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Ahead of WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, I had the chance to ask WWE COO Triple H about the recent speculation that we may see Paige and/or Edge return to in-ring competition at the Royal Rumble.
The Game said he would "love" to see both return, but that health comes first, as well as opening up about the circumstances that saw Daniel Bryan return to in-ring action.
When you're talking about people as talented as Edge and Paige, who wouldn't want them to return? I'm a fan, just like everyone else, and, yeah, I'd love to see them step into the ring and compete. More importantly than that, though, I'd like to see them live long and healthy lives.
You can read the entire quote below, and watch video footage of us speaking with Triple H.
So, with both of them, those would be personal choice for them... No, I shouldn't say that. Personal choice would be a part of it, then medical choice for the other part. WWE is at a different level. There is no other level, almost, from a medical oversight standpoint.
Every now and then, I'll hear somebody else talk about, "Oh, their medical," or something, and it doesn't exist. Fact. Just because you have a doctor every now and then doesn't mean you have a medical protocol, right?
The Game would go on to discuss how the change in style has made it much more important to protect talents who may be at-risk of causing themselves irreparable damage.
So, for us, there are certain perimeters. If we believe it's not in your best interest, we put the human being first, and their long-term health. Life goes on for a long time after this ends. Especially now. The style and the physicality has increased dramatically, so if you get to a point where we're telling you, medically, "Not in your best interest," you can do a lot of things to get back to that.
If you do, maybe it's an option but it's a medical decision. If our medical experts say that they believe this person has done whatever to rehab their situation, and there are multiple situations, they've done all of that and are safe to get back into the ring, then we allow it.
The Game would then go on to disclose the circumstances which saw Daniel Bryan return to the squared circle after, effectively, retiring from in-ring competition due to injury.
You seen that with Daniel Bryan. None of us ever thought Daniel Bryan was going to step into the ring, at least not for us. And that was a question for him. "I can't do it for you, doesn't mean I can't do it for other places." But we had a conversation with him about, "If medical experts are telling you this isn't the best thing," right? But he worked extraordinarily hard for a very long time to get himself back to a place physically where medical teams, the same people that disqualified him were willing to say, "Okay, now I feel like this is a safe return."
So, if that's the case, when you're talking about people as talented as Edge and Paige, who wouldn't want them to return? I'm a fan, just like everyone else, and, yeah, I'd love to see them step into the ring and compete. More importantly than that, though, I'd like to see them live long and healthy lives. Their health comes first. They're people first. This is all great but, at the end of the day, it's not everything.
Thank you to Triple H for taking the time to chat with us.
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