Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Triple H, Charlotte Flair and More

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Might Triple H soon be back in charge of NXT?

According to a new report, that may well be the case.

The return of The King of Kings to the brand he created and nurtured for the last decade headlines this collection of wrestling rumors, which also features the latest on the return of Charlotte Flair and injury updates on some of All Elite Wrestling’s brightest young stars.

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Is it time to play The Game once again in NXT?

POST Wrestling’s John Pollock reported that could be happening as Paul “Triple H” Levesque was in Orlando at the WWE Performance Center and spoke to the NXT talent Wednesday:

John Pollock @iamjohnpollock

According to multiple sources, Paul Levesque was in Orlando today and spoke at the Performance Center. <br><br>Of the people I heard from, Levesque stated “he’s back” – it is unknown what that entails but that was the wording I was given.

“Of the people I heard from, Levesque stated “he’s back” – it is unknown what that entails but that was the wording I was given.”

What that means for NXT following an October makeover that did away with a large number of independent wrestling talent and replaced them with blue-chip athletes to shift its focus to character creation, remains to be seen but the fact that the WWE Hall of Famer and creator of the brand is again involved can only lead to positive things.

There are a lot of talented individuals performing for the brand who have bright futures with WWE. The creative and overall vision could use some considerable tweaking, though, and Levesque is as good as anyone to spearhead those changes at this time.

It will likely take some time before Triple H’s effect on the brand is felt completely but do not be surprised if NXT takes on a different tone in the near future.

Charlotte Flair has been conspicuous by her absence since losing the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8.

Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats reported the PNC Arena is advertising The Queen for the August 12 SmackDown event, creating speculation that she may not return to WWE programming until after SummerSlam on July 30.

While that may not be great for the roster’s star power entering one of WWE’s signature events, it might be just what the SmackDown women’s division needs right now.

WWE has been far too reliant upon Flair. It went back to her time and time again until any impact she had as champion was diminished by the fact that fans had seen her in that role so many times.

Flair being off of television gives fans time to miss her and eventually care when she does return. It also provides a spotlight for Rousey, Raquel Rodriguez, Shotzi, Natalya and others to benefit from increased screen time and to connect with audiences.

And no one benefits more than Lacey Evans, who recently returned to WWE and will have an opportunity to establish herself as a top-tier contender on Friday nights.

It is possible Flair is back in time for SummerSlam and uses her considerable star power to bolster the card. But it might be better for all involved if she isn’t.

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It was not all that long ago that Top Flight appeared to be the future of tag team wrestling in All Elite Wrestling.

Dante and Darius Martin could do things in the ring no one else could and their youth made them prime candidates to be the faces of the roster for years to come. Unfortunately for Darius, a significant knee injury (torn ACL) kept him sidelined from February 2021 through March of this year.

Now, undisclosed injuries suffered in a “nasty car accident” this past April will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future, Malakai Black revealed on The Universal Wrestling Podcast.

The hope is that Martin can return before the end of the year, but that is hardly a guarantee, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select.

Martin is not the only AEW competitor banged up right now. Sapp reported The Nightmare Factory’s “Big Shotty” Lee Johnson is also out with a knee injury through the summer and Matt Hardy was banged up following a recent appearance in AAA.

Throw in the undisclosed injury that is keeping Bryan Danielson off the Forbidden Door pay-per-view and Blood and Guts edition of Dynamite and you have an AEW suddenly bitten by the injury bug.

Of course, Danielson and Hardy’s injuries are more pertinent to the product given their stature on the shows, but Martin and Johnson figure to be foundational players in AEW’s future if they can stay healthy.

For Martin, this is one more setback that has only served to allow brother Dante to once again show out in singles opportunities. One can only hope he recovers and can rejoin his brother in once again in their quest to revolutionize tag team wrestling for years to come.