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Triple H (left); Vince McMahon (right)

3 Departing WWE Superstars who Triple H called (and 2 who Vince McMahon called)

The majority of departing WWE Superstars are told about their exits over the phone by WWE’s Head of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis. However, in rare cases, some men and women from the roster receive a phone call from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon or NXT founder Triple H.

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In April 2021, a former United States Champion was informed of his exit after six years with the company. Within a few hours, Triple H called the released superstar and immediately began negotiations to rehire him.

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Earlier in the year, Vince McMahon also contacted a long-serving legend after news broke about his next job away from WWE.

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In this listicle, let’s look at three departing WWE Superstars who Triple H called, plus two who received a call from Vince McMahon.

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#5 Triple H called Samoa Joe after his WWE release

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Samoa Joe’s release from WWE is undoubtedly one of the strangest of all time.

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The former NXT Champion received his release in April 2021 after working as a RAW color commentator for over a year. Although Triple H plays an important role behind the scenes, the WWE executive was seemingly unaware that Joe had been let go by the company.

Speaking on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast, Joe said he sent messages to many of the people he worked with in WWE, including Triple H. The 14-time world champion phoned Joe back and said he wanted him to stay.

“I got a text back [from Triple H], ‘Hey, give me a minute, getting out of a meeting.’ We had a brief conversation, which was essentially like, ‘Give us a little bit of time. I’ll work out a package and we’ll talk soon.’ ‘Alright, that’s totally fine, I have no problem with that.’ And it led to my return to NXT,” Joe said.
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As Joe mentioned, he returned to NXT in June 2021 and went on to become a three-time NXT Champion. He also began working in a backstage role as a WWE scout.

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#4 Vince McMahon called Mickie James after her WWE release

Dear @VinceMcMahon Im not sure if you’re aware, I did receive my @WWE care package today. Thank you. #AlwaysBlessedandGrateful #WomensWrestlingMatters 💋
8:25 PM · Apr 22, 2021
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One of the biggest WWE controversies of 2021 came in April when Mickie James received a trash bag from the company after her release.

The wrestling legend tweeted a picture of the bag, which she referred to as a “care package,” and tagged Vince McMahon. The post was retweeted more than 4,000 times and led to the release of former WWE employee Mark Carrano.

James said on her Grown A** Women podcast that McMahon called her to apologize:

“All I wanted was a little respect so it wouldn't feel like unfinished business. I felt because I was asking for this one thing, it was going to come with a price. I'm not saying that's from Vince because he's always been respectful to me. He called me on the phone to apologize for this incident and to let me know that this isn't what he thought of me,” she said. [H/T Fightful]
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HEY MICKIE 👋 ❤️

6x Women's Champion @MickieJames joins us on commentary for tonight's #NXTTakeOver: Stand & Deliver Pre-Show match! @VicJosephWWE
00:31 AM · Apr 8, 2021

James also clarified that she does not blame Vince McMahon for the trash bag incident. The five-time WWE Women’s Champion and one-time Divas Champion said she only tagged McMahon because she felt he needed to know how she was treated.

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#3 Triple H called Austin Aries to inform him of his WWE release

Talent come to @WWENXT to make a statement; they come to show the world they can...take over. Welcome @AustinAries.
02:45 AM · Mar 3, 2016
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In 2017, Triple H had the unfortunate task of informing Austin Aries of his release from WWE.

The former IMPACT World Champion was set to take a month off due to injury problems after his cruiserweight title storyline with Neville. On the first day of his rehabilitation at the Performance Center, he received a call from Triple H.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Aries said Triple H was surprised by his release. He added that the final decision was made by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon:

“That was Thursday [start of the rehab] and then Friday I get a call from Hunter [Triple H] just to tell me I’m being released. He said he was really shocked. He was as shocked as I was. It was per Vince,” Aries said.
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Aries, who performed as a babyface on the main roster, was willing to return to 205 Live as a heel after his injury. He also clarified that he had no issues with anyone during his time in WWE, which is why his release was so unexpected.

#2 Vince McMahon called The Big Show after his WWE exit

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Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show, left WWE in February 2021 and immediately joined AEW as a commentator and in-ring competitor.

Having debuted in WWE in 1999, Wight had worked for Vince McMahon for 21 of the previous 22 years. During that time, he became a four-time WWE World Champion and one of the company’s star attractions.

Wight told reporters after AEW Revolution 2021 that the WWE Chairman phoned him shortly after his AEW deal was announced:

"Here's the thing, Vince actually called me the day it was announced that I signed with AEW, wished me a lot of luck, agreed that I'm a big asset to AEW and thanked me for all the years I worked in WWE. There's no animosity, there's no anger, there's no dirt, so to speak,” he said.
Sending giant-sized birthday wishes to the larger-than-life @WWETheBigShow!
6:00 PM · Feb 8, 2019
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Wight explained that he joined AEW because he had already achieved everything he could in WWE. His final appearance for Vince McMahon’s company came on the January 4, 2021 episode of RAW, where he featured in a segment with Randy Orton.

#1 Triple H called Hulk Hogan to inform him of his WWE release

Happy birthday to @WWE Legend, @HulkHogan! ❤️ 💛
5:00 PM · Aug 11, 2021
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In 2015, Hulk Hogan was fired from WWE after an audio clip emerged of him using racist language in 2007. WWE removed the eight-time WrestleMania main-eventer from the Hall of Fame and stopped selling his merchandise on the company’s online store.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Hogan said he never spoke to Vince McMahon about the leaked audio. Instead, Triple H was the person who dealt with his departure.

“Triple H said, ‘Okay, thanks for calling. Let me talk to Vince.’ He called me back a half hour later and he goes, ‘I’ve got some news and it isn’t good. Vince said that you need to resign.’ I never heard from Vince or talked to Vince. In the middle of the night, they just fired me,” Hogan said.
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According to Hogan, Triple H said the USA Network “reacted very badly” to the release of the audio. He added that WWE was “under heavy pressure” and “scrambling” to make a quick decision on his future.

In 2018, Hogan was reinstated into the Hall of Fame. He became a two-time Hall of Famer at the 2021 ceremony when he joined the 2020 Hall of Fame as part of the nWo faction.

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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Edited by
Kartik Arry
 
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