WWE Rumors on Triple H's New Contract, Kairi Sane's Release and EVIL Backstage Buzz Before Debut

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Triple H Reportedly Signs WWE CCO Contract Extension

WWE Hall of Famer Triple H is reportedly set to remain the company's chief content officer for the foreseeable future.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), WWE president Nick Khan announced during a recent meeting that Triple H had signed a new employment contract with WWE to continue as head of creative.

While terms of the deal were not disclosed, PWInsider.com reported that it is believed to be a multi-year contract that will potentially run for as long as three years.

Triple H has been working behind the scenes in a creative capacity for several years, dating back to his time as an active wrestler, but he has been the primary decision-maker in more recent times.

The 14-time WWE world champion was elevated to that role in 2022 when Vince McMahon retired. McMahon eventually returned, but after WWE was sold to Endeavor, McMahon was kicked from the company for good in October 2023, and Triple H became the unquestioned, leading creative force in WWE.

Like essentially any booker in pro wrestling, Triple H has received mixed reviews from the viewing audience for much of his tenure.

While he was praised for his presentation of WrestleMania 40, Triple H received some criticism for aspects of WrestleMania 41 and 42.

That was primarily in relation to celebrities such as Travis Scott, Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll being involved in major championship feuds.

However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) reported that TKO CEO Ari Emanuel made the call for McAfee to be part of the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton rivalry this year.

That calls into question just how much power Triple H has when it comes to the biggest events and matches of the year, but on a day-to-day basis, it seems likely that Triple H is indeed the main decision-maker creatively.

Reported Details on Kairi's WWE Release, Future

Kairi Sane was one of several Superstars released by WWE last week, and it reportedly may have been a case of WWE giving Sane what she wanted.

According to Meltzer (h/t Wrestle Features), Sane "kind of indicated that she wanted to move back" to Japan, and now that she is no longer contracted to WWE, she is free to do so.

Sane's release came as a shock to most fans given that she has been featured prominently on Raw for the past several months, primarily as part of a storyline involving Asuka and Iyo Sky.

Given the sudden decision to part ways with Sane, many fans voiced their displeasure on social media, using the hashtag #WeWantKairi. There were even some, "We want Kairi," chants during Monday night's episode of Raw when Asuka attacked Sky to set up a match at Backlash next month.

Despite the desire from some fans to see Kairi back in WWE, there is reportedly no indication that the company plans on reversing course.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), WWE has no intention to give in when it comes to fan uproar after already doing so with R-Truth last year in a similar situation.

WWE reportedly plans on letting the Kairi chants die out and fade away, much like what happened last year after the company did not re-sign Karrion Kross.

Given her in-ring ability and personality, Sane should have no trouble finding work elsewhere if she wants to continue wrestling, particularly in her home country of Japan with promotions such as Stardom or Marigold.

EVIL's WWE Status After Reported Signing

WWE reportedly has yet to internally list a landing spot for EVIL within the company ahead of his anticipated debut.

According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson and Paul Jordan, WWE is listing EVIL in the miscellaneous portion of its internal roster rather than as part of a specific brand such as Raw, SmackDown or NXT.

It was reported last week by PWInsider.com (h/t WrestlePurists) that WWE had signed EVIL, and that there was an expectation within the company that the former New Japan Pro-Wrestling star would undergo a name change before debuting.

A former IWGP heavyweight champion and holder of several other titles during his time in New Japan, EVIL is set to become the latest in a long line of Japanese stars to join WWE.

While WWE has yet to publicly announce EVIL's signing, let alone indicate which brand he will wrestle on, NXT seems to be the most likely landing spot.

Last week, NXT champion Tony D'Angelo was handed a box with Japanese writing on it, leading to a great deal of speculation that it was foreshadowing EVIL's debut.

Since several NXT stars have been called up to the main roster since WrestleMania, including Ethan Page, Ricky Saints and Joe Hendry, NXT is lacking in terms of established main eventers.

EVIL could believably show up and immediately go after D'Angelo and the NXT Championship, so a pit stop in NXT before eventually moving on to Raw or SmackDown likely makes the most sense for all parties involved.