During the WWE Wrestlepalooza pre-show, the spotlight turned to AJ Lee’s highly anticipated in-ring return and the larger conversation about WWE’s approach to welcoming back former stars. Sitting down with Big E, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque opened up about how much the company’s culture has changed and why that shift is attracting wrestlers who once thought their time in WWE was finished.

Big E reflected on how different the atmosphere feels today compared to the past, noting that some of WWE’s biggest names once left the company or the industry altogether. He mentioned CM Punk’s own remarks to AJ about WWE feeling different now and asked Triple H if he had become more open to working with returning talent.

Triple H admitted the landscape has evolved significantly.

“I think so. I think the layout of how we operate , when you were trying to get to the top of the mountain, your drive, the grind, had to be different. And the workload here used to be very, very difficult. You know, it took a special person to be in that grind. A special performer to want to do that day in and day out for years on end, and it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. It is a bit different now. The culture is different now. The way superstars approach things is different now. I think it is a different timeframe. There is less workload, but that less workload opens itself up to a bit of scarcity that leads to a demand, to me.”

He further revealed that interest in returning to WWE has never been higher.

“So we have this talent , there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get a text or voicemail from someone that says, ‘I want to come home’ or ‘Is there an opportunity there for me?’ Or, ‘I’m overseas right now, I have this time on my deal, and I would love to explore WWE and come into the Performance Center.’ The opportunity right now, and where we sit, opportunities like Netflix, The CW, USA, and ESPN open the door to talent to say, ‘Man, I’m in this place in my life, and I want to go to the top of the mountain again , or I want to be on the top of the mountain.’”