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Triple H was partly responsible for making important WWE talent decisions many years before he replaced Vince McMahon as the company's creative leader.
Back in 2015, The Game was a key figure behind the scenes when Justin Gabriel revealed during a phone call that he wanted to leave. While McMahon had no problem with the South African's approach, the same could not be said for WWE's current Chief Content Officer.
In a 2015 interview with Cult of Whatever, Gabriel said Triple H threatened to make sure he did not return to WWE for several years:
"Vince actually called me and said he knew I wanted to do my own thing and have more wrestling time so he told me go away for two or three years and go do my thing and possibly come back. Hunter [Triple H], on the other hand, didn't like the way I did it because I quit over the phone and told me he's going to make me wait ages before I'm allowed to come back to WWE."
Gabriel, also known as P.J. Black, has still not returned to WWE. The 41-year-old has wrestled for companies including IMPACT/TNA, Lucha Underground, NWA, and Ring of Honor since his WWE departure.
Why Justin Gabriel was not afraid to inform Triple H and Vince McMahon about his exit
Unhappy with his lack of television time, Justin Gabriel quit WWE when he realized he was not in the creative team's long-term plans.
The former Nexus member waited around for 12 months before finally deciding it was time to move on:
"One year went by and I realized it wasn’t going to happen and I couldn't wait any longer and that is the reason I quit," Gabriel continued. "There are guys there that will just hang around waiting for their shots, who knows if it's going to happen, it's all a timing thing."
In 2021, Gabriel confirmed in an interview with So Catch that he and Triple H are "good" now. He revealed that the 14-time world champion sent him a text a few days earlier, but did not disclose what was said.
What are your memories of Justin Gabriel in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
