Veteran writer Vince Russo has suggested that Vince McMahon’s decision to fire Road Dogg from WWE in 2021 was motivated by his desire to punish Triple H.
In September 2021, Triple H stepped away from WWE following a serious health scare, leaving Vince McMahon in charge of NXT. During McMahon’s tenure, NXT was rebranded to NXT 2.0 and a number of talents were released as part of cost-cutting measures, including producer Road Dogg, a long-time friend of Triple H.
Vince McMahon Used Firing As Punishment
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo suggested that Vince McMahon’s decision to fire Road Dogg was a way to punish his son-in-law. He also noted that this led to Triple H’s wife, Stephanie McMahon, taking a hiatus from WWE in May 2022. Russo said:
“When your son-in-law is on his deathbed, Vince McMahon takes over NXT, fires everybody Triple H hired, and does a whitewash of everything. Bro, you do that while your son-in-law is on his deathbed. Bro, to me, that was the punishment.”
The move was seen by many as a sign of McMahon’s displeasure with Triple H, with Russo believing it was part of a plan to send a message to Triple H, though it is unclear if the two events are truly connected.
The news of Road Dogg’s departure came in the wake of other WWE talents close to Triple H being released, such as William Regal, amidst a “real internal earthquake” for the company. This was all shortly followed by the 2022 scandal involving Vince McMahon that led to his (brief) departure and Triple H returning as the head of WWE creative.
Since McMahon’s return to power, the situation between he and Triple H remains as tense as ever as an internal power struggle takes place behind the scenes, which has recently seen McMahon’s daughter and Triple H’s wife Stephanie McMahon resign from her position as WWE co-CEO and board member.
H/t to Sportskeeda