It's easy to think of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon as a single, connected entity at the helm of WWE. On camera, they have been aligned for a long time and were even linked through their collective moniker of "The Authority". Off-screen, not only is the power couple happily married, but they are widely believed to be on the same side of a Cold War-like family struggle for power in the post-Vince era.
According to rampant backstage buzz, Triple H and Stephanie, long understood to be the eventual successors to the Chairman, have had their status as heir apparent challenged by Shane McMahon since his return to the company last year. If the duo still manages to ward off Shane O'Mac and Kevin Dunn, Shane's chief supporter and Vince's right-hand man, and seize control of the company, you can expect them to agree on shared priorities like the growth of NXT and continued momentum for the women's revolution. Just don't assume that they will see eye to eye on all company matters.
When it comes to personnel, in particular, the couple has been known to differ in perspective. Both have the - ahem - authority to sign prospective WWE talent and, as such, have come away with some true gems (Seth Rollins and AJ Styles come immediately to mind), but also some free agent busts. Sure enough, both Stephanie and her husband, the real-life Paul Levesque, have made some regrettable hires over the years, for reasons of behavioural issues, embarrassing scandals while under WWE contract and just plain under-performance. Here are eight regrettable lowlights for each.
16 Triple H Regrets: Simon Gotch
It is only an exclusive minority of WWE-signed talent who have the good fortune of being afforded a true, honest to goodness opportunity to succeed. Simon Gotch was gifted that opportunity by Triple H himself. Alongside Aiden English, he was pushed as a member of the Vaudevillains, an old-timey tag team whose gimmick was campy but also refreshingly unique in the WWE. Despite generating some fans as part of NXT, the team flamed out on the main roster, with Gotch largely to blame.
It was widely reported that the skilled in-ring technician rubbed a lot of people backstage the wrong way with the arrogant way in which he carried himself.
Fights with the likes of Sin Cara - where Gotch reportedly got his rear handed to him - did his reputation no favours. While English has stuck around and now serves as the musical component to the popular "Rusev Day" act, Gotch is long gone from WWE, toiling in the indies as Simon Grimm. Triple H really put in a lot of work to get the Vaudevillains in position to take over the WWE Tag Team division, but it just goes to show that no matter how much you can try to help someone they still may just turn around and leave you disappointed.
15 Stephanie Regrets: Dana Brooke
If Alexa Bliss stands as the template for how a fitness model can transition into a successful WWE career, Dana Brooke represents the exact polar opposite of that. Unlike with the "Goddess", Brooke's background was played up through her character, a heel who would routinely pose, flex and generally preen obnoxiously during matches. Throw in a patronizing head pat to opponents and you had a heel that was ready to be hated. Then she arrived on the main roster and, well, people just didn't care. The tepid reactions that greeted her were proof of her failure to find a hook to draw in fans.
Superstars fizzle out in WWE all the time, but Brooke represented two pillars that Triple H and Stephanie have each taken great pride in as a representative of both NXT and the women's division. As an NXT alum, she represents an embarrassing evaluation miss for the brand that Triple H takes such great pride in. As a female superstar, she stands as a less than ideal ambassador for the women's revolution that Stephanie loves to crow about. She remains on the Raw roster, albeit as little more than as a stepping stone for other emerging talent.
14 Triple H Regrets: Zahra Schreiber
Easily the most obscure name on here, one-time WWE signee Zahra Schreiber is better known for her significant others than anything that she accomplished of her own accord during her one year in NXT. Her tenure with the company amounted to little more than ring announcer duties and a role as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds, but outside of the ring she was plenty busy as girlfriend to WWE main eventer Seth Rollins. Three years removed from her termination, she still keeps prominent company on the dating scene, although now her affections are held by female superstar Sonya Deville. They have been seen on social media together and it has driven tabloids and fans into a frenzy.
To be clear, it was neither her carousing with WWE superstars nor her apparently liberal sexual preference that got Schreiber fired. The pink slip came after social media pics emerged that showed her clad in very vulgar and profane gear, going decidedly against the family-friendly brand that Triple H seeks to portray. It's safe to say that, from WWE's perspective, Schreiber did far more harm than good, especially as her social media accounts still involve current superstars like Deville, which they can't be too happy about.
13 Stephanie Regrets: Titus O'Neil
When most people think of Titus O'Neill, they are probably thinking of the former Florida Gator's endearing clumsiness. After all, the leader of the Titus Worldwide stable did follow up his ringside fall during the second season of NXT by somehow tripping and sliding under the ring during the Greatest Royal Rumble PPV event. In both cases, WWE took great pleasure in replaying and reliving the flubs on live TV to maximize the embarrassment. While the company's insistence on bringing up the gaffes on air could easily be shrugged off as good-natured ribbing, there might be more to it than that.
Less widely publicized than O'Neill's pratfalls was a mysterious altercation at the end of a Raw episode back in early 2016 that earned the one-time Arena Football Leaguer a 60-day suspension. According to reports, as the entire roster began heading back up the ramp after Daniel Bryan's in-ring retirement ceremony, O'Neill grabbed hold of Vince McMahon to allow Stephanie to exit in a chivalrous gesture. It apparently wasn't appreciated by the Chairman, however, who deemed it to be insubordination. Vince and Stephanie have been known to share similar views as to how their authority should be respected, so VKM's daughter probably agreed with her father's response, even though she was the beneficiary of O'Neill's gesture.
12 Triple H Regrets: Bobby Roode
We begin the list with a superstar who probably hasn't reached the level of being a full-blown regret for Triple H, but is fast headed in that direction. A major free agent acquisition from TNA, Bobby Roode caught fire in NXT with a main event-caliber presentation complete with an irrepressible theme. He charted the established path of becoming NXT champion before earning a main roster call-up, at which point he fell flat on his face. That wasn't entirely his fault, but he seems to be continuing the recent trend of already over NXT talents getting buried with poor booking.
The "Glorious" one's main roster run has been an abject disaster to date, where he's somehow become little more than a one-dimensional catchphrase.
The writing staff that turned him from arrogant heel into a cheesy babyface is largely to blame for the lukewarm reception he now receives, but the uninspired Roode shouldn't get off scot free for his character's failure, either. Time will tell if a move to Raw helps spark the Toronto native, but it's been quite the fall from grace for a guy whose gone from being handpicked by Triple H to idling in the mid-card while getting tepid reactions.
11 Stephanie Regrets: Booker T
From childhood all the way through a Hall of Fame wrestling career, Booker T has stood as an unlikely success story. He overcame a rap sheet in his youth to earn a WCW contract, broke through being labeled a tag specialist to become a world champion and managed to develop into a star for WWE in spite of the company's well-known reluctance to push WCW talent. In retirement, that unlikely success seems to be coming in his ability to keep returning to the announce table despite not being very good at it.
Although Triple H may hold too much respect for his one-time WrestleMania opponent to wish Booker off of WWE TV, Stephanie likely doesn't have the same degree of nostalgic affection. Beyond offering up non-sequiturs that no one can understand and laughing at his own strange quips, Booker's commentary neither furthered what was happening in the ring nor entertained the WWE Universe. Instead, it served to confuse those listening and derail any flow that Michael Cole and Corey Graves tried to facilitate. His bizarre, disruptive efforts likely contributed to Jonathan Coachman taking over Raw commentary duties two months ago, but Booker T still lives on doing pre-show discussion panels and filling in on other Network platforms.
10 Triple H Regrets: Hideo Itami
You don't see Triple H commenting on every WWE signing or posing for photographs with just any new NXT addition, so it was clear from the get-go that nabbing Japanese superstar Kenta was a big deal. Heck, when the company's Executive Vice President took a selfie alongside NXT signees Kenta, Fergal Devitt and Kevin Steen, it served as a bold exclamation point highlighting that three of the biggest stars outside of the realm of WWE had now come under the company's umbrella. Less than four years later, Finn Balor (Devitt) reigns as the first ever Universal champion and Kevin Owens (Steen) has earned six championship reigns, including his own Universal title stint. So, where does that leave Hideo Itami (Kenta)?
Certainly not on a level with the aforementioned top superstars, that's for sure. Ill-timed injuries and an NXT crowd that never wholly embraced him made for a frustrating developmental experience for Itami. Instead of putting him on the path of other top indie talent by giving him an NXT title reign and then sending him to either Raw or Smackdown Live, the GTS originator was moved to 205 Live without achieving anything of significance with the developmental brand. Itami's underwhelming tenure has continued on the cruiserweight show, surely prompting Triple H to wonder if his prized signee is destined to be a bust.
9 Stephanie Regrets: Adam Cole
The Undisputed Era currently reigns as the top heel stable in NXT, although you wouldn't know that by the crowd reactions they generate. The group, comprised of tag team champions Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong, the injured Bobby Fish and led by North American champion Adam Cole, must contend with the curse of being 'cool heels'. Collectively, they have a good look and a charismatic presence, so fans are drawn to them even as they do villainous things and beat up on babyfaces.
That, alone, wouldn't be cause for regret among WWE executives. It certainly isn't for Triple H, who reportedly hand-picked Cole as a signee for the company. Stephanie may feel differently, however. The cheers that greet the Undisputed Era come, at least in part, as a result of each member of the group being recognizable by knowledgeable wrestling fans for their work outside of WWE. All were standout ROH stars, with Cole being the most marquee name among them. The cries of "Bay-Bay!" that serenade him are a product of his work on the indy scene and nothing that WWE's marketing machine generated. Like her father, Steph has a reputation for rejecting wrestlers who came to fame outside of the company, to say nothing of opposing the main event potential of diminutive stars (Cole is generously listed at 6'0").
8 Triple H Regrets: Big Cass
It's only in the last little while that Big Cass has gone from Smackdown Live star on the rise to being a bona fide regret. Or, since the May 2nd edition of the blue brand show, to be specific. Booked to land a big boot on a midget wrestler representing Daniel Bryan in a segment targeting his under-sized babyface rival, Cass reportedly went directly against the wishes of management by following up the attack with punches and kicks to further sell the beating. Such blatant insubordination will surely bring backlash.
And it appears that it has. Cass was booked to tap out to Bryan's Yes! Lock at Backlash and then beaten up handily by his smaller foe just two days later on Smackdown. An announced Money in the Bank qualifying match that would have pitted him against Samoa Joe was scrapped, with the seven-footer being erased from plans. Making the big man's brain-dead actions all the more damaging is the fact that the resulting punishment has completely derailed a push that was in its early stages as he returned from a torn ACL. We may never know how far Cass was set to go, but his runner-up finish to Braun Strowman in the 50-man "Greatest Royal Rumble" offers indications that the company was set to really get behind him.
7 Stephanie Regrets: Rich Swann
It was a pretty eventful 18 months for Rich Swann in WWE from the summer of 2016 to the end of 2017, filled with some of the highest highs and lowest lows that any wrestler can experience in a lifetime. The one-time CZW star had graduated from NXT when he was announced as one of the competitors participating in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament on the WWE Network. He reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winner TJ Perkins, thus leading to a spot in the newly formed cruiserweight division.
Swann would actually take the cruiserweight title from Perkins on the very first episode of 205 Live and hold it until losing to Neville at the Royal Rumble.
A stint spent floating between the main event scene and mid-card on the cruiserweight show would be snuffed out in short order after his arrest on charges of battery and false imprisonment of wife Vannarah "Su Yung" Riggs. Swann and Riggs had reportedly gotten into a heated argument when he critiqued her wrestling performance at a show, resulting in him physically restraining her as she attempted to get away from him. Needless to say, even though the domestic violence charges were eventually dismissed, Swann's firing was swift from a company intent on maintaining its family-friendly image. His recent signing with Impact Wrestling, where his wife is champion in the Knockouts division, could lead to further embarrassment for WWE.
6 Triple H Regrets: Apollo Crews
WWE has signed bigger names and more buzz-worthy additions, but few recruits have carried the pure star potential of Uhaa Nation, now better known as Apollo Crews. Crews' incredible combination of strength and agility was bolstered by a lifelong love for and dedication to pro wrestling. But even with those gifts, the former Dragon Gate star has learned that all the smiles, standing back flips and delayed vertical suplexes in the world can't make up for an utter lack of charisma. The fans haven't gotten behind him, and that largely comes down to a lack of ability to use the microphone to its potential.
Both in NXT and on the main roster, WWE Creative simply hasn't found a winning formula for how to highlight his stunning athleticism while overcoming his blandness. His pairing with Titus O'Neill as part of Titus Worldwide hasn't worked, nor did the strange decision to remove and then apparently bring back his last name. The next logical step would be a heel turn, but that would almost surely require Crews to curb some of his exciting move set so as to avoid cheers. The 30-year-old could soon see himself be deemed expendable as incoming NXT talents push him even further down the depth chart.
5 Stephanie Regrets: Rusev
There aren't many superstars that Triple H and Stephanie are believed to disagree on, but Rusev might stand as one of the primary figures of contention between the WWE power couple. Trips is believed to love how over the Bulgarian Brute has become thanks to his 'Rusev Day' gimmick, one that has generated plenty of revenue for the company through merchandising. Of course, that was never the intention of the heel gimmick, as Rusev and Aiden English continue to be presented as heels even though they are almost universally cheered.
Stephanie, it seems, feels differently about the whole thing. A firm supporter of WWE talent using social media to promote their characters and storylines, the on-air Raw Commissioner reportedly takes issue with how Rusev and real-life wife Lana willingly step out of character through their social media accounts (and often), including even criticizing the company on occasion. Steph surely still remembers the pair publicly announcing their engagement at a time when they weren't being presented as a couple in storylines. Their online infractions don't seem severe enough to jeopardize their jobs, but they could contribute to why Rusev hasn't been pushed to the main event scene, as some fans would like.
4 Triple H Regrets: Adam Rose
It's clear that WWE Creative had high hopes for the Adam Rose character. After a brief testing-the-waters stint in NXT, the former Leo Kruger got a quick main roster call-up in his new, life of the party gimmick, complete with a peppy, high energy entrance and a large entourage known as 'the Rosebuds'. But what was supposed to be a fun-loving, engaging babyface act was undercut by the fact that Rose never seemed like someone you wanted to hang out with at a real party.
Sure, the catchphrases were annoying and, hey, maybe the Bunny, a noticeable member of the Rosebuds, was going to get over anyway. But to be clear, the catchy gimmick had promise but was held back by its portrayer. It wasn't like WWE didn't try to salvage the character, turning him heel and then twice re-packaging him, first making him a pompous artist type and then a party pooper as an antagonist to him previous persona. After seemingly getting chance after chance, the man known in real life as Ray Leppan burned his last bridge by getting a second Wellness Policy violation and then being the subject of a domestic dispute within a tumultuous three-week period.
3 Stephanie Regrets: Paige
Granted it's still early in her reign as Smackdown Live GM, but Paige seems to have transitioned as well as can be expected from an in-ring career sadly cut short due to injury to an on-air authority figure position. As GM, she exudes confidence and self-assurance in her decision-making and has been booked to demonstrate integrity and not bow meekly to any other superstars. It helps, of course, that she happens to be on the blue brand and doesn't have to share the screen with Stephanie McMahon.
Speaking of Stephanie, it doesn't seem that she necessarily buys the idea of Paige being a pioneer of the women's revolution.
Steph presumably doesn't approve of the notion that anyone but her should receive credit for forwarding the movement, certainly not someone with as spotty a track record as the UK native. For all of Paige's career highlights - first ever NXT women's champion, winning the Diva's championship on her first night on the main roster - the Chairman's daughter probably associates her most with two Wellness Policy violations and a controversial romance with WWE pariah Alberto Del Rio. Because of the negative attention this garnered, it is almost certain Stephanie would have preferred she quietly walked off into the sunset.
2 Triple H Regrets: Enzo Amore
Given how many chapters there were to the Enzo Amore saga in WWE, it's hard to believe that the 'Certified G' barely surpassed a year and a half on the main roster. Consider that in the time between being called up from NXT to his eventual release, Amore challenged for the Raw tag team titles alongside Big Cass, was summarily squashed in a feud with his former tag team partner, became the centerpiece star of 205 Live and then developed into a heel champion on the brand, all the while earning tons of backstage heat for a pompous and arrogant attitude.
Despite Amore's attitude issues, which were reportedly so bad that they played into his one-sided feud against Cass and contributed to Neville's WWE walkout, the company remained firmly behind him for some reason. His impressive mic abilities helped secure top dog status on 205 Live. What they couldn't overcome, however, were sexual assault and harassment allegations at the start of this year. By then, even though the case against him was dropped due to insufficient evidence, the company had finally had enough of Amore and fired him on the spot. Blame for his embarrassing WWE tenure has to fall on Triple H, who hired him on zero wrestling experience based on video of a promo he cut as something of an unofficial tryout.
1 Stephanie Regrets: Kurt Angle
For all of the long-standing, years-old reports and rumours of animosity between Kurt Angle and the McMahon family, relations must have been at least pretty good to allow for the return that the Olympic Gold Medalist has enjoyed. Angle came back to the company amid much fan fare with a return complete with a Hall of Fame induction, a high profile WrestleMania match (against Triple H and Stephanie, no less) and an on-screen position as the Raw General Manager, which suits his part-time wrestling status. But the on-screen interactions between Stephanie and the four-time WWE champion seem to tell a different story.
Yes, I realize that both Raw authority figures are playing characters when the cameras are rolling, but there remains a long-held McMahon tradition of using the live product to send messages to certain talent, not to mention undercutting others to assert their own superiority. Watching Stephanie, who is no stranger to the McMahon practice, lord over Angle on a weekly basis makes for uncomfortable viewing that extends beyond their on-screen heel/babyface dynamic, especially as Angle's supposed financial need for the job has been brought up on air. While the McMahon's have largely been willing to set aside grudges in favor of what's 'good for business', they don't forget and surely haven't lost sight of the fact that Angle requested his release for health reasons and then ultimately signed with the rival TNA promotion.