeavor plans to integrate WWE and UFC into a single, publicly traded entity, and the transaction–where Endeavor becomes WWE’s parent company–should be complete before the end of next month.

Despite the change, Levesque remains WWE’s head of creative. His departure from the board is being positioned as organizational streamlining, allowing him to focus exclusively on his work in WWE. The board charts and oversees business, so while it makes sense that Levesque is not part of it, losing a seat on the board represents a loss of power.

Regarding loss of power, that is also a point of concern for Vince McMahon.

McMahon is entering uncharted territory. While McMahon may still be the majority shareholder, he is no longer the all-important element of the company. He won’t own WWE. And his iron-clad contract protects him financially, but not politically.

WWE is synonymous with McMahon. Will McMahon, who is currently recovering from spinal surgery, lose leverage? Any answer, as of right now, would be pure speculation. The answer is unknown, which is something McMahon has not faced in 40 years.

• Quiz (answer below): Hulk Hogan defeated Earthquake by countout at SummerSlam in 1990. After 1990, the two men did not have a televised singles rematch until 1996 in WCW. By that point, what name was John Tenta (Earthquake) going by in the ring?

• WWE’s SummerSlam event has been moved up the calendar in recent years.
Traditionally held at the end of August, SummerSlam was at the end of July last year before moving to the beginning of August this year. This is a change generated by WWE CEO Nick Khan, who sees far more possibilities for advertising during the sports lull that occurs during those weeks.

Earlier this month, WWE was able to score time on ESPN’s First Take. That appearance, featuring Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman, would have been much more difficult to coordinate a few weeks from now with competition from the NFL and college football.

• For more than 30 years, Rob Van Dam’s magnificence in the ring has had no expiration date.
  
  His timelessness continues into 2023.
  
  Van Dam wrestled last week on Dynamite. Even at 52, he still looks incredible in the ring. He wrestled Jack Perry for the FTW championship, adding a bit of temporary prestige to that title.
The storyline was well designed, with Van Dam fighting on behalf of longtime ECW rival Jerry Lynn, who works behind-the-scenes in AEW as a coach and producer. Van Dam’s ability to connect his spinning heel kick, spinning leg drop, and five-star frog splash continue to defy Father Time.Perry needed a low blow to win, opening the door for a return from Van Dam.

• The Honky Tonk Man’s run as the longest-reigning Intercontinental champion is about to end.
  
  WWE should show a highlight package to commemorate it, as many greats have held the IC title–yet no one held it as long as the Honky Tonk Man. His 454-day reign is a feat that Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Curt Hennig, Scott Hall, Davey Boy Smith, Steve Austin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kevin Owens, and every other IC champ could not match.
  
  Gunther, who is less than 30 days away from setting a new record, will soon change that. But it is remarkable that Wayne Farris’ title run as the Honky Tonk Man lasted as long as it did–especially when it wasn’t even planned to take place.
  
  Speaking with Sports Illustrated in 2016, Farris explained the story of how he unexpectedly became the Intercontinental champion. It was a genuine surprise, as Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat was only two months into his title run after defeating Randy Savage in an epic clash at WrestleMania III. But Steamboat was worried about spending too much time on the road, and instead of a reduced travel schedule, Vince McMahon scrapped his plans with Steamboat and instead crowned a new champion.
  
  “Vince was ambushed with Steamboat,” said Farris. “He won the belt over Savage, and then–three weeks later–he told Vince he wanted to take time off to be with his wife and baby. Obviously, I can understand that, but he really should have said something before he won the belt.”
  
  McMahon decided to have Butch Reed win the belt, until fate–disguised as Hulk Hogan–intervened.
  
  “Vince was talking to Hogan one day in the hallway before a show in Buffalo,” recalled Farris. “I walked by, and Hogan said, ‘Hey Vince, what about this guy?’ Vince took one look at me, threw his head back like he does and stuck out his chin, and said, ‘Maybe so.’ Two hours later, I had the belt around my waist.”
  
  The Honky Tonk Man defeated Steamboat on a June 2, 1987 taping of Superstars of Wrestling in Buffalo, New York. He kept the title around his waist until August of 1988, but not without controversy.
  
  McMahon wanted Savage to regain the IC title in the winter of ’88 on Saturday Night’s Main Event, which aired nationally on NBC, but Farris rejected the change–a decision he believes cost him his professional relationship with McMahon.
  
  “I’m not going to say I screwed up, but I was not politically or professionally correct when I told him I was not going to lose the belt to anyone on national television,” says Farris. “Our deal was that I wouldn’t, because back then, that would really hurt you. He never got over it, and he lost trust in me.”
  
  The delay in a title change ultimately worked in everyone’s favor. In August of ’88, at the inaugural SummerSlam, the Ultimate Warrior replaced Brutus Beefcake and absolutely decimated the Honky Tonk Man, winning the title in spectacular fashion.
  
  “When it came to the Warrior, that was a four-month deal that I knew ahead of time,” explained Farris. “We had to keep it under wraps, so most of the locker room didn’t even know. The buildup was done so, so well that it threw everyone off track and no one had an inkling that it was going to be the Warrior.”
  
  The Warrior’s win instantly became an all-time moment for WWE. As soon as his music hit, the crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted.
  
  “Madison Square Garden exploded when the Warrior ran out,” said Farris. “That was actually the one time when I worked for a company that I had creative control, and Vince said, ‘I don’t care how you do it, just get him over.’ I knew it needed to be short, and Vince said, ‘Do whatever you want.’ So that was all mine, and it did three things. It didn’t hurt me–I was already hated. I wanted every person out there to think they could beat me, and I had eight-year-old kids saying they could beat me. It made the Warrior an overnight sensation, and it created the superstar they wanted. Hogan had just given Vince his year’s notice that he was going to Hollywood to make movies, so they needed somebody, and the Warrior was the guy.”
  
  The present and future now belong to Gunther, who looks to have a far more impressive run than the Honky Tonk Man did after he dropped the IC title.

• Trivia answer: The Shark

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.