WWE leadership took a hard look at the company’s direction following WrestleMania 41, and that reflection is now shaping how the roster is being built heading into the future.

Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast ahead of WrestleMania 42, WWE President Nick Khan explained that he and Paul “Triple H” Levesque evaluated the state of the main event scene last year and quickly noticed a pattern. Many of WWE’s biggest male stars were already 40 or older, including names like John Cena, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, and Drew McIntyre.

Rather than ignore the trend, WWE made a deliberate shift.

“So here’s the good thing , a year ago, so right after WrestleMania last year, Triple H and I got together and we said, ‘Okay, let’s take a look at the future,’” Khan said. “Let’s look at our top male superstars… they’re all 40 years or older.”

Khan said the realization led to immediate action, with the company turning its attention to building the next generation.

“So we said, ‘All right, we got to make sure we’re preparing for the future here,’” Khan explained.

That process brought them to the Performance Center, where they worked alongside Shawn Michaels and Matt Bloom to evaluate NXT talent and development strategies.

“We went down to our Performance Center… and said, ‘Okay, let’s take a look at the talent here… why is it taking longer?’”

One of the key adjustments that came out of those discussions was increasing opportunities for NXT talent to perform in front of different crowds, leading to more touring and live event exposure beyond Florida.

That approach is already showing results. Khan pointed to Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans as emerging names making an impact, with Femi earning a major spotlight match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42.

While the focus is clearly shifting toward younger talent, WWE is not looking to return to the heavy travel schedules of past eras.

“Think about every wrestling documentary you’ve ever seen,” Khan said. “Usually about wrestlers in the 80s started off with, ‘I was on the road 300 days a year.’ It’s no way… and then you saw the results of that.”

Instead, WWE has scaled back its domestic house show schedule, focusing on select tours while maintaining a more sustainable lifestyle for talent.

Looking ahead, Khan also shared his thoughts on who could lead WWE into the next decade, highlighting several rising and established names.

“I think there’s a shot for a couple people… keep in mind Rhea is in her late 20s, Rhea Ripley,” Khan said. “She’s amazing. She has a chance. She’s already up there.”

Khan also praised Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Oba Femi, and Trick Williams as potential future cornerstones.

“I’m high on Logan Paul. He’s good, dude. And by the way, he puts in the work,” Khan said.
“I’m high on Bron. We cannot rush it, though. Gotta sort of let him develop at his own pace.”

“I think all three of those. Oba is an obvious one. I’m high on Trick… I always look for people whose inner voice matches their outer voice… Trick Williams is Trick Williams. So I like that.”