Quoted By:
Per Ibou of Wrestlepurists:
>Much has been made of AEW signing Merecedes, Okada, and Ospreay in short order despite WWE offering them huge amounts of money. Ospreay, especially, has been very vocal about how easy it was to choose AEW over WWE.
>Sources within WWE have confirmed that HHH is “furious” about the entire situation, comparing it to the time WWE thought they had signed The Elite, HHH cut a promo hinting at it, but the group went on to form AEW. The thought internally is that WWE should be seen as a prestige destination for talent, that anyone who wants to be famous would go there in a heartbeat, and that the money in WWE reflects that.
>However, HHH has said privately that he feels his hands are tied regarding salaries, as TKO has severely cut back on spending. CM Punk is making less than half of what he was making in AEW, Shawn Spears and Brian Pillman Jr took massive pay cuts, and only Jade Cargill has financially benefited from the move to WWE, although her contract was inked before TKO began tightening the purse strings.
>HHH has seemed sullen and aloof over the last 2 weeks, with one source saying he’s spent most of his free time writing song lyrics in his journal as a mental health exercise.
