Triple H feeling the heat amid new hire rumors; ex-employee claims WWE is under fire from Netflix and ESPN (Exclusive)

Veteran wrestling writer Vince Russo recently spoke about Triple H and WWE being under pressure from the networks. He was reviewing this week's episode of SmackDown.

WWE has made a major move, hiring its first AI employee. The Wrestling Observer reported that the company hired a new Senior Director of Creative Strategy. Triple H introduced the new employee to the creative team, whose job would be to integrate AI into storytelling.

During the latest episode of BroDown with host Mac Davis, Russo felt that Triple H & Co. were under pressure by Netflix and ESPN. He pointed out that these major platforms were not like the USA Network, where WWE could get away with a sub-par product. The veteran writer noted that both Netflix and ESPN had signed billion-dollar deals with WWE, and would hold the company accountable if their programming was not good.

"First of all, I believe it. I'm certain they're getting heat from Netflix. I'm certain they are. There's no question they are. Let's face it, at some point when they have no ability to improve the shows, they can't get away with it anymore. This isn't USA Network. With USA Network, they ruled the roost. They were the biggest thing on the network. ESPN ain't USA Network, Netflix ain't USA Network." He continued, "When you got billions of dollars, you ain't working nobody. You're not working them, man. So now you're at the point where now you're getting a bit of pressure and because, you're not creative, you don't know what to do."

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2025 has been a mixed bag for the WWE creative team under Triple H. While the year started off well, things slowly fell apart when The Rock backed off, Cena's heel turn tanked, and Cody Rhodes didn't have compelling storylines as the Undisputed WWE Champion. ESPN was also critical of WWE's first PLE on their platform, Wrestlepalooza, giving it a C rating. Crown Jewel fared better, but the company is still under pressure to churn out quality content week on week.

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About the author

Prityush is a WWE news writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling who started watching wrestling in the later part of The Attitude Era. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Prityush was a creative writer for his college, and his flair for creativity and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to the journalism field. After an initial stint in 2016-2017, he has been writing regularly for Sportskeeda since 2021.

As someone who loves and respects the business, he prides himself on factual, clean, and ethical reporting, free of plagiarism and AI usage. One of the ways he ensures this is by transcribing videos that he reports on.

Prityush had the privilege of interviewing superstar Matt Hardy in his career so far. Although, his favorite wrestler is CM Punk, as he relates to his Straight Edge philosophy.

When he is not reporting news, he loves reading and collecting WWE action figures. He currently owns over 500 wrestling figures and merchandise.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar