Paul "Triple H" Levesque, one of the biggest names in wrestling since the mid-1990s, will now oversee WWE's creative direction, the organization announced Monday, following Vince McMahon's retirement.
Since McMahon bought the company that would later become WWE from his father in 1982, he has overseen the creative direction of the largest wrestling promotion in the world. From character development to the storylines that drive WWE, McMahon was the final say on all things related to the company's television product.
McMahon, 76, retired on Friday following a Wall Street Journal report that he doled out millions of dollars to women to keep secret their allegations of sexual misconduct. WWE is a publicly traded company, and the report led to a board of directors investigation.
The company said in a regulatory filing on Monday that the payments, made from 2006 to 2022, totaled $14.6 million.
Also Monday, the appointment of Vince McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, and Nick Khan as co-CEOs was filed with the SEC.
Levesque suffered a cardiac event in September and subsequently stepped away from WWE. On Friday, he returned to his former role as EVP, talent relations.
"I'm healthy, fired up, and ready to take charge," Levesque, 52, said.
The husband of Stephanie McMahon, Levesque announced his retirement from in-ring competition in a March interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. The WWE Hall of Famer's final TV match came against Randy Orton in June 2019.
Levesque was named EVP of talent and live events in 2011. He added creative to that title two years later, reporting to Vince McMahon. Levesque focused on his brainchild, NXT, WWE's development brand. He was the executive producer of the weekly TV program until he stepped away in September.
Now, Triple H will be tasked with building out the storylines and developing the characters that populate WWE's flagship shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown.
WWE's No. 2 annual event, SummerSlam, takes place Saturday in Nashville, and will be Levesque's first major show in his new role.